@Jay G. Tate's note on Georgia Tech's defensive change hurting Kelly's defense intrigued me, so I looked a bit more into it:
In the 2022-23 season, Kelly ranked in the 92nd percentile defensively allowing just 0.683 points per possession (PPP). Last season saw a significant drop-off for him as he allowed 0.917 PPP which ranked him in the 36th percentile. As Jay noted earlier, GT ran much more zone under Josh Pastner compared to Damon Stoudamire. During the 22-23 season, GT ran 826 zone possessions compared to just 69 last season. Considering his build as a lanky, light guard, Kelly being a good zone defender makes sense, and he was ranking in the 84th percentile in the 22-23 season. Here's the thing: he was better as a man-to-man defender in that season as he allowed 0.701 PPP ranking him in the 88th percentile. The previous season, he allowed 0.928 PPP out of man defense ranking him in the 32nd percentile. So why the sudden drop? Here's why, in my opinion:
Damon Stoudamire had his bigs play in a drop which meant his guards had to fight over every screen which is a lot to ask from a perimeter defender who is also having to carry an offense. Him being 165 pounds also doesn’t really help there.
Josh Pastner had his bigs show & recover at the level of the screen (which is what Auburn does with Johni a good bit) which meant that he didn’t have to fight like hell to get around every ball screen. And of course, playing more zone helps him as a lengthy defender, but of course, Auburn doesn't run much zone so that's kind of moot.
GT had him guarding gaps and helping on driving lanes a good bit - kind of like what OKC does with Shai - but he also was guarding RJ Davis and Wooga Poplar in the games I watched, so at the very least they trusted him a ton on ball. He also does gamble a bit, which isn't the best habit in the world, but you live with it because of his length and disruption ability.
I should note, this is after watching just a few games, but I think his fit in Auburn's defense would be much cleaner compared to what Mighty Mouse was asking him to do. So take from this what you will. And I'll have a more in-depth piece should he commit to Auburn.
In the 2022-23 season, Kelly ranked in the 92nd percentile defensively allowing just 0.683 points per possession (PPP). Last season saw a significant drop-off for him as he allowed 0.917 PPP which ranked him in the 36th percentile. As Jay noted earlier, GT ran much more zone under Josh Pastner compared to Damon Stoudamire. During the 22-23 season, GT ran 826 zone possessions compared to just 69 last season. Considering his build as a lanky, light guard, Kelly being a good zone defender makes sense, and he was ranking in the 84th percentile in the 22-23 season. Here's the thing: he was better as a man-to-man defender in that season as he allowed 0.701 PPP ranking him in the 88th percentile. The previous season, he allowed 0.928 PPP out of man defense ranking him in the 32nd percentile. So why the sudden drop? Here's why, in my opinion:
Damon Stoudamire had his bigs play in a drop which meant his guards had to fight over every screen which is a lot to ask from a perimeter defender who is also having to carry an offense. Him being 165 pounds also doesn’t really help there.
Josh Pastner had his bigs show & recover at the level of the screen (which is what Auburn does with Johni a good bit) which meant that he didn’t have to fight like hell to get around every ball screen. And of course, playing more zone helps him as a lengthy defender, but of course, Auburn doesn't run much zone so that's kind of moot.
GT had him guarding gaps and helping on driving lanes a good bit - kind of like what OKC does with Shai - but he also was guarding RJ Davis and Wooga Poplar in the games I watched, so at the very least they trusted him a ton on ball. He also does gamble a bit, which isn't the best habit in the world, but you live with it because of his length and disruption ability.
I should note, this is after watching just a few games, but I think his fit in Auburn's defense would be much cleaner compared to what Mighty Mouse was asking him to do. So take from this what you will. And I'll have a more in-depth piece should he commit to Auburn.
