On Ben Sheppard's projected presence

And what his signature moment could reveal about a signature move 

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper 

With liquid hustle pumping through his veins, it was the signature sequence of Ben Sheppard's young career. In a span of roughly 10 seconds, the 22-year-old rookie dove after a deflection on one side of the floor and then got up to convert points out of a steal on the other. Over that stretch, although he was playing during the last five minutes of a game that was within five points, he wasn't thrown into the fray; he was the fray -- racking up mileage, as he so often does, while providing friction in response to the ball without chasing or demanding it. 

And yet, for a player who typically exists on the periphery, running in accord with the flow of the offense and sliding his feet without creating discord on defense, that wasn't the only play, from that game or his game at-large, in which he set himself apart. Not too long before the clock started on crunch-time, Sheppard could be seen pinching in from the wing against Nikola Jokic. That much wasn't out of the ordinary, at least as far as normal help principles against an all-world talent dictate. When it was time to spring back out to his assignment on the perimeter; however, he was far less ordinary, closing out with an unusual technique. 

Featuring a wide stance with two high hands, no one else on the roster for the Pacers contests in that manner on the perimeter. Of course, the sample size of actually contesting on the perimeter is small. At the midpoint of the season, Indiana's defense has allowed the lowest three-point attempt rate in the league, as well as of the last five seasons, with just 28.5 percent of opponent shots coming from deep. In that regard, the Pacers have put the arc on lockdown, but not in the traditional sense. They aren't catapulting shooters off the line with high-risk, help-and-fly recovery sequences. 

In fact, quite the opposite. 

According to Second Spectrum, the Pacers rank last in closeouts, tallying 34.8 per 100 possessions compared to 38.4 for the 29th-ranked Detroit Pistons. To understand why, think back to the finals of the In-Season Tournament, when the Lakers shot just 2-of-13 from three, but amassed 86 points in the paint. With Obi Toppin picking up LeBron James at the logo, the court fittingly looks as though a red carpet is being unfurled to the rim. The Pacers don't have to closeout, because more often than not they're already anchored to the arc.

Granted, some of this has changed. After Giannis Antetokounmpo set the franchise single-game scoring record for the Bucks with his 64-point performance against the Pacers, in which he was predominantly guarded by Buddy Hield in single coverage, the Blue & Gold started taking "shift" more seriously, loading up at the elbows in an attempt to wall off the paint. 

That said, despite some of the exaggerated coverages that have been implemented against certain stars, the three-point line continues to be the priority. In the recent loss to Phoenix, when both teams closed the game without any centers on the floor, the Pacers refrained from buddying up to protect Buddy Hield, even as he was being repeatedly targeted. Put simply, the emphasis is still largely being placed on sticking their assignments, especially when the alternative is stepping away from Kevin Durant, who scored 40 points on 72 percent shooting. With Pascal Siakam, the Pacers have more length and speed to stunt and obfuscate driving lanes while still staying in range of the arc. Tellingly, the numbers with regard to opponent shot distribution haven't changed that much since the change was made to insert Aaron Nesmith into the starting lineup at the three. Over the last 16 games, the Pacers have still allowed the lowest opponent three-point attempt rate in the league, while only moving up to 28th in closeouts per 100 possessions -- which has continued to be the case with Siakam. 

It's possible the execution will continue to improve, but they still aren't taking many chances as it pertains to potentially igniting a ring of fire around the three-point line. Moreover, when they do actually put their hand to the flame of shooters, it's typically from the standpoint of no middle while contesting to the midline of their body, as if to shine the light back in their eyes.

Too bad Nesmith doesn't have a lampstand, right?

Now, look back at Sheppard closing out to that same spot, albeit against someone closer to his own size. By comparison, he's more like a lampshade -- attempting to be a presence. 

With two high hands and a wide stance, Sheppard appears larger than he is, infringing on the space of the shooter while staying down and still providing a landing space for the shooter. 

For the season, the Pacers haven't exactly limited incidental contact on three-point attempts to the same degree that they've limited the actual attempts. As a team, they rank 12th in three-point shooting fouls committed per 100 possessions, but Sheppard has yet to be charged with one during his (admittedly) sparse playing time. For the sake of emphasis, that type of closeout is unique to him, representing a departure from what seems to be the general trend of the team and especially to that of Andrew Nembhard, who also breaks from the norm in how he goes about braking. By comparison, Nembhard will often sprint and stop with a hockey stop, forcing the ball baseline with his body positioning. There's no high hands or (outdated) stutter steps, and he doesn't jump because he's close enough to contest and still contain.

Similar to Sheppard, his hunched stance and ability to defend the drive with his chest is an easily distinguishable, though wholly opposite, silhouette. In one instance, there isn't a shot for Nembhard to contest, even with both of his hands lowered. In the other, Sheppard offers a controlled contest, with less risk of fouling, even with both of his hands raised. All of which begs the question as to how two players, in demonstrating attention to detail, are executing different details on the same team. 

Just as the Pacers have come to find out in adapting their defensive scheme to certain stars, the context of recent results and how good a shooter is from a certain spot or as a driver certainly matters, but the film of Sheppard at Belmont shows the same discipline, emphasizing two high hands on every catch, including and especially in zone.

The only problem is, if it becomes necessary for him to leave his feet to contest on longer closeouts, it's more challenging for the closeout defender -- especially as a guard who is giving up height (ahem, unlike Luke Kornet) -- to both jump and launch themselves forward. 

To that point, the effect isn't quite the same with regard to infringing on the space of the shooter while also protecting against committing an infraction against the shooter. As of now, for a team that has generally stayed close enough to avoid racking up closeouts, there isn't a large enough sample to know whether the quirky stylings of Ben Sheppard will be an old habit that's potentially hard to let go of or a trend that might gain a, quite literal, foothold.

Either way, if he can keep contributing like he did against the Nuggets, making his presence felt in the margins, the Pacers will be closer to finding out the answer to exactly how big he can project that presence, regardless of how closely they are defending the arc.