Isaiah Thomas is the Most Efficient Isolation Scorer in the NBA

[max215]

https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/5lrmjk/oc_who_are_the_best_isolation_players_this_season/

Note: minimum 50 possessions

[GratefulCs]

Crazy

He's dang good

[IDreamCeltics]

Unbelievable season. 

Can't believe they got this guy for peanuts. 

[Ilikesports17]

Wow. Marcus Morris is shockingly good in these situations.

Obviously the main takeaway here is that Isaiah is a beast, but I was impressed to see Morris that high.

[saltlover]

Wow. Marcus Morris is shockingly good in these situations.

Obviously the main takeaway here is that Isaiah is a beast, but I was impressed to see Morris that high.

Yeah, I'd point out that IT is very low on the spectrum in terms of frequency.  In other words, he and Brad pick his ISO opportunities carefully, when he has a favorable matchup (or they can get him one off a switch.)

I was most impressed with Harrison Barnes -- above average efficiency on a high volume for a bad team. 

[oldtype]

Wow. Marcus Morris is shockingly good in these situations.

Obviously the main takeaway here is that Isaiah is a beast, but I was impressed to see Morris that high.

Yeah, I'd point out that IT is very low on the spectrum in terms of frequency.  In other words, he and Brad pick his ISO opportunities carefully, when he has a favorable matchup (or they can get him one off a switch.)

I was most impressed with Harrison Barnes -- above average efficiency on a high volume for a bad team.

Yup.

1. He's good at isolation.
2. We're smart enough not to put him in isolation unless the opportunity is there.

Both are good news.

[max215]

Wow. Marcus Morris is shockingly good in these situations.

Obviously the main takeaway here is that Isaiah is a beast, but I was impressed to see Morris that high.

Yeah, I'd point out that IT is very low on the spectrum in terms of frequency.  In other words, he and Brad pick his ISO opportunities carefully, when he has a favorable matchup (or they can get him one off a switch.)

I was most impressed with Harrison Barnes -- above average efficiency on a high volume for a bad team.

Yup.

1. He's good at isolation.
2. We're smart enough not to put him in isolation unless the opportunity is there.

Both are good news.

Oh, absolutely. Isolation (in large doses) is generally both inefficient and ugly to watch.

[PhoSita]

Not only does Isaiah score 1.3 points per possession on isos (extremely good), he also scores 0.97 points per possession as the pick and roll ballhandler.

That's good for 10th in the league among players with at least 100 possessions, tied with Demar Derozan and Kemba Walker, and just a hair behind Chris Paul (0.98).  League leader is Damian Lillard with 1.05.

That's the NBA these days: if you're an elite scoring pick and roll ballhandler and you can also score well in isolation, you're gonna score a ton of points.

[Surferdad]

and clearly Dion Waiters is the least efficient, shocker.   

[jpotter33]

Question - what are they considering "isolation plays" I wonder?

Because to me it seems IT isos way more often than this. I'm guessing there's some wacky definition attached to this, because I think most of us that watch him almost every game would assume that IT engages in way, way more than just a little over two isos a game.

[mmmmm]

Question - what are they considering "isolation plays" I wonder?

Because to me it seems IT isos way more often than this. I'm guessing there's some wacky definition attached to this, because I think most of us that watch him almost every game would assume that IT engages in way, way more than just a little over two isos a game.

This post gathers up the relevant terms and definitions used by the Play Type statistics analysis:

https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/3ghbkt/play_type_analysis_how_each_team_scored_and/

• Isolation: When the possession-ending event is created during a “one-on-one” matchup. The defender needs to be set and have all of his defensive options at the initiation of the play.

[jpotter33]

Question - what are they considering "isolation plays" I wonder?

Because to me it seems IT isos way more often than this. I'm guessing there's some wacky definition attached to this, because I think most of us that watch him almost every game would assume that IT engages in way, way more than just a little over two isos a game.

This post gathers up the relevant terms and definitions used by the Play Type statistics analysis:

https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/3ghbkt/play_type_analysis_how_each_team_scored_and/

• Isolation: When the possession-ending event is created during a “one-on-one” matchup. The defender needs to be set and have all of his defensive options at the initiation of the play.

Thanks!

Though this definition doesn't seem to help much either. lol If this is truly how they're defining an "isolation play" without any spacing measures or anything like that, then IT should have many more "isolation plays" per game than merely two, with a roughly similar efficiency.

For example, by this definition shouldn't any time IT takes his man off the dribble by a superior first step or a hesitation move be considered an "isolation play"? Sometimes he'll take advantage of a player trying to catch up on rotations, but most of the time he just isos a player "with all of his defensive options" in a "one-on-one matchup" and takes advantage of his superior quickness and agility to blow past them, which he at least does a half dozen times a game.

It almost seems like they're not counting penetrating drives as isolation plays and only isolation shots. What am I missing?

[tazzmaniac]

Question - what are they considering "isolation plays" I wonder?

Because to me it seems IT isos way more often than this. I'm guessing there's some wacky definition attached to this, because I think most of us that watch him almost every game would assume that IT engages in way, way more than just a little over two isos a game.

This post gathers up the relevant terms and definitions used by the Play Type statistics analysis:

https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/3ghbkt/play_type_analysis_how_each_team_scored_and/

• Isolation: When the possession-ending event is created during a “one-on-one” matchup. The defender needs to be set and have all of his defensive options at the initiation of the play.

Thanks!

Though this definition doesn't seem to help much either. lol If this is truly how they're defining an "isolation play" without any spacing measures or anything like that, then IT should have many more "isolation plays" per game than merely two, with a roughly similar efficiency.

For example, by this definition shouldn't any time IT takes his man off the dribble by a superior first step or a hesitation move be considered an "isolation play"? Sometimes he'll take advantage of a player trying to catch up on rotations, but most of the time he just isos a player "with all of his defensive options" in a "one-on-one matchup" and takes advantage of his superior quickness and agility to blow past them, which he at least does a half dozen times a game.

It almost seems like they're not counting penetrating drives as isolation plays and only isolation shots. What am I missing?

Isolation certainly includes drives.  I'd guess the plays you are referring to get classified under Spot Up which includes catch and drive plays. 

[mmmmm]

Question - what are they considering "isolation plays" I wonder?

Because to me it seems IT isos way more often than this. I'm guessing there's some wacky definition attached to this, because I think most of us that watch him almost every game would assume that IT engages in way, way more than just a little over two isos a game.

This post gathers up the relevant terms and definitions used by the Play Type statistics analysis:

https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/3ghbkt/play_type_analysis_how_each_team_scored_and/

• Isolation: When the possession-ending event is created during a “one-on-one” matchup. The defender needs to be set and have all of his defensive options at the initiation of the play.

Thanks!

Though this definition doesn't seem to help much either. lol If this is truly how they're defining an "isolation play" without any spacing measures or anything like that, then IT should have many more "isolation plays" per game than merely two, with a roughly similar efficiency.

For example, by this definition shouldn't any time IT takes his man off the dribble by a superior first step or a hesitation move be considered an "isolation play"? Sometimes he'll take advantage of a player trying to catch up on rotations, but most of the time he just isos a player "with all of his defensive options" in a "one-on-one matchup" and takes advantage of his superior quickness and agility to blow past them, which he at least does a half dozen times a game.

It almost seems like they're not counting penetrating drives as isolation plays and only isolation shots. What am I missing?

A 'drive' can be an action resulting from a variety of play-types.  I.E., a player can drive on a transition play, off a pick, and, of course, off the dribble action on an iso.

The two main play-types that need to be separated here are isolation plays from pick & roll plays.  Isaiah does most of his drives off of picks.  The exact pick action is quite varied, whether he goes front/back and whether he already has the ball or it is a dribble-hand-off or whatever.  But those types of plays are all going to be classified as 'pick & roll' because they involve using at least one screener and because the scoring action, whether it is a dive or shot by Isaiah or a pass to the rolling/popping screener happens pretty much immediately after the use of the pick.

What they are calling 'iso' plays can often be setup by a pick - but that's mainly to force a switch to create a match up.   There will be a clear separation between the pick and the actual scoring action, whether it ends up being a drive or a shot off the dribble.

[DarkAzcura]

Question - what are they considering "isolation plays" I wonder?

Because to me it seems IT isos way more often than this. I'm guessing there's some wacky definition attached to this, because I think most of us that watch him almost every game would assume that IT engages in way, way more than just a little over two isos a game.

This post gathers up the relevant terms and definitions used by the Play Type statistics analysis:

https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/3ghbkt/play_type_analysis_how_each_team_scored_and/

• Isolation: When the possession-ending event is created during a “one-on-one” matchup. The defender needs to be set and have all of his defensive options at the initiation of the play.

Thanks!

Though this definition doesn't seem to help much either. lol If this is truly how they're defining an "isolation play" without any spacing measures or anything like that, then IT should have many more "isolation plays" per game than merely two, with a roughly similar efficiency.

For example, by this definition shouldn't any time IT takes his man off the dribble by a superior first step or a hesitation move be considered an "isolation play"? Sometimes he'll take advantage of a player trying to catch up on rotations, but most of the time he just isos a player "with all of his defensive options" in a "one-on-one matchup" and takes advantage of his superior quickness and agility to blow past them, which he at least does a half dozen times a game.

It almost seems like they're not counting penetrating drives as isolation plays and only isolation shots. What am I missing?

A 'drive' can be an action resulting from a variety of play-types.  I.E., a player can drive on a transition play, off a pick, and, of course, off the dribble action on an iso.

The two main play-types that need to be separated here are isolation plays from pick & roll plays.  Isaiah does most of his drives off of picks.  The exact pick action is quite varied, whether he goes front/back and whether he already has the ball or it is a dribble-hand-off or whatever.  But those types of plays are all going to be classified as 'pick & roll' because they involve using at least one screener and because the scoring action, whether it is a dive or shot by Isaiah or a pass to the rolling/popping screener happens pretty much immediately after the use of the pick.

What they are calling 'iso' plays can often be setup by a pick - but that's mainly to force a switch to create a match up.   There will be a clear separation between the pick and the actual scoring action, whether it ends up being a drive or a shot off the dribble.

Good explanation. I was going to try but I couldn't do better than this. TP.

Yeah IT has been one of the best in the league at getting his points within the flow of the offense.