What lineups have been Mizzou's most effective?
Missouri head coach Dennis Gates hasn’t been shy about using a deep rotation in his debut season with the Tigers.
According to KenPom, Mizzou’s reserves use up 35.0% of the team’s minutes, which ranks 79th in the NCAA. Gates has brought at least four players off the bench in every game this year. Nearly two-thirds of the way through the regular season and about halfway through SEC play, Gates has used 233 unique five-man lineup combinations.
Using play-by-play data, CBB Analytics keeps track of each lineup, how many minutes the group spends on the floor and how well it performs against the opponent. Focusing on the 18 lineups that have played at least 10 minutes together, or one-quarter of a game, here are a few observations on the squads Gates has used the most.
THE TOP THREE
No. 1: Nick Honor-D’Moi Hodge-DeAndre Gholston-Ronnie DeGray III-Kobe Brown
Gates has played this group for a combined 17 minutes across four different games and it’s statistically been head and shoulders above every other lineup on both ends of the court. It scores 160.2 points and allows 68.2 points per 100 possessions for a net rating of plus-92.0. The Tigers nearly triple the top net rating in the country of plus-33.4, belonging to No. 3 Houston.
The unit being good offensively isn’t all that surprising, as it features the team’s three leading 3-point shooters in Honor, Hodge and Brown, who’ve combined to knock down 96 treys, and its third-leading scorer in Gholston, who averages 10.2 points per game. It’s also not surprising the unit is devastating on defense — Hodge has a team-high 49 steals and 11 blocks and DeGray has the best block rate on the roster, swatting shots on 5.2% of opponents’ possessions.
The lineup isn’t without flaws. Opponents grab 42.1% of available offensive rebounds and draw fouls at a high clip, shooting 41.7 free throws per 100 field goals attempted. But players do well enough in other areas to overcome those deficiencies, making it MU’s most efficient lineup, albeit in a small sample size.
No. 2: Honor-Tre Gomillion-Hodge-Noah Carter-Aidan Shaw
This group is notable because it doesn’t include Brown, Mizzou’s leading scorer, but still puts up 152.7 points per 100 possessions. Gates has used the lineup for 14 minutes across seven different games, leading to a net rating of plus-69.4.
The unit generates more turnovers than the top lineup, forcing opponents to cough the ball up on 29.9% of possessions. It’s also slightly better on the offensive glass with Carter on the floor. The senior forward leads the team securing 8.5% of available offensive rebounds, which ranks 415th among all Division I players in the nation according to KenPom.
No. 3: Honor-Hodge-Isiaih Mosley-Shaw-Brown
This group was the Tigers’ starting five in the team’s 89-77 road win over Ole Miss on Tuesday. The combination of players has only appeared in two games this season but has looked promising in the 10 minutes it’s been on the court, posting a net rating of plus-54.9
The lineup has yet to secure an offensive rebound and doesn’t get to the free throw line very often relative to other groups. But it has been the best-shooting unit of them all, with an effective field goal percentage of 81.3%.
THE BOTTOM TWO
No. 17: Honor-Sean East II-Gholston-DeGray-Brown
The only difference between this lineup and the one at the top of the list is the insertion of East for Hodge. East is by no means a bad player and the group still produces points at a high rate, scoring 130.7 points per 100 possessions. The issue comes at the other end of the floor.
Without Hodge, the team isn’t able to generate the same frequency of steals and the opponents' turnover percentage drops from 24.1% to 10.5% of possessions. It allows opposing teams to score 148.1 points per 100 possessions, resulting in a net rating of minus-17.4 in 14 minutes across five games.
No. 18: Honor-East-Hodge-Gomillion-Brown
This unit trades one set of problems for another. Hodge and Gomillion return to add more pressure on the ball, but the lack of size with DeGray out ends up hurting the team. Opponents have grabbed 58.3% of available offensive rebounds and cashed in with a 75.8 effective field goal percentage against the lineup, which has logged 22 minutes over eight games. It’s also been slightly worse offensively, leading to a net rating of minus-22.3.
These are the only two lineups of the 18 that have been outscored this season, though, speaking to the amount of depth on the roster. Gates can roll out just about any five players he wants and the team will typically come out ahead.
THE MOST FREQUENTLY USED
Honor-Hodge-Gholston-Carter-Brown
This was Mizzou’s starting lineup through the first 10 games of the year and it’s one that Gates goes back to often. The group has played 67 minutes across 15 games and ranks fifth out of the 18 with a net rating of plus-39.3.
Honor-Hodge-Gomillion-DeGray-Brown
These were the Tigers' starters in the following eight games before the team was dealt a few injuries. The unit has seen the court for 36 minutes across eight games and has a net rating of plus-14.5, which ranks 12th out of the 18.
OTHER TAKEAWAYS
-The lineup of Honor-Hodge-Gomillion-Carter-Brown does the best job on the boards out of the 18. The group’s logged 23 minutes over 12 games and secured 45.0% of available offensive rebounds and 73.1% of available defensive rebounds. It ranks ninth out of the 18 with a net rating of plus-20.0
-There was one net neutral unit out of the 18: East-Hodge-Gholston-Carter-Brown. The lineup had an offensive and defensive rating of 101.9.
-Nick Honor was the most common denominator, being featured in 14 of the 18 groups. He was followed by Kobe Brown, who’s a part of 12, and D’Moi Hodge, who’s a part of 11.
-If you took out the qualifier of playing 10 minutes, the most effective lineup has been Honor-Mosley-Gholston-Carter-Shaw. The players produced a net rating of plus-606.1 in the few seconds they were on the court together — likely not sustainable.
-What about Mohamed Diarra? The junior forward didn’t have his number called much early on in the season but has seen his role increase over the Tigers’ last five games. None of the lineups Diarra has been a part of have played together for a full 10 minutes. But of the ones he’s been in that have played at least two minutes, the most effective was East-Mosley-Gholston-Brown-Diarra, which has a net rating of plus-63.4. If the rating sustains as the unit hits 10 minutes (it’s currently at five), the group would rank as the team’s third-best lineup. It’s also noteworthy that this is Gates’ second-most used unit over the past five games. It could be a sign of things to come.
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