The Fastest NBA Teams in Transition
Transition basketball is not just about getting fast breaks from turnovers. It's about pushing the ball up the floor, finding outlet passes on rebounds, exploiting defenses and dictating the pace of a game. These teams do it better than any others in the league, and they do it with efficiency.
As noted by Zach Harper of CBS Sports, "Not all pace is created equal." In a piece published on March 25, Harper examined team stats for both points per possession in transition and frequency of transition possessions, attempting to parse transition efficiency and potency out from the more raw metric of pace, which simply measures possessions per 48 minutes.
Pace numbers can be a little misleading, because, as Harper notes, "A lot of pace is born out of sloppiness with extra possessions being created by a high rate of turning the ball over. Of the 10 fastest teams in the league, five of those teams (Rockets, Suns, Sixers, Kings and Timberwolves) are in the bottom 10 in turnover rate."
Specifically regarding the Phoenix Suns, while effective in transition, they are disqualified from consideration in this list due to trading two-thirds of their point guards midseason. That's a transition no-no.
Moreover, some teams have a potent transition game, but they don't utilize it nearly as often as other teams. While LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers can be an unstoppable force in transition, they don't run very often, ranking slightly above the league average in transition frequency, according to Harper.
Instead, these are the five fastest teams in transition—the ones that turn games into a track meet and can hardly be satiated once they begin. Whether pushing the pace or capitalizing on opponents' turnovers, you do not want to see these teams out on the break.
San Antonio Spurs
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The San Antonio Spurs lead the league in average speed (4.3 miles per hour), distance traveled per game (17.6 miles) and distance traveled per 48 minutes (17.2 miles), per NBA.com's player tracking stats. However, the Spurs have not built a reputation as a transition team, and they do not deploy their statistical speed with regularity compared to the rest of the league.
In fact, the tremendous amount of running the Spurs go through comes primarily from trying to shake defenders as they facilitate ball movement in the half court. CBS Sports' Harper observes that the Spurs rank below the league average in transition frequency and near the bottom in points per transition possession.
The stats are somewhat misleading, as many observers think of the Spurs as an older, slower team. But really, that's only true of 38-year-old power forward Tim Duncan, and no one's demanding that he run the floor anymore.
Guards Patty Mills, Cory Joseph and Tony Parker consistently sprint down the court, and the team also has speedy forwards Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green. Leonard leads the league in steals at 2.3 per game, and the Spurs eagerly turn such defense into offense with regularity.
However, the offense favors half-court sets and rapid-fire passing to produce high-quality shots over pushing the ball up the floor to beat defenses. But when the Spurs decide to run, they can fly.
In their March 25 dismemberment of the Oklahoma City Thunder, the defending champs cruised to a 130-91 victory, and they started off by running all over the Thunder and capitalizing on turnovers.
"Spurs scored 15 transition points in 1st quarter. They entered today averaging 13.6 transition points PER GAME
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) March 26, 2015"
Bottom line: The Spurs are speedy in transition, but they should push the pace more often to put greater pressure on opponents.
Oklahoma City Thunder
2 of 5
With Kevin Durant sidelined, it's like the restrictor plate has been removed from the Oklahoma City Thunder offense, and Russell Westbrook is careening through triple-doubles like traffic cones on a DMV testing course.
As shown earlier in the season when Westbrook and Durant both missed time, the Thunder have a stable of athletes to work with, including Anthony Morrow, Perry Jones III, Andre Roberson and Jeremy Lamb. However, when it comes to transition offense in OKC, Westbrook is the alpha and the omega.
NBA.com's John Schuhmann took some time to analyze Westbrook's prowess this season, which has vaulted the offensive-minded point guard into the MVP discussion. He zeroed in on a March 4, 123-118 overtime win over the Philadelphia 76ers:
"The highlight of Westbrook’s performance was a coast-to-coast drive for a two-handed flush—after a timeout. It was Russ at his best, getting the ball on the defensive end of the floor, taking off in a full sprint, and not slowing down until he’s thrown down a vicious dunk.
Those were two of Westbrook’s 16 fast break points against Philly. Of the 25 other teams who played on Wednesday, only eight of them had as many fast break points as Westbrook had himself. The 16 boosted Westbrook’s average to 7.8 fast break points per game, by far the highest average for any player since 1996-97 (when we could start tracking fast break points).
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More so than any other player in the league, Westbrook at times seems like he's been shot out of a cannon and aimed directly at the basket, hindered only by rules requiring dribbling and the force of gravity. That's why he's leading the universe in fast-break points—he's a one-man fast break.
During the first quarter of that March 4 win, Westbrook required only four seconds to receive the inbounds pass and run the length of the court past all five defenders before dunking. The mask protecting his fractured face at the time only added to the impression that Russ is a superhero.
Dallas Mavericks
3 of 5
The opportunistic Dallas Mavericks rank second in the league in points off turnovers and trail only the mighty Golden State Warriors, per SportingCharts.com. More importantly, they rank in the top five for both opponents turnovers and turnovers committed, giving them the league's best differential by far—more than a full turnover better than any other team, according to ESPN.com.
Two players in particular have been a terror in the open floor, with swingman and former Houston Rocket Chandler Parsons and reserve guard Devin Harris both getting out in transition on roughly 20 percent of their possessions on the court and converting efficiently, per CBS Sports' Harper.
And even when teams account for those two, you can expect a lanky, blond German guy to lumber up the floor a few seconds behind them, which means trailer Dirk Nowitzki will likely be open for the three-pointer if needed.
But Harper notes a surprising problem with the Mavs in transition. Starting guard and leading scorer Monta Ellis "has the highest percentage of transition possessions (19.1 percent), but he scores just 1.04 points per possession," which is significantly worse than Parsons, Harris and center Tyson Chandler, the team's at-the-rim extraordinaire.
Granted, sometimes Ellis gets a little overzealous in transition and blows an easy dunk. But more often, the issue arises from Ellis attempting Russell Westbrook-like feats on drives that are slightly beyond his skill set and athleticism. Just slow it down a little, Monta. You can outrun Rajon Rondo with a brisk jog, and you'll commit fewer blunders in the process.
Houston Rockets
4 of 5
The Rockets have played at the fastest pace of any team since the All-Star break, per NBA.com, and they rank in the top three for points scored off turnovers, as noted by SportingCharts.com. In short, they're very fast and can punish on the open floor, so opponents must be wary of making mistakes.
As if having greasy-quick guards James Harden and Patrick Beverley at their disposal was not enough, the Rockets' transition game improved even further after Terrence Jones returned from his leg injury and the team acquired Corey Brewer and Josh Smith during the season.
"#Rockets are drastically improved in transition w/ the addition of Brewer, Smith (& TJones). 11 FB pts already, lead Bucks 54-36
— Adam Wexler (@awexler) February 7, 2015"
There's no denying the Rockets are speedy and have the weapons to exploit opponents, but the problem is that they can't get out of their own way. No team averages more transition possessions per game, though the Rockets are hardly the most efficient, per CBS Sports' Harper.
Houston ranks in the top five for opponents turnovers. But with a frenetic offense that's experienced a lack of continuity and also treats the mid-range like a leper colony, they also rank second in committing turnovers, according to ESPN.com. Only the lowly Philadelphia 76ers commit more.
This lack of significant differential in the turnover department blunts the impact of the Rockets' speed, leaving them to pound the paint and launch three-pointers while hoping for the best. But don't try to outrun them, as that only plays to their style.
Golden State Warriors
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The Warriors play at the highest pace in the league, measured by possessions per 48 minutes, via NBA.com. In fact, they lead the NBA in just about every category, including win-loss record, point differential, offensive efficiency and defensive efficiency.
The Dubs are made even more potent in transition, because point guard Stephen Curry can bring himself to an abrupt halt at the three-point line and pop a transition trey with the ease of shooting a foul shot. The Warriors also boast excellent athletes, including guard Klay Thompson and athletic forwards like Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala.
Moreover, center Andrew Bogut is one of the best big men when it comes to passing the ball. While he's no Joakim Noah or Marc Gasol, the Aussie has impressive court vision for a pivot, and he can find an outlet pass to rival Minnesota Timberwolves-era Kevin Love.
While the Warriors have done everything well this season, their frequency of transition buckets has bordered on unfathomable.
"Worth noting that a whopping 18.5% of GSW's possessions are transition opportunities. That's insane. http://t.co/IufBUIt2Ca
— Andy Glockner (@AndyGlockner) February 21, 2015"
It's entirely possible that prescient electronic music duo Daft Punk wrote the song "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" about the 2014-15 Dubs. Essentially, when they come to play, opponents might as well huddle under a blanket in the locker room and mutter reassurances to themselves until the game has ended.
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