Cam Lard and rebounding regression

[megamanxzero35]

We all realize rebounding is a pretty hot button issue right now. I was curious to see how Lard has been doing rebounding this year since last year he was a rebounding machine. I was pretty shocked to see how much he has regressed as a rebounder.

2017-2018 Season

• Total Rebounds - 234
• Per 40 Rebounds - 12.2
• Offensive rebounding % - 14%
• Defensive rebounding % - 19.3%
• 2nd in the Big 12 in Offensive rebounds
• 4th in Big 12 in average rebounds per game at 8.1

2018-2019 Season

• Total Rebounds - 53
  
• Per 40 Rebounds - 8.6
• Offensive rebounding % - 9.8%
• Defensive rebounding % - 14.5%
• Outside Top 10 in the Big 12 in Offensive rebounds
• Outside the Top 10 in Big 12 in average rebounds per game

For Lard's career, he's had 8 double doubles. All happened last year. He has had 15 games of 9 rebounds or more, all happened last year. His highest rebound total this season is 6. When you look at this top 25 rebound total games, only 2 have happened this season. Absolutely bonkers the cliff he has fallen off in terms of rebounding. And sure he isn't playing as many minutes this year as last year, but even his per 40 numbers and rebound %'s are lower this year than last. Probably a big reason for our rebounding issues.

 

[GTO]

I think some of this may be due to Shayok and THT being good rebounding guards. They might take some rebounds that would have otherwise gone to Lard?

 

[isufbcurt]

IMO the biggest change is him having to help on defense which leaves him out of position to rebound.

 

[MartyFine]

IMO the biggest change is him having to help on defense which leaves him out of position to rebound.

Yes this. When Cam is in the rest of the team defends the perimeter a little more closely. I think the numbers suggested this also recently, but I'm not going to look for them.

If he's playing help D and trying to block shots more than he had to last year that can result in fewer rebounds.

 

[andymhallman]

IMO the biggest change is him having to help on defense which leaves him out of position to rebound.

Wasn't Lard often on the court with another big last year, compared to this year when he never is?

What I see in Lard is someone who plays within himself really well. He takes a lot of high percentage shots (mostly dunks). But the low rebounding is a head scratcher. I think a lot of it has to do with him trying to block so many shots that he's out of position for a rebound. I don't think he was doing that quite as much last year because he wasn't the only big on the floor.

 

[isufbcurt]

Wasn't Lard often on the court with another big last year, compared to this year when he never is?

What I see in Lard is someone who plays within himself really well. He takes a lot of high percentage shots (mostly dunks). But the low rebounding is a head scratcher. I think a lot of it has to do with him trying to block so many shots that he's out of position for a rebound. I don't think he was doing that quite as much last year because he wasn't the only big on the floor.

Yes until Solo got hurt

 

[Gunnerclone]

Totally different teams. Totally different stats.

 

[Dingus]

Lard is certainly not rebounding as well this year. Not sure what your numbers take into account tho- he missed almost the entire non-con and has played sharply reduced minutes most of the year, so total rebounds etc. don’t mean much.

 

[FinalFourCy]

Yes this. When Cam is in the rest of the team defends the perimeter a little more closely. I think the numbers suggested this also recently, but I'm not going to look for them.

If he's playing help D and trying to block shots more than he had to last year that can result in fewer rebounds.

He’s certainly getting caught out of position, as suggested by the nearly 40% OReb percentage when he’s on the court. It’s going to be tough to maintain the DReb rate with that performance. I wouldn’t say that’s due to when Lard being in that the team defends the perimeter more, but rather the opposite. Lard is feast or famine in on-ball screen defense.

 

[spierceisu]

Lard is certainly not rebounding as well this year. Not sure what your numbers take into account tho- he missed almost the entire non-con and has played sharply reduced minutes most of the year, so total rebounds etc. don’t mean much.

I agree with this. Due to injury and or suspension, he missed a lot of games. Up until recently, due to foul trouble he hasn't played much.

 

[Thompsonclone]

Feel like he’s just been trying to play catch up all season. Blocks, points and rebounds are all down. Part of that is the suspension, part of that is our team just being better, part of it might be him not being in as good of shape as he was last year and another part of it is that I think sometimes the team forgets how talented he is.

We went through him a lot more last year. We don’t throw it down to him as often this year and he’s not scoring in transition as much. Feels like I’ve been waiting all season for that 20 and 12 game from him but I don’t think it’s goung to happen this year.

He’s still only managing to play 13 minutes per game. I’d like to see him get 20-25 minutes per game but as we’ve seen him with and Wigginton, Prohm isn’t going to change anything. Not this year at least. Hopefully next year both of these guys play more so they have a chance to do what they did as freshman. Hard to expect them to when they play 15 and 20 minutes per game. I’ve been satisfied with how he’s played in conference but man, he was a monster last year and I really miss that Lard.

 

[Kurttr]

Other than Jacobson (I might be missing another one or two), this team does not block out well and seems to depend on its athletic ability. While Lard does that too, he does have to come off his man a lot because our guys don't play on-the-ball D that well. When we're focused we can (e.g., Wiggs last night), but we let tons of guys drive by us, which affects our rebounding.

I know we outrebounded OU last night, but the beginning of the game felt like the same old story for when we struggle. Second half, we made some shots and then really picked it up on D. Hope we can get to playing tough D no matter what's happening with our shots.

 

[cycloneworld]

To me, this is a case where the stats lie. Watching Lard in B12 play, he's one guy that I'll never call out for effort. He may be out of position a few times per game but often times, he's up against someone bigger and stronger than he is.

No complaints about Cam Lard from me.

 

[madguy30]

Is there a list of +/- per player?

I'd like to see what Cam's is.

That's more important than the amount of something.

 

[Tre4ISU]

I think some of this may be due to Shayok and THT being good rebounding guards. They might take some rebounds that would have otherwise gone to Lard?

It's not. THT essentially is Babb from last year and Shayok has been just okay as a rebounder. This will be one of our worst rebounding years in recent history and it's been a trend since Prohm took over. It doesn't have to do with size either as Hoiberg (this is an example, cool it) didn't have bigger teams and even though they weren't great defensively, they were usually plus rebounding units. I think his best was the Royce team where Royce was a monster but Ejim was the one sucking everything else up that Royce didn't. Ejim isn't drastically bigger than say, Shayok and he was fighting interior guys.

My thoery on Lard is that everyone is so bad at keeping guys in front of them that it causes him to constantly challenge shots bringing him out of position. He certainly challenges too many shots he has no chance of even influencing, but he has guys coming at him constantly and it's learned behavior at this point. Jacobsen, on the other hand challenges very few shots and rebounds marginally better.

 

[megamanxzero35]

Lard is certainly not rebounding as well this year. Not sure what your numbers take into account tho- he missed almost the entire non-con and has played sharply reduced minutes most of the year, so total rebounds etc. don’t mean much.

That's why I included per 40 stats and those rebounding percentage numbers. I realize last year he was playing 30 minutes a game and this year he isn't so obviously numbers won't be as high. But he hasn't even had a breakout game. That was part of my point when showing his best rebounding game was 6.

 

[megamanxzero35]

Is there a list of +/- per player?

I'd like to see what Cam's is.

That's more important than the amount of something.

He is tied for first on the team with 10.7.

All of my stats are pulled from here.
https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/iowa-state/2019.html

 

[madguy30]

He is tied for first on the team with 10.7.

All of my stats are pulled from here.
https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/iowa-state/2019.html

Great.
So let the stats be down a bit.

 

[JDDDCy]

His minutes have trended up as the season has progressed. Unfortunately his minutes are limited in a lot of games due to foul trouble. He seems to be avoiding the touch fouls that he was getting earlier in the season. We have been getting really good production out of the center position. Cam and Mike have different strengths which seem to complement each other.

 

[IASTATE4LIFE]

I understand the thought process that everyone wants to look at our bigs and try to figure out why they aren't rebounding. But the problem is our guards. The guards aren't stopping penetration, forcing the big to help or give up a layup. And our week side rotations, which are almost always a guards responsibility simply are not happening. Rotations are so slow or non existent, that the guard isn't even in a good position to consider blocking out, they are on the wrong side! Watch the tape from the last few games, I think we can all pick up on the fact that nobody is stopping ball. We don't have a single player stopping anyone right now. But watch our weak side rotation. Some of our players appear completely disinterested in doing the work to be in the correct position. Games like OK when we shoot well, it doesn't matter but it won't hold up in a tourney setting very long.