On Monday afternoon, Brooklyn’s reception became official: old lottery selection Noah Vonleh it became a Brooklyn chain. After what some might describe as a unceremoniously out of the league –– a positive COVID-19 test and subsequent dismissal from the Chicago preseason squad (come on, Bulls, have a little class!) The great multi-tool man Noah Vonleh won a great opportunity with a candidate to the championship in New York City.
Just based on what we know about the Brooklyn squad (* look at Norvel Pelle’s 6 fouls in 17 minutes against Philadelphia *), I don’t think it’s Crazy to say that there may be minutes on the court to pass; there is ample opportunity for Vonleh to prove his worth once again, on – nothing much – on the biggest stage possible.
To understand Sean Marks’ latest acquisition, I recruited Joe Hulbert from our sister site, Canis Hoopus, to help. Joe is one of my favorite basketball content creators PERIOD, a truly splendid guy and author of one of my three favorite basketball articles this year, Inside Minnesota Timberwolves’ tasteless offensive strategy.
(Seriously Nets fans, I suggest you read this one. The coverage of Joe’s X and O is always clear, but there is some really splendid information about former Net All-Star, D’Angelo Russell, as well as a brief tribute to the former head of technical Nets, Kenny Atkinson. I can’t recommend it enough!).
First of all, Joe, thanks for joining me. It is an absolute honor, and I am very excited to talk to you about some things.
To get straight to that, let’s start here …
Matt Brooks: We had some back and forth about it on Twitter, but what does Vonleh offer on the defensive side of the ball? Do you think he will fit into Brooklyn’s exchange defense? Is he another great replacement? Or does Vonleh have some versatility protecting it closer to the perimeter?
Joe Hulbert: This is a difficult question to give a concrete answer purely because of the Minnesota scheme. David Vanterpool runs a pure disposal scheme, with any option being of the 1-4 variety. Downtown Minnesota almost never covered or blocked, as it wanted to maintain the structure and protect the painting. They also lacked personnel for blitz recoveries.
The assessment of Vonleh’s fit in Brooklyn’s switching defense is based on small and hypothetical sample sizes. However, there are signs that it can work. On the offensive side of the ball, Vonleh is a fluid player who can attack from the perimeter. Your change of direction is quick for a guy your size and these principles and skills can, theoretically, be placed on the defensive side of the ball.
Denver changes much more than Minnesota. His minutes were limited, but he played 11 minutes against the Lakers just before the start of the Pandemic. He had this intriguing reputation against LeBron James alone.
Vonleh shows good work with his feet and composure to try to keep LeBron in front of him. He is aware of where the aid defense is, and this was not a particularly easy path for James. There is definitely potential for Vonleh to be transferred to beginner wings. But the number of movie clips you can use to back up is limited. It is all a matter of projections and theoretical adjustment.
Overall, however, Vonleh is an excellent defensive communicator. Most Wolves bloggers agreed that he watched a lot of movies. He was always aiming and announcing definite plays when he was on the backend. He plays hard and his work with his feet inside is very good. He plays the game in a fundamentally solid way and is worth a punt in the Nets trading scheme.
MB: There has been a lot of discussion on my side of the world about Vonleh’s sweater. Are you buying or selling your ability to stretch the floor?
JH: I wouldn’t say that I would buy your ability to shoot jumpers. At a higher playoff level, he would likely receive the Al Horford treatment that the Bucks gave him in the 18-19 season. Again, this boils down to the theoretical value, as the sample sizes are very small. His best shooting season was 17-18 as a member of the Portland Trail Blazers, when he was in the 75th percentile for medium long-range efficiency, while doing them at a frequency that placed him in the 95th percentile. His shot was never actually translated into Minnesota, Denver or Chicago. This possibly suggests that their number was inflated in Portland by the presence of their elite guards. He inherits a similar, if not ridiculously better, situation with scoring guards in Brooklyn, so his numbers could hold. Again, it’s all theoretical.
What it should translate is its fluidity. While in New York (with the Knicks), they always asked him to bring the ball up. He can take down the perimeter defense in the attack and play within the limits of the attack. He is a solid analyst and a smart player in that regard. Any resemblance to a pitch obviously increases its value.
I would suggest that the lower the volume, the more likely it is to be a threat. New York excused it from its intermediate numbers in Portland as they were desperate for space. Their 3-point numbers there were bad. This is often the reality of stretching someone with limited offensive ability to the three-point line.
MB: What is the biggest positive aspect that Vonleh brings to the table that the average Nets fan may not be aware of?
JH: I spoke earlier about Vonleh’s obvious love for watching defensive films. In attack, he is an equally intelligent player, allowing defined moves to be played. Overall, the 19-20 Timberwolves offense was a statistically oriented abomination, but the offense had some semblance of a schematic presence when Vonleh was on the court. He is a good PnR assessor who is great at running counters on dribbling hand-offs.
This is a simple move, but it is the best that a low-use center can offer. It is an excellent tracker that is good at creating smaller margins that can turn a simple piece into a genuinely good look. If the Nets want to do a lot of dribbling transfers, then he is a player who can execute them. He can manipulate the defense as a passer in these actions and this is a good mesh alongside Nets’ perimeter threats.
One thing that comes up when we come back to find ‘Good Andrew Wiggins’ clips: The presence of Noah Vonleh.
Quite surprising, considering that those two shared the floor for only 161 minutes (with a bad ORTG). But I’m telling you, lotta Vonleh in good deeds from PnR / DHO Wiggins. pic.twitter.com/CJ4KjB06CJ
– Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) January 15, 2020
The move above is again simple, but that may be enough for the Nets on the offensive side of the ball. He is an intelligent player who studies the opponent’s defensive tendencies. In this play, he expects Marko Guduric to commit too much, so he simply reverses the action.
MB: On the other hand, what are your biggest weaknesses?
JH: His weak point is that he has no real notable skills as a top scorer. This is often what keeps actors at their level. It makes up for the lack of star talent with work ethic, filmmaking and doing the little things right. It seems obvious, but at the highest level his roof is hampered by the fact that he will not be able to punish the defense with anything in the attack, unless he miraculously becomes an effective sniper. The Nets were looking for a low-use, high-impact player and may have found him.
MB: Do you like the change as a whole for the Nets?
JH: I’m a fan of that movement. I would like to see you go back to the wolves. Their communication at both ends sets a professional standard that Minnesota badly needs. He plays within his limits and does things on the margins that can elevate a team’s floor. It is a perfect fit alongside traveling snipers who may need cover on the defensive end with a smooth exchange scheme.
MB: Joe, I just want to thank you again for joining me. His analysis is, as always, fantastic and I feel much more prepared for Noah Vonleh’s version of Brooklyn basketball. I look forward to continuing to follow your work this season, and I hope for better times for our wolves. The Lord knows that we deserve it.
Guys, give Joe a follow up on Twitter On here for more malfunctions like this. At all hours of the day, Joe is sharing the film, sharing statistics and contextualizing the most nuanced concepts of basketball, and I cannot recommend that he stay up to date with his work enough.