Iowa State basketball's unselfish play offensively powering major improvement for Cyclones
AMES – There are obvious reasons for Iowa State basketball's dramatic offensive improvement in Year 3 under head coach T.J. Otzelberger.
The Cyclones (21-6, 10-4) certainly have a more talented collection of offensive players than in Otzelberger's first two years. They’ve got more 3-point shooters. They’re generating heaps of transition chances off their swarming defense.
One factor, though, may be going underappreciated as the sixth-ranked Cyclones eye a Big 12 regular season championship and an advantageous NCAA Tournament seed with just two weeks left in the regular season.
That factor is that there is no obvious chokepoint for defenses to exploit to stunt the entire operation. Iowa State’s offense is more shapeshifting than star-driven with a balanced attack that defies easy defensive answers.
“When you have a team and you have a guy that averages north of 20 or is a big-time scorer," Otzelberger said Monday, “if a team can take that away, that can throw off the rhythm or balance of your offense.
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“Fortunately for us, with having some of that balance, ... we can still keep a rhythm and a balance to how we play as a team, even if one guy has an off night or two guys have an off night.”
Iowa State’s top-seven scorers average between 14.3 (Keshon Gilbert) and 5.8 (Hason Ward) points per game. The Cyclones have five players averaging double-figures (if you round up Tre King’s 9.5 ppg).
“The versatility, just the different playmaking that’s on the court,” point guard Tamin Lipsey said of Iowa State’s defining offensive characteristics. “The shotmaking ability at such a high level from different players all over the court.
“We can score at all three levels at any given time, and that’s what makes us so dangerous on the offensive side.”
That balance is less an objective in and of itself than a byproduct of an offense designed to be able to attack different weak points and vulnerabilities in a defense. The Cyclones aren’t committed to scoring any particular way, making it possible for them to score in seemingly every way.
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“I think it’s organically come about,” Otzelberger, whose team plays Oklahoma at home Wednesday (7 p.m.; ESPN+), said. “Everybody in our offense has a job that they need to do.
“More than anything it just comes down to everybody on our team being ready to attack and be aggressive and then understanding what decisions the defense is making and what is available for us to attack on a given night.”
Iowa State’s offense was the obvious Achilles’ heel in Otzelberger’s first two seasons, ranking no better than 114th nationally in efficiency. In both those seasons, Iowa State relied on go-scorers. Izaiah Brockington took nearly 30% of Iowa State’s shots when he was on the floor in 2021-22. Last season, Jaren Holmes hoisted up 27.7% of the Cyclones’ attempts while on the floor.
This season, no Iowa State starter is shooting more than 22.7% of the time (Lipsey). Curtis Jones, a designated sharpshooter off the bench, has the highest mark at 23.2%.
“It makes the flow of our offense a lot easier,” King said of the balance, “Just knowing that not all the pressure is on one specific person to score the ball and make a play.
“Last year we got in a lot of trouble because teams started to pick up on that and play us accordingly, which is why I think we had a lot of games we struggled offensively.”
Iowa State now ranks 43rd in offensive efficiency nationally, and the Cyclones rank in the middle-of-the-pack in the Big 12 during league play after ranking in the bottom third the last two years.
With a defense that is ranked third nationally, a top-50 offense makes Iowa State not only a Big 12 contender but a true Final Four threat.
“I do think it gives us an advantage because somebody having foul trouble or an off night doesn't necessarily derail our offense,” Otzelberger said. “Our offense is able to be fluid and consistent regardless if one guy doesn’t have the best night.”
Travis Hines covers Iowa State University sports for the Des Moines Register and Ames Tribune. Contact him at thines@amestrib.com or (515) 284-8000. Follow him at @TravisHines21.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State basketball's ball movement is improving Cyclones' offense
