Addressing Kentucky's Defensive Issues and How They Can Improve

Any “Basketball Benny” could watch this Kentucky team and identify the fact that the defense is lacking. Quite frankly, that is putting it lightly. The Wildcats are in danger of falling out of the KenPom Top 100 of adjusted defensive efficiency. They are now 97th and that number is plummeting every game from a high point in the Top 50 just a month ago.

In SEC play, the Cats rank 12th out of 14 teams, allowing nearly 113 points per 100 possessions. For context purposes, the Division I average this season is just a tick shy of 107 points per 100 possessions. Again, it isn’t difficult to recognize that there is a problem. However, the more nuanced question is how does it improve? Or, potentially the more important question, can it improve at all?

Your views of Kentucky’s defense likely speak to your broader beliefs as a fan in general. There are those who, maybe rightfully so, have grown disenfranchised with the program’s lack of success in recent years and feel a sense of “here we go again.” From 2010-2019, the Wildcats finished in the Top 10 of KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency metric five times. However, since then, the ‘Cats have finished 52nd, 35th, 36th, and 68th. This is the worst that it has been, but the downward trend is nothing new.

Other fans simply don’t want to be “hurt” again. They will wait until March to judge the team because Kentucky hasn’t made a second-weekend appearance since 2019. Finally, you have those who believe the offense can cover up all of the issues. For as bad as the defense has been, the offense has been as good or better. The Wildcats are fourth in adjusted offensive efficiency and second nationally in scoring putting up 89.9 points per game.

Like with most things, the truth probably falls somewhere in the middle. There are metrics and past trends that can be pointed out that would disqualify Kentucky from true national title contention. However, college basketball feels different this season. We’ve seen parity reach new heights as top-10 teams routinely lose on the road in their conferences. Maybe this is the year that there is an outlier that breaks some of the historical trends. If so, Kentucky has as good of a chance as anybody to be the team that does it. However, it is objectively true that steps need to be made on the defensive end in order to have a realistic chance of winning six games in a row. Let’s take a look at how that could happen for this Wildcats team.

K.I.S.S. Method – Control the Controllable

Keep It Simple, Stupid. Obviously, we aren’t calling anyone stupid here, but the age-old acronym applies in theory to this Kentucky team and its defensive issues. There are some really simple fixes that can be made before the next time the ‘Cats take the floor. However, that takes a level of concentration and discipline that we haven’t seen yet from this team on the defensive end. The Wildcats have a bad habit of making defense much harder on themselves than it needs to be. They get themselves out of position for no reason and hand the offense advantage situations regularly. Coach Calipari and company don’t have to reinvent the wheel. There just needs to be some buy-in to stripping back to the fundamentals and controlling what you can control.

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Finding some consistency in ballscreen coverage is something that Kentucky can control. What do you want to do on middle ballscreens? What do you want to do on side ballscreens? Those are simply questions that should be abundantly clear to everyone involved prior to every game. Obviously, the answer to those questions can also change from game to game, but the plan should still be clear.

In this clip, you see two fifth-year seniors not on the same page when guarding a simple middle ballscreen. If they are going to “weak” the ballscreen, then Antonio Reeves needs to influence the ball handler to his left. However, if they were going to “strong” the ballscreen then Tre Mitchell should have been on the other side to corral Radford. In theory, this is a simple fix, but it has continued to happen every game.

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This clip is an example of how the same defensive issues rear their ugly heads time and time again. “Never make the same mistake twice” is a mantra this Kentucky team needs to hear. The first clip was from January 13 at Texas A&M and now here we are on January 23 at South Carolina making the same mistake. Aaron Bradshaw is out towards the left wing ready for Antonio Reeves to “weak” the ballscreen. However, Reeves never influences the ball. Instead, he allows a straight line, strong hand drive to the rim. Again, there is a chance this was Bradshaw’s fault, but part of the problem is that Kentucky’s ballscreen coverage is so inconsistent that it is impossible to know what their plan actually is on a game-to-game basis.

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It can, in fact, be done properly. Back against North Carolina, Antonio Reeves was in the proper position to “weak” the middle ballscreen set by Armando Bacot for RJ Davis. This was a “Spain Action” by the Tar Heels where they backscreen Mitchell to try and open up a look to Bacot on the roll. However, because Reeves started the possession with good footwork, he was able to fight over the ballscreen and get back in front of Davis even as Mitchell got screened. You also have Adou Thiero there on the block waiting to corral the ball if necessary. Simply having the proper footwork to execute the desired ballscreen coverage allowed the ‘Cats to have a textbook defensive possession. Excellent play by Reed Sheppard on the back side to jump the passing lane for a steal and dunk after tagging Bacot on the roll.

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What the plan is on the ballscreens is less important than actually executing whatever the plan is. Too often the ‘Cats get out of position because the defenders involved in the ballscreen seem to be on different wavelengths. However, this is what it can look like when everyone is on the same page. You can find clips like this from every game this season so it is clear they are capable of playing good, sound defense. It is just an issue of consistency. As the game goes on, as the pace picks up, and as guys get tired it feels like the concentration and execution take a hit. In this clip you see two different ballscreens get covered up effectively. Rob Dillingham and Ugonna Onyenso “ice” the first side ballscreen. Then, Antonio Reeves stays on his man’s hip and Onyenso gives ground to block the shot on the second ballscreen.

Off-Ball Discipline and “Shell Integrity”

This is by far the most frustrating of Kentucky’s defensive issues. It also probably is the furthest from where it needs to be making it a more difficult fix. However, in theory, it wouldn’t take a lot to go from bad to average in this area. The youth of the Wildcats is likely a big part of the off-ball problems. There are several guys in the game at once who have never been asked to do anything defensively. They have never been held accountable for defensive breakdowns so long as they scored 20, 30, or 40 points. It can be hard to fix 18 years of bad habits in six months. That is the task at hand for Coach Calipari and his staff. Is there enough time between now and the end of March to chip away at a lifetime of bad defensive habits?

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Kentucky is obsessed with the ball defensively. This clip took place all the way back on December 2 in the loss to UNC Wilmington. However, the same problems exist nearly two months later. The issue admittedly begins on the ball, but the initial mistake gets compounded with a lack of off-ball discipline.

Similar to our first segment of this article, Justin Edwards and Tre Mitchell aren’t on the same page in terms of ballscreen defense. Edwards jumps out like he is going to “ice” the ballscreen, but Mitchell isn’t there to stop the ball. Then, all five players converge on the ball. There are literally 10 eyes staring at #2 Phillips and 10 feet in the paint. That lack of shell integrity led to a 41.1% three-point shooter getting a wide-open look.

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Possessions like this give you some hope that the defensive issues can be improved going forward. Compared to the UNC Wilmington clip, this is really good execution and shell integrity against North Carolina. When #2 Cadeau drives he is mostly driving to pass. Therefore, you should stay home on your man and not over-help. That is what Kentucky does here and it leaves Cadeau with nobody to pass to. Justin Edwards stays on #3 Ryan in the corner, Antonio Reeves stays with #4 Davis on the wing, and Tre Mitchell stays near #55 Ingram at the top of the key. This is what it is supposed to look like instead of having five players converge on the ball handler.

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The Wildcats are 18 games into the season and still making these mistakes. Worst of all, guys like Tre Mitchell who has played 120 career games, still don’t understand off-ball responsibilities. Kentucky plays 23 seconds of pretty sound defense on this possession. South Carolina hits #30 Murray-Boyles, a non-scorer, on the roll, but Antonio Reeves is there to cut him off. That was a good tag by Reeves. However, the ‘Cats once again have 10 eyes staring at the ball. Mitchell is on the right elbow while the ball is on the left block. What is he going to do to help here? He needed to be tighter to his man, a good shooter in #2 Mack, especially this late in the shot clock. That is a lack of concentration and a lack of discipline.

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Getting lost off of the ball has been an equal-opportunity problem for Kentucky this season. There are times when it truly looks like individual players are going rogue without any thought or concern for the overall plan. However, all of the issues stem from staring at the ball as opposed to staying in the gaps and worrying about their own man.

Watch Adou Thiero in this clip. At first, he actually does a good job of staying at the midline and not following his man all the way out to the backside. However, his insistence on watching the ball led to him getting lost. He completely turned his back on his man, then fully ran at the ball, all while leaving his man wide open for a three. The ball handler had picked up his dribble and was behind the backboard. No reason to worry about him there!

Rim Protection vs. Blocking Shots

Kentucky is ninth nationally in block rate at 15.3%. Getting three 7-footers healthy/eligible did in fact turn the Wildcats into one of the best shot-blocking teams in college basketball. Even Tre Mitchell and Adou Thiero, when available, have gotten in on the fun. However, there is an important difference between shot blocking and rim protecting. The ‘Cats do the former well, but the latter still has a way to go. Opponents shoot a high percentage of shots at the rim due to poor perimeter defense and they make 60.5% of those attempts, per CBB Analytics. When teams don’t get their shot blocked they seem to have a lot of success around the basket. Furthermore, Kentucky’s two-point defense sits at 50.1% which is 164th nationally. That doesn’t really line up with the blocked shot numbers. Why is that?

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This is what the ‘Cats need out of Ugonna Onyenso at the rim to cover up some defensive issues. However, there are too many times when he gets pulled away from the basket and never recovers to the rim. Also, as you’ll see in the next clip, there are times when he simply doesn’t attempt to block the shot despite being in position. In order for Onyenso to get regular minutes he has to have the mindset of blocking every single shot at the rim.

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Ugonna Onyenso never leaves his feet on this layup at the rim. What is the point of him being in the game if he isn’t at least going to try and block this shot?

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Obviously, the lack of perimeter defense is issue number one in clips like this. DJ Wagner gets smoked off of the bounce with #5 Johnson even having to make a move. He simply dribbles down the floor and goes directly to the rim. However, the goal would be for the 7’2″ player on the floor to cover up some of the perimeter defensive mistakes. Ivisic has blocked five shots in two games so it is hard to get on him too much, but he offers absolutely no resistance here.

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With as bad as Kentucky’s ballscreen defense has been, maybe it is time to just park the 5-man at the front of the rim and try to be in the way if they drive it. Ugonna Onyenso’s value on the floor comes from his insane 17.5% block rate. Opponents’ field goal percentage at the rim goes down 16.9% when Onyenso is in the game compared to when he isn’t, per CBB Analytics. However, his effectiveness is neutralized when he is out beyond the three-point line. He does a bad job here of keeping #23 Radford from turning the corner, so why not just say at the rim to potentially block or deter the easy layup? Kentucky probably needs to look at planting their 7-footers at the rim more and asking them to do less elsewhere. Play to your strengths.

What Does All of This Mean?

There is no denying that Kentucky’s defensive issues are real. Unfortunately, they’ve been getting worse instead of better as the SEC schedule began. Whether it is getting beat on the ball, getting lost off of the ball, or anything in between the ‘Cats have not been very good. However, there are flashes in every game of what it needs to look like. It is more an issue of concentration and discipline than it is anything else. These players can execute defensively. We’ve seen it happen. They need to start executing for longer periods of time though or it could be another short-lived March for Big Blue Nation.

So, let’s answer the questions laid out at the beginning of this article. Can Kentucky’s defense get better? The answer to that certainly seems to be yes. We’ve watched clips of them executing at a high level on that end of the floor. Also, it is worth remembering that this team hasn’t yet played a game at full strength this season. It takes time to break years worth of bad habits. Whether or not the next two months are enough remains to be seen, but it is fair to assume some growth is possible.

Now, for the more nuanced question, how does the defense improve? There are three relatively “simple” starting points laid out here as to how Kentucky’s defense can take steps in the right direction. First, strip back to the basics and focus on the K.I.S.S. Method. Let’s start by simply making sure the five players on the floor are on the same page. Secondly, there has to be some improvement in off-ball discipline and shell integrity. Too often the ‘Cats go rogue and start running after the ball for no reason. Finally, play to your strengths. The Wildcats feature some of the best shot blockers in college basketball. Use that to your advantage. Keep them around the basket defensively so “shot blocking” can turn into true “rim protection.”

With as good as the offense has been — aside from the South Carolina loss — some of Kentucky’s defensive issues have been masked at times. That is unlikely to happen for six straight games in the NCAA Tournament. Could it happen? Of course. However, it would certainly help if there was a little bit more reliability on the defensive end of the floor to not put pressure on the offense to score 90 in every game. If the ‘Cats can turn “go score 90 and nothing else matters” into “go score 80 and nothing else matters” this team will likely be a legitimate title contender.