Johnny O’Bryant leads LSU in scoring at 14.21 points per game. He is one of the most dangerous threats in the country in posting up. So, what does LSU like to do to get O’Bryant open in the post, and how should Ole Miss try to slow down the big man when the two rivals clash in a Southeastern Conference matchup tonight?
O’Bryant leads Division I in post up opportunities with 174 this season, 12.4 per game. He is shooting 53 percent from the field on post ups and getting to the free throw line 13.1 percent of the time. His efficiency isn’t phenomenal; he’s scoring .84 points per possession on post ups, which is slightly above average.
When opponents force O’Bryant to pass, the LSU offense struggles. His teammates are shooting just 36.4 percent when he passes out of a post up and an embarrassing 29.7 percent on spot up jumpers. (LSU is 10th in the SEC in three-point percentage at 32.7.)
The best way to force O’Bryant into passing is to send an aggressive double team, which has happened 20.8 percent of the time. Over two-thirds of the time, he passes out when doubled, but his teammates’ poor shooting has made his passes useless.
On the possessions that O’Bryant attacks the double team he has shot 54.5 percent, but he has turned it over on 31.6 percent of those attacks.
If Ole Miss is going to double him in the post, they need to do so with guards. Teams have gotten away with giving LSU open jumpers after doubling O’Bryant. But O’Bryant has made teams pay when they double off of his front court partner. He does a great job of finding the open post player under the goal or cutting to the basket.
LSU likes to get O’Bryant in a post up at the elbow and allow him to attack with either his back to the basket or by facing up. Tiger head coach Johnny Jones does a good job of getting O’Bryant in a post up isolation.
Below, LSU has crowded the far side of the court so that O’Bryant can catch at the elbow with the opportunity to attack the vacated lane.
One of Jones’ favorite plays for O’Bryant starts with his three guards on the perimeter and his two big men at the blocks.
The opposite post player flashes to the free throw line, which leaves O’Bryant with an isolated post. This makes sending a help side defender difficult, as no one is in position to slide over.
A good entry pass and no extra defender results in an easy slam for O’Bryant.
LSU will likely run some version of this – it usually includes a ball reversal and O’Bryant setting a down screen – on their first offensive possession.
An O’Bryant post up is one of the top options for LSU on in-bound plays. From side out of bounds passes, he has scored 14 points on 10 possessions and shot 6 of 7 from the field.
Though they haven’t faced many post ups, the three main Ole Miss big men have been good against post ups. Demarco Cox has allowed .65 points per possession on 31 post ups, Sebastian Saiz has allowed .64 points per possession on 14 post ups, and Aaron Jones has allowed .29 points per possession on seven post ups.
The best way for Ole Miss to slow down the six-foot-nine forward will likely be to play zone defense. Andy Kennedy’s team has played more zone than anyone in the SEC – 34.9 percent of possessions – while O’Bryant has had just 26 offensive possessions against zone defenses.
O’Bryant has the highest usage rate on the Tigers. He is the top option for their offense. However, he is shooting a career worst 57.4 percent from the free throw line. So, taking fouls on him is another option to slowing O’Bryant down.
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— Tyler Bischoff
tfbischo@go.olemiss.edu
