Posted by jack_duck on 2/24/2012 11:54:00 AM (view original):
I definitely undervalue guard speed. Especially since I mostly play press, I want my guards to have great ath/def too. So often I settle for guards that top out around 70 spd. I think this is hurting me. Thoughts?
Also, what do you guys think about spd for bigs? I think it greatly helps with scoring %, but I'd be curious to know if anyone has other theories/insights about it.
in the press, no matter what offense, speed is the most important stat for guards. it is just flat-out incredible. it used to be even more incredible, but its still huge. its the leading factor for steals, and has a big impact on opponent fg% and 3pt% (especially 3pt%). press was changed substantially about 2 years ago to rely on ath and def more, particularly for holding opponents to low fg%, but speed is still king. that 70 speed comment is hard to read - if you are in d3, thats probably fine. in d2, i really like at least 80 speed and try to have a few guards with 90+, but i honestly may sacrifice too much to get it.
spd for bigs is of limited importance. it helps, but really i find it pretty insignificant with scoring%. are you playing fb? at least in the 3 standard offenses, ive had a ton of big men who had single digit speed, and great ath/lp, and they rocked it on offense. they consistently outperform my more well rounded guys. to roughly quantify it... if you offered me an 80 ath/90 lp big with 1 speed, for offensive purposes only, or a 60 ath 60 spd 90 lp big, id definitely want the 80ath guy. i think its at least 3:1, and maybe 5:1 or higher. i could definitely be wrong though - and the system you run (not just offense but the strengths and weaknesses and style of your team) could have an impact.
i know many coaches disagree that the overall system really has an impact on that kind of thing - but let me just say, that in this case, it very well might. i don't value bh or per in bigs, at all really, and there are a number of highly successful coaches who do value it. i could definitely see how a coach who likes to let his bigs take jumpshots would get more benefit from spd, to complement their bh/per, than i would with terrible bh/per in my bigs. so i think context is very important when answering questions like the above - there are many ways to win! it very well may be because i put so much emphasis on guard scoring that i really don't get value from the bh/per in bigs, where as other coaches with less perimeter scoring might value that contribution. so it could by my emphasis on guards in the first place that eventually makes spd a low priority for big men for me. whatever kind of system you run is going to affect how valuable big man speed is for you, as well.
so, what kind of system do you run?