Addressing Kentucky's Issues at the "4" Spot

BRamseyKSR

The Kentucky Wildcats won 96-56 on Wednesday evening. Playing the day before Thanksgiving, especially against a low-major opponent, can be a tough spot. It is human nature to be looking ahead to a couple days of rest and come out a little flat. However, after the Wildcats were punched in the mouth by Gonzaga on Sunday, there was probably a little extra fire heading into the matchup with North Florida.

It didn’t take long to realize that Coach Calipari had his guys ready to play against the Ospreys. Kentucky was sharp defensively, executed better on the offensive end, and simply played harder than they did the previous time out against the ‘Zags. The blowout result, plus shooting 9-24 from beyond the arc, should be just what the ‘Cats needed to regain some confidence.

In lieu of a normal “Watch the Tape” segment we are going to simply look at one issue that still persisted against North Florida. It is hard to have too many takeaways after a 40-point win. However, Kentucky still has some clear issues at the 4-spot that need to be addressed. Jacob Toppin has produced solid counting stats to this point in the season. He put up a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double on Wednesday. That doesn’t disqualify him from some criticism though. Between Toppin and Daimion Collins Kentucky needs more from the power forward position.

Opponents are Simply Not Guarding Daimion Collins

The unfortunate answer to the issues that Kentucky faces offensively is that you have to dance with who you brought. There isn’t a “stretch-4” player on the roster who could earn more minutes. Jacob Toppin is the Wildcats best answer at the 4-spot and he will continue to play a lot of minutes. However, that does limit some of what Coach Calipari can scheme up offensively. There are some ways to put players in better positions to succeed, like a ballscreen continuity offense for example, but that is a different deep-dive for a different day. For now, let’s take a look at the spacing issues created by Kentucky’s forwards lack of shooting ability.

The Daimion Collins experiment at the “4” probably needs to be finished. At least Jacob Toppin has some skill to knock down a mid-range jumper or attack a closeout. Collins can’t feed the post, can’t shoot, and isn’t even being guarded by opposing defenses. Having him in the corner in the possession shown above derails what was otherwise solid offense.

In transition, Sahvir Wheeler rejects the Ugonna Onyenso drag ballscreen and gets a piece of the paint. However, Collins’ man is simply not guarding him and has come all the way across the lane to stop the ball. If Kentucky’s 4-man was a shooting threat this would have been a patented lefty scoop layup for Wheeler.

Once the Wildcats reset and begin to reverse the basketball you can still see Collins’ defender, #3 in blue, parked right at the front of the rim. As CJ Fredrick comes off of the handoff he kicks the ball to Collins while his defender still is all the way in at the lane line. The North Florida defender gives a short closeout and baits Collins into a three-point attempt with 12 seconds on the clock. Wasted possession by Kentucky.

Defenses Don’t Respect Jacob Toppin as a Playmaker

Jacob Toppin has certainly improved going into his senior season. He is rebounding the ball at a high level, limiting his turnovers for the most part, and has provided a scoring punch at time for Kentucky. However, if he is going to lead the Wildcats in field goal attempts, he simply has to be more efficient. 41.% from the field, 21.4% from three, and 58.3% from the line is not going to cut it. A big reason for his inefficiency is that opposing defense simply aren’t concerned about him offensively. They will let him drive it or settle for mid-range jumpers all he wants.

The first issue here is that if Toppin is going to run the sideline in transition he needs to sprint all the way to the corner. That will at least flatten out the defense and open the middle of the floor. Instead, he starts jogging around half court because he wants the ball. Once he gets the ball it is full steam ahead without a real plan.

North Florida closes out short so he can’t drive by them. There is absolute no help defense because they aren’t afraid of him actually making a play off of the dribble. The lack of help means that none Toppin’s teammates are open. As he picks up his dribble he jumps to pass and has no where to go. His turnover created a layup on the other end for the Ospreys. Again, if Kentucky had a more naturally skilled 4-man this could have been a good throw ahead for Antonio Reeves.

Lack of Spacing Leads to Bad Shot

When you have a lack of shooting on the floor it makes it harder to run offense for everyone else. Driving lanes are stuffed up and passing lanes are filled with defenders, or you own teammates, who are in the way. That is often what Kentucky’s offense looks like at its worst early on this season. There is simply isn’t enough space for the Wildcats guards or Oscar Tshiebwe to operate inside. That is especially true for the minutes that Daimion Collins plays at the 4-spot.

This was a really good offensive possession until the very end for Kentucky. Antonio Reeves drove along the baseline and threw a pretty drift pass to Adou Thiero in the corner. A one-more pass to Cason Wallace probably could have resulted in a three-point attempt, but the freshman guard drove it instead. That is where trouble occurred.

Daimion Collins is in no-man’s land on the Wallace drive. If he was up on the wing higher and wider there probably would have been an easier passing lane to Reeves in the corner for a three. Also, his lack of shooting ability allowed his defender to sag all the way to the midline taking away the lob to Ugonna Onyenso. Wallace ends up having to throw the ball to Collins, who the defense had abandoned, and the result was a really ill-advised shot. A one-dribble pull-up by Collins would be an opposing coach’s dream. Kentucky is going to have to manufacture better space with their current roster going forward. An easy fix to start with with be no more minutes for Collins at the 4-spot.

What Does All of This Mean?

At the end of the day, Kentucky’s offense is fine. The ‘Cats have elite point guard play, a freshman star who can play both on and off the ball, two excellent three-point shooters, and the reigning National Player of the Year at center. The cupboard is hardly bare for Coach Calipari to work with. However, spacing is still a concern when you primarily are only playing two true shooting threats together at a time. Defenses will continue to sag in, aggressively help on Tshiebwe, and force Kentucky into jump shots.

There isn’t an easy fix because you can’t make in-season trades or go to the free agency wire. Kentucky’s roster is set for the rest of the season. That doesn’t mean though that tweaks can’t be made. Experimenting with some Chris Livingston minutes at the 4 could potentially improve the shooting upside of the position. Using Jacob Toppin more as a ballscreen, in a continuity offense, would force defenses to make decisions at the point of attack regardless of shooting ability. Additionally, going “super small” with Antonio Reeves or even some Adou Thiero at the 4-spot could at least be considered.

Unfortunately, there is no offensive scheme or set play that can perfectly clear up the current deficiencies the Wildcats face. Nobody is all of the sudden going to become a better shooter. However, you can work to put people in the best position possible to succeed. Consistently having Jacob Toppin, or worse Daimion Collins, on the perimeter is not doing them any favors. More importantly, it is not doing the team any favors. How Coach Calipari and his staff combat that issue will go a long way to deciding how Kentucky’s 2022-2023 plays out.