Question: Is Hass that good a post player?
I get that he's effective, but I don't know how much is post skill and how much is ability to either bully the small or score in the tip-in/rebound game. And I ask this because it strikes me the first is more prone to being fed, while the second is more about game flow. Not that I don't think he's a good post, but I don't have a read on if he's the kind you just dump it down to.
(Perhaps this difference is just academic. I look forward to UW defenders fouling him as they hold on for dear life)
He's a phenomenal post player. Having watched Purdue heavily over the last 4 years, he's really put together a great skill set in the post.
As I've said, if he gets the ball on the low block, it's over. If he's single-covered, that ball is going in the basket. [He's shooting about 62% on the year]. He can turn either direction, he's got a lot of spin moves, and is good with the little hook shot with either hand. And it's not just "bullying a smaller center". He plays fine against other big guys.
If you decide double him, he's become very good at feeling the pressure and understanding the offense, so he's going to pass out to an open shooter. And Purdue's got a lot of those.
That wasn't true a few years ago. He was hesitant in the post, had a tendency to bring the ball down before making his move, and didn't have good ability to pass out of the double-team. So he was responsible for an incredible amount of turnovers. But he's cleaned up that part of his game.
As I mentioned earlier, he's got deficits. MSU kept him off the low block on Saturday, forcing him to play from the high post. He still did alright (shot 54%), but it's not his ideal game. Any time prior to this year, the idea that he was going to back someone down off the dribble was basically a recipe for a turnover. So I was happy to see that not be the case Saturday, but it's not his comfort zone and his efficiency showed it. He's actually not that good of a rebounder, which is surprising for someone who is 7'2", so yeah, the rebound/tip-in isn't where he's creating his stats. And defensively he's a liability. He can defend traditional centers, but he doesn't have the lateral quickness to defend an athletic center, and is useless away from the basket against a stretch 5 like Wagner.
But offensively, he's an amazingly efficient post player. He's got all the moves, and as I said, unless you're able to force him off the low block like MSU did [and which would likely have resulted in a lot more fouls called on another court], you either are letting him score or doubling him and letting a shooter have a wide open look.
