Defense under Finch

[SameOldNudityDrew]

This may be a short-lived thread, but I'm interested in this topic, and I couldn't tell what other threads it might fit in.

I feel like I've been seeing something a little different from us defensively over the last few games, and I can't quite put my finger on what it is exactly. Here's what I think I'm seeing:

It's a lot of switching, but not just on pick and rolls. I'm seeing our defenders basically "handing off" their guy to another defender fairly often when the opposing offensive players move without the ball and when there's a teammate who can pick him up and another opposing player they can switch onto nearby. I feel like I've seen this happen a lot on picks off the ball when the opponents run set plays, but also at other times as well. It doesn't look like what I think of as a traditional zone defense because our defenders are still playing more or less close to their man, and they do follow their guy around the court if there's no Timberwolf to pick their guy up when he moves or no opposing player for them to pick up. I've also noticed that it seems like when the opponent has a mismatch without the ball, we are more often switching to help with the big coming over and directing Nowell (usually) or Rubio to the guard they were defending. It doesn't look to me as if each defender has a zone they are responsible for, like you think of in a typical zone. In a zone, you'd see our guards defend opposing bigs if they were out on the perimeter in their zone (right?), but it seems like we're not intentionally switching into mismatches in situations like that. And it doesn't look like they are just switching on the pick and roll either, although I have seen that too. I guess it just looks like a kind of fluid defense with a lot of switching depending on the situation.

It's also possible I'm just thinking I'm seeing something different because I'm conscious we've got a new coach so I'm subliminally expecting something different. So I wonder whether the rest of you guys are seeing this as well.

If this really is a kind of "situational switching" defense, it clearly requires a lot of communication, and I have seen some lapses in that regard. It's not enough to just point at your guy as he moves away from you and expect a teammate to pick him up, as I've seen a couple of guys do, which has led to some easy buckets by the opponents. And if this is really happening, it requires a lot of quick thinking by our guys too in order to decide whether or not to switch. But it does seem like our guys have handled it relatively well, again, assuming what I think I'm seeing is actually happening. If it is happening and it works, it could help our guys conserve a bit of energy on the defensive end, counteract picks and set plays by the other team, maintain some defensive flexibility, and also potentially throw off opposing offenses.

Am I crazy? Is anybody else seeing something like this happening? If so, what do you think about this?

[worldK]

Your not crazy drew. Finch has changed the defense. There is more switching now and we have drop the strictly 'drop coverage' strategy when it comes to defending pick and rolls. Its more situational now and more agressive. I like it better and seems to fit more with the personel.

That is one more reason why I am certain Vanderpool wont be here next season. The whole drop coverage strategy and defensive schemes were all Vanderpool. He was the associate head coach who is in charge of the defense. Finch comes in as the new
coach jumping over the associate head coach and has now change the defensive approach.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

They were absolutely doing the switching handoffs earlier in the season and before Finch came on board. This is one reason why the Wolves are the #2 team in the league at limiting opponent 3PT attempts. When you are constantly handing guys off on the perimeter or off pin-downs, it's harder for the opponent to find an open look beyond the arc and renders screening almost irrelevant.

As WorldK said, they are not always going into drop coverage on PnR and the big will sometimes step up more aggressively. But that's about the only change I've seen. Their transition defense is still horrible.