Gonzaga Bulldogs: Making Sense of Their Frontcourt Offense

It’s difficult to call a frustrating Elite 8 loss a satisfying season. But for Mark Few and his Gonzaga Bulldogs, it may have felt so to finally find themselves deep in the tournament, away from the scrutiny of being called “overrated,” a label that was frequently slapped on them just two years beforehand when they earned a number-one seed only to lose to Wichita State in the round of 32.

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Coming off the “satisfying” season, the Bulldogs lose a pair of four year starters in Kevin Pangos and Gary Bell, and along with him went Byron Wesley, the transfer from USC who started on the wing last season. But what’s returning for the Bulldogs is even more interesting.

Those returners are Przemek Karnowski, Kyle Wiltjer, and Domantas Sabonis, and they will man the frontcourt. The three offer a unique blend of talent that college basketball isn’t used to seeing. Karnowski is 7’1, 288 lbs, and is an absolute menace on the defensive side of the ball. But he lacks a great offensive game, and was famous for disappearing in big games. Wiltjer is a scorer extraordinaire. He can score from anywhere on the floor, and Mark Few will be sure to base his entire offense around him. But he has been known to struggle on defense. Last but not least, Sabonis is a 6’10 ball of energy who attacks the boards with reckless abandon and has a solid back to the basket game. But he has played out of control at times, and it very erratic.

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Mark Few struggled with distributing their minutes appropriately last season, and now that they are clearly the Bulldogs’ three best players, he has more of an issue on his hands this year. It’s a good issue to have, but it’s still an issue nonetheless. Mark Few has developed a solid system that incorporates all three of them into the offense where they should be, and it’s going to be even more essential this year with Pangos gone. Let’s take a closer look.

The obvious thing about Kyle Wiltjer is that he is clearly the best of the three bigs in Gonzaga’s frontcourt rotation, especially on offense. His offensive rating was a ridiculous 131.6 last season. He can score from inside, and is an even better outside shooter. Most of the time, Gonzaga would incorporate Wiltjer into a high pick and pop, and utilize him as the shooting threat that he is. Watch how the pick and roll ball handler, in this case Gary Bell, managed to shed Wiltjer’s defender, Brandon Ashley, with a simple head fake. This gave Ashley the impression the pass was going to Wiltjer, and he immediately left Bell to close out. Instead, Bell cruised to the basket for a layup.

Also, this clever play by Mark Few uses Wiltjer as a decoy. Wiltjer sets a backscreen for Byron Wesley, and as soon as he pops to receive the pass, his man, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, begins closing out, respecting his shooting ability. But as soon as Hollis-Jefferson left the paint, it gave Wesley deep post position on his man, leading to the foul, and free throws.

Also, when Wiltjer is on the floor, it makes things much easier for both Karnowski and Sabonis, who attack a bit more exclusively out of the post. Watch here as Wiltjer’s man, again Brandon Ashley, doesn’t fully commit to double teaming Karnowski because he’s carefully monitoring Wiltjer at the three-point line.

When both Sabonis and Karnowski are in together, they tend to clog up the paint for each other. When they are in with Wiltjer, they tend to clog it up for him as well. Notice how easy it is for Jahlil Okafor to double team Wiltjer here because 1. Sabonis is camped out with one foot in the paint, and 2. he’s barely moving.

Mark Few has a good fix to this. Normally, he would have one of the two bigs pop to the top of the key to assist in swinging the ball, or even have them make the post entry themselves. Then, they cut through the weakside, forcing their defender to at least follow them through the paint, avoiding a double team. Watch this well-executed play with Sabonis popping to the top, getting a post-up and two points for Wiltjer.

Moving onto Sabonis, one advantage to having him on the floor is that due to his unique quickness for a big man, he likes to attack his defenders off the dribble when he pops to the top of the key, a la Joakim Noah.

Sabonis is the second-best offensive player of the three, featuring an offensive rating 123.9, which was good for third on the team (Behind Pangos and obviously Wiltjer). Sabonis is a threat in the post, and in the pick and roll. He has great hands, a variety of moves on the block, and is a great finisher. What Sabonis is really known for is how hard he works for every rebound and basket. His motor is off the charts, Russell Westbrook-esque. He likes to utilize his aforementioned quickness to beat defenders to the spot for deep post position. He normally features a unique combination of fakes and hook shots, which he uses to perfection in this next clip. Also notice how he lulls Ashley to sleep and then quickly slides into him and posts him up with one foot just about in the restricted circle, deep enough for just about any big man to score.

Karnowski is by far the worst offensive threat of the three bigs, as he featured an offensive rating of just 113.9 (good for just ninth on the team). His real value is on defense, which we will get to in a later piece, but he still managed to shoot an extremely efficient 62% from the floor last season. He’s not much of a threat out of the pick and roll or outside of the paint. But when Gonzaga needs a basket, they had no problem giving him the ball on the block and just clearing out. From there, he’s big enough to back down just about any big man, and he features an array of hook shots that he shoots well with both hands.

The conclusion here should be obvious. The impact that Kyle Wiltjer has on offense is far and away more valuable than anything Sabonis or Karnowski does. Sabonis’ off the dribble game is a perfect compliment for both Wiltjer and Karnowski. If I was Mark Few, I would avoid playing Karnowski and Wiltjer together too often, and when Wiltjer is paired with Sabonis, Sabonis usually has the opportunity to go one-on-one for an offensive rebound as Wiltjer is floating around the perimeter. But then again, Karnowski and Wiltjer are two seniors, and they were also the two starters last season. Stay tuned for part 2 in which I will look into the defensive side of the ball, and offer my solution as to what Mark Few should do for distributing their minutes.

Next: Wisconsin Badgers Top 5 Seasons under Bo Ryan

Gonzaga Bulldogs: Making Sense of Their Frontcourt Offense

By Matt Ostrowski | Jul 2, 2015

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