On the Attack: UNCW's 'New' Offense
The Seahawks have adjusted their offensive priorities
When last we saw the Seahawks, they were celebrating a hard-fought 70-68 victory over Delaware on Dec. 29 — the biggest win of the season and most significant of Coach Takayo Siddle’s short time leading the program.
Like each of the three victories that preceded it during UNCW’s current streak, the Seahawks relied on an inside-out offensive approach that has traded shot quality for quantity on the perimeter, while emphasizing high-percentage looks in the paint.
There’s a clear difference in the Seahawks' shooting as of late, hitting 45 percent from the field during the four-game winning streak vs. 36.3 percent over the first eight games of the season, but that doesn’t tell the whole story of how UNCW’s coaching staff has adjusted the offense nor how the players have executed on those tweaks.
Let’s dive in with a few shot charts, courtesy of CBB Analytics, which is yet another fantastic tool for understanding the game.
Let’s start with the 10,000-foot view, looking at shooting percentages (left) and shot distribution (right).
A staple of UNCW attack will be letting the three-ball fly early and often, which makes sense when you’re trying to push the temp and create extra possessions.
Early on, the Seahawks did exactly that, attempting 27.5 3-point attempts per game, which accounted for 44.7 percent of their total shots.
Surprisingly, they weren’t terrible shots and some, even, were good shots. Problem was, they weren’t the best shots — failing to test opposing defenders, allowing them to sit back in zones and letting them off the hook early in the shot clock.
With UNCW making just 27.7 percent of those 3-point attempts, it wasn’t a sustainable strategy for long-term success.
Because of the struggles from the outside, defenders packed the lane and forced the Hawks to below-average shooting percentages both at the rim and in the lane overall.
After the Jacksonville debacle, when the Seahawks shot 4 of 21 from 3-point range against a physical Dolphins’ defense that snuffed out penetration, something had to change.
It has, in a big way, as UNCW has added more screening, more pick-and-roll action and improved spacing to help the Seahawks create better looks all over the floor.
After attempting just 42.7 percent of their shots in the paint over the first eight games, the Seahawks are now getting the majority of their looks near the basket, taking 55.4 percent of field goal attempts in the lane.
As mentioned earlier, the Seahawks have traded quality for quantity on 3-point attempts, with only 25.5 percent of shots coming from beyond the arc, where UNCW’s wide-open shooters are hitting 45.8 percent.
So, exactly how have the Seahawks changed up the functionality of the offense?
As Siddle says, you’ve got to have dudes to go make plays.
The offensive development begins with Jaylen Sims and trickles down to his teammates, as the senior wing has gone from a one-dimensional scorer to a savvy point guard who can utilize his frame and changing speeds to get into the lane.
Sims isn’t a guy who will put up flashy assist numbers, but he protects the ball (10.3 turnover rate, best on the team) and keeps the ball moving since taking over this role.
He’s gone from shooting 33.3 percent on 11.6 field goal attempts per game, to making 38.2 percent on 8.5 attempts per game.
Though his overall shooting in the lane has dropped, Sims is creating more points there because of his commitment to attacking the basket.
After attempting just 28 free throws over the first eight games of the season, Sims has gone 26 of 35 at the line over the past four games.
It doesn’t show up in the box score, but Sims’ ability to attack and move defenders is causing major stress for opponents, result in kicks to the perimeter or dishes to Mike Okauru and Shykeim Phillips, who can take advantage of the spacing.
Okauru, who played a similar role as a big, physical point guard last season, is using those same skills as a key cog in the offensive improvement, as he’s played a part in 20 assists over the past four games with 11 as the scorer and nine as the passer — both of which lead the team.
His finishing ability hasn’t changed much, as the graduate student ranks in the 98th percentile in scoring at the rim — impressive for a 6-4 wing — but it’s again a matter of opening up the floor for himself and teammates.
If Okauru gets going downhill toward the cup, someone is going to be open. In all, he’s assisted five different teammates over the past four games, so those passes are going to a variety of places.
Total, Okauru has converted on 20 of 25 attempts at the rim while hitting 8 of 22 attempts just a bit further out in the paint.
There’s no doubt Phillips is a strong ballhandler and distributor, but playing him strictly at point guard limited his biggest strength, which is putting the ball on the floor and getting buckets.
Early on, he was efficient in making 25 of 51 attempts from the field, but not putting up nearly enough shots at 6.4 field goal attempts per game.
Siddle’s decision to move Phillips into a more scoring-focused role on the wing is still a work in progress as he finds consistency, but we’ve certainly seen flashes as the junior gets comfortable with the increased scoring load, where he’s putting up 11.8 field goal attempts per game.
The wins over High Point and Delaware offered a preview of what’s possible, as Phillips was given the ball and told to make a play.
He’s developed a knack for knocking down the pull-up jumper in the lane, where he’s getting six attempts per game during the winning streak. Both Phillips’ attempts and conversion rate on those shots ranks in the 99th percentile nationally over this stretch.
The ability to drive his man, stop on a dime and pull up for a quick jumper is about as close as the Seahawks have to a signature move on this team, so expect to see plenty of it down the stretch — and perhaps building off it with a hesitation move to get to the bucket.
And although he’s not a prolific 3-point shooter, Phillips has been efficient, particularly on the right wing — a shot that will become available more often as keeps beating defenders to the lane.
Here’s a more complex breakdown of how strong Phillips has been with the pull-up for the entire season.
