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Swamy Spotlight: Turnovers in the Post (feat. Jesus Hummelsworth)

Aneesh the Swamy

Hello, lovely readers. It’s been a slow Purdue sports week (with no basketball and…umm…that football season not exactly lending itself to postseason conversations), but hopefully the last Video Breakdown helped buy some time. Oh, and volleyball!

Anyway…as someone who bleeds black and gold but grew up on Butler’s campus (mostly in Barry Collier/Thad Matta basketball camps at Hinkle), this Crossroads Classic matchup between the Bulldogs and our Boilermakers does nothing but give me ulcers. So let’s look at a few lighter subjects.

First, Robbie Hummel continues to thrive in Minnesota as a shooter and defender off the bench, beating out fellow forward Derrick Williams for a spot in their rotation (former #2 overall pick, traded to Sacramento because Rob is the greatest). On Wednesday, the Wolves were holding on to a small comeback lead over the Philadelphia 76ers, when Rob proceeded to hit a dagger 3 off a beautiful Ricky Rubio pass:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=RFjcd0rDkWA

AND THEY CALLED HIM JESUS HUMMELSWORTH. The “He Got Game”-inspired nickname was, as far as I can tell, coined by one Patrick Fenelon, and is the greatest nickname I’ve ever heard. I’m extremely disappointed I didn’t come up with it. So…naturally…I made this:

Zach Harper, an NBA writer for CBSsports.com and Timberwolves blog “A Wolf Among Wolves”, loves him some Robbie Hummel as well (Rob finished with 10 points and went 2/3 from beyond the arc in just under 12 minutes of play, mostly in the fourth quarter).

Good times.

SWAMY SPOTLIGHT: Turnovers in the post

Let’s get back to Purdue for what has become a frustrating sight for Purdue fans, but is becoming my all time favorite Coach Painter line of questioning. Purdue’s offense this year often runs through the huge post presences of AJ Hammons and Jay Simpson, as they are two monstrous human beings who are extremely skilled in the deep post.

Unfortunately, ball security while they gain post position has become somewhat of a problem. I went through clips of the last couple of games, and isolated two major reasons for these mishaps:

First culprit: Bad Entry Passes

http://youtube.com/watch?v=gytdqOXM98o

A lot of the time, our failure to establish a significant presence in the post through Hammons and Simpson (and sometimes Peck) is a result of some pretty terrible entry passes. The Johnson brothers stand out for their often-careless passes inside, and these turnovers result in a ton of avoidable fast break opportunities for the defense. To be fair, a lot of these missed passes are also a result of lazy post positioning and Hammons/Simpson waiting passively for the ball to hit them in the perfect spot. A little urgency and aggression by both sides would go a long way to improve these mistakes. This makes me really appreciate Basil Smotherman's excellent chemistry with Purdue's big guys down low.

Second theory: Lack of Concentration and…Sweaty Hands?

http://youtube.com/watch?v=LGHyjktzySU

So…the beyond-fantastic guys are Gold and Black Illustrated asked Coach Painter about this problem, and his answer was hilarious to me.

Most of the clip above is Hammons losing the ball, and it’s definitely plausible that a lack of concentration is the root cause of these struggles. But Simpson…apparently has excessively sweaty palms and is causing him basketball-gripping difficulties. As an unfortunately perspiration-heavy individual myself, I feel for Jay’s plight, but Coach Painter calling out his sweat glands like that is cold. Don’t worry, though, Jay seems to have found a solution:

Sit on the edge of your seat for more riveting updates. I can only hope Painter gets a moisture-related question every game.

Yeah. I’m ready for more real basketball too. Purdue plays Butler in beautiful Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Saturday at 6pm. Let’s do it to it.