Jordan Loyd's Zenit, a statistical anomaly
The team led by Xavi Pascual is classified in fifth position after the first thirteen games, tied at 8 wins and 5 losses with fourth and sixth, which are Armani Milan and CSKA respectively. If we take a look at the individual statistics of their players, we see that they are the only team, together with last-placed Zalgiris, that only has one player who reaches double digits in PIR. Jordan Loyd averages 14.7 credits, thanks in large part to his 13.3 points, and he is also the only member of the Russian squad to reach or exceed ten in that section.
Despite the fact that traditional statistics have less and less weight when it comes to analyzing performance, it is impossible to ignore that the fact that the Lithuanian team does not have any player in double digits in points and only one in PIR (Josh Nebo with 11 of media) is key in being the red lantern at the start of the 21/22 Euroleague. But the fact is that Zenit almost share the same statistical anomaly by having only Loyd reaching the ten in both statistics and yet their qualifying situation is a success so far, especially if we take into account that Shabazz Napier has not yet debuted, his star signing for this course and the player who was to take the place of his former star Kevin Pangos.
xavi-pascual-zenit-st-petersburg-eb19.jpg
Xavi Pascual on his return to the Euroleague (photo: Euroleague.net)And to find an explanation for this we do have to touch, even slightly, the advanced statistics. Xavi Pascual in his last seasons for defensive basketball and few possessions. Lifelong numbers tell us that Zenit is the second team in average points received per game with 71'23, after the 71'15 allowed by Real Madrid, but when we go to the advanced we see that one of the keys From this aspect is that those from Saint Petersburg are the team that plays with fewer possessions according to RealGm statistics with 66'2, tied with Bayern Munich and Red Star. It should be noted that Pablo Laso's team can be considered the best defensive team to date, since their leadership in points allowed comes from being the fourth team in terms of “pace” with 70'2.
JORDAN LOYD CONTINUES TO ESTABLISH AS AN OUTSTANDING PLAYER IN EUROLEAGUE
It is clear that the key to Zenit only having a player with double digits in points and PIR is his defense and, above all, his pace of play, since the fewer possessions, the less statistics in both sections. But this does not detract from the great individual season that Jordan Loyd is having. One might think that the former Valencia Basket and Estrella Roja player is the player with the greatest license to lead the Gavà coach's team, but his USG%, although high, does not tell us that. Loyd is 22nd in the Euroleague in that section with 25'5, Billy Baron being the one with the most average possessions of his team with 26'7 and Conner Frankamp closely following Jordan with 25. Both Baron and the former UCAM Murcia play significantly less than Loyd, but in the time they are in play they absorb similar numbers of attacks from the Russians.
SIMILAR SITUATION TO LAST YEAR WITH KEVIN PANGOS?
The question is answered with a "yes" in terms of points but with a "no" in the assessment section. The Canadian point guard was the only Zenit player to score in double figures last season with 13'5 but he was joined in his 14'8 PIR by Mateusz Ponitka (14'1), Will Thomas (13'4) and Arturas Gudaitis (12'8), playing even at a lower pace (66'1) and with Pangos being the highest USG with 26. The team's average rating was much higher, adding 85'77 (6th) on average for the 77' 62 current (13th). The explanation for this is in a much less effective attack than the previous course.
Xavi Pascual's team scores 72'3 on average at this start, when in 20/21 he added 77'46. The main reason is a much lower success in all sections. After these first thirteen days, Zenit has 53.6% in shots from two, 33.7% in triples and 71.3% in free kicks, for 56.2%, 37.5% and 79.2 % of the previous season. He rebounds more this season with 35'61 to 30'92, but that doesn't make up for it in the overall valuation as he rises more percentageally in offensive rebounds (11'07 to 9'15) as a result of his greater number of failures.
XP IS CONFIRMED AS THE GREATEST CHAMPION OF "BASKET CONTROL"
Xavi Pascual is already without a doubt one of the great coaches in the history of the competition, being able to boast of his title with Barça and of being the third coach with the highest number of victories with 235 after Zelkjo Obradovic's 313 and Ettore's 265 Messina, while suffering the persecution of a Pablo Laso who already has 225. If we take away his first seasons at Barça, he has always been "accused" of playing control basketball, I conclude that now it is used less but that there is no doubt that it does justice to what his Zenit practices: long possessions, a lot of defense and team play but with a clear leader on offense. This may have its detractors based on taste and aesthetics, but there is no doubt that it is a successful model for the team from St. Petersburg, who qualified for the playoffs in their first full season and are on their way to do it again to maintain the level of this first third of competition. To date, XP has 31 wins and 25 losses with a club that debuted in Europe's top competition just three years ago.
