Post Touch

Post Touch in basketball analytics refers to instances when a player receives and possesses the ball while positioned in post position, typically with their back to the basket in the low post, mid-post, or high post areas, as measured and tracked by player tracking systems that monitor ball possession and player location. This specialized metric quantifies post-up offensive activity and traditional interior play, providing insights into post scoring frequency, post playmaking, offensive role for big men and post-oriented players, and the utilization of post-up actions that have declined significantly in modern pace-and-space basketball. Post Touches serve as a key indicator of traditional post play involvement versus modern perimeter-oriented offensive approaches. The measurement of Post Touches requires distinguishing between general paint touches and specific post-position ball possessions. Player tracking systems identify post touches through a combination of player location (typically low block, mid-post elbow, or high post areas), player orientation (back to basket or sideways stance indicating post position), and possession context (receiving the ball in post position rather than driving into the paint). This classification enables specific tracking of post-up offensive actions separate from drives, cuts, or face-up attacks. Post Touches per game quantifies post-up volume and offensive role, ranging from near zero for perimeter-oriented players to 8-15+ per game for traditional post players. The league-wide average has declined dramatically over recent decades as modern basketball de-emphasizes post-up play in favor of spacing, three-point shooting, and pick-and-roll actions. Traditional post players like Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, and Al Horford maintain high post touch frequencies (8-12+ per game), while most players show minimal post involvement. Efficiency per post touch measures points generated per post possession, revealing how effectively players convert post touches into scoring. Elite post scorers generate 1.3-1.8+ points per post touch through high field goal percentage, foul drawing, and assist creation when defenses double-team. This efficiency helps justify post-up frequency despite generally lower expected value compared to transition, rim attacks, and open threes. Post touch outcomes include post shots (hooks, fadeaways, drop steps, power moves), assists to perimeter shooters when help arrives, fouls drawn from post moves, turnovers from defensive pressure and double teams, and passes out of the post without direct scoring. Tracking outcome distribution reveals how players use post touches: pure post scorers shoot frequently, post facilitators combine scoring with playmaking, while some struggle with turnovers against defensive pressure. Low post touches occur with the player positioned on or near the low blocks, the traditional post-up position closest to the basket. Low post touches typically produce the highest post efficiency through proximity enabling power moves, drop steps, and close-range shots. Traditional post players emphasize low post positioning for optimal scoring angles and rebounding position. Mid-post touches occur with the player positioned around the elbow or free throw line extended areas. Mid-post touches create different scoring options including elbow jumpers, face-up drives, and high-low passes to cutters. Versatile post players operate effectively from mid-post, using the position for playmaking and scoring. Mid-post positioning also facilitates pick-and-roll and dribble-hand-off actions. High post touches occur with the player positioned at or above the free throw line, often serving as offensive hubs for ball movement and playmaking rather than direct post scoring. Elite passing big men like Nikola Jokic use high post touches extensively for playmaking, facilitating offense through passing while threatening high post shots. High post touches create different spacing dynamics than low post play. Post touch entry methods include direct passes to established post position, post-up seals after screening or cutting, offensive rebound put-back positioning, and transition post position establishment. Understanding entry methods reveals how players create post touch opportunities and how offenses feed the post. Elite post players establish position effectively, receiving high-quality entry passes. Post touch frequency decline in modern basketball reflects strategic evolution away from traditional post-up play. League-wide post touches per 100 possessions have decreased by 40-50+ percent since the early 2000s as teams prioritize three-point shooting, pace, and spacing over post-ups. This decline stems from analytical findings that post-ups generally produce lower expected points per possession than alternative actions, plus defensive improvements in post defense. Post playmaking from post touches measures assists generated when post players pass to teammates from post position. Elite post passers like Nikola Jokic, Draymond Green, and Pau Gasol excel at reading double teams and finding open shooters from the post. Post touches that generate 0.5-1.0+ assists per touch demonstrate valuable playmaking complementing post scoring, making post touches multi-dimensional offensive threats. Foul drawing from post touches quantifies how post play creates free throw opportunities. Physical post play generates contact frequently, with elite post players drawing fouls on 15-25+ percent of post touches. This foul generation adds value beyond field goal attempts, as post fouls maintain possession and create free throw scoring opportunities. And-one post moves combine made baskets with free throws. Double team frequency on post touches indicates defensive respect and attention commanded. Dominant post players face double teams on 30-50+ percent of post touches, forcing them to pass or score through multiple defenders. The ability to score through doubles or make correct passing reads from post double teams determines post touch effectiveness when defenses commit extra attention. Turnovers per post touch reveal ball security and decision-making from post position. Post touches facing aggressive defense, double teams, and traps create turnover risk. Players averaging under 0.15 turnovers per post touch demonstrate good ball security. Those exceeding 0.25 turnovers per touch struggle with post decision-making and ball handling under pressure. Post touch shot type distribution shows how post players score from post positions. Traditional post scorers use hooks, drop steps, up-and-unders, and power moves. Modern post players incorporate more face-up jumpers and even three-pointers from high post positions. Shot type distribution reveals traditional versus modern post approaches. Transition post touches occur when post players establish position in early offense before defenses fully set, creating mismatches and easier post opportunities. Though less common than transition rim attacks, transition post touches can create high-efficiency scoring through size advantages before help defense arrives. Pick-and-roll integration with post touches shows how modern big men combine post play with pick-and-roll. Rather than exclusively playing back-to-basket post-ups, versatile bigs use pick-and-roll to create advantages then post up smaller mismatched defenders. This combination makes them more dangerous than one-dimensional post-only players. Post touch efficiency relative to other offensive actions reveals whether post-ups justify their usage. While elite post players generate 1.3-1.8 points per post touch, alternative actions like transition (1.2-1.3 PPP), spot-up threes (1.1-1.15 PPP), and rim attacks (1.2-1.4 PPP) often provide comparable or superior efficiency. This comparison explains reduced post touch frequency league-wide except for elite post players. Defensive scheme effects on post touches show how different defensive approaches limit post activity. Face-guarding and denying entry passes reduce post touch frequency. Fronting post players prevents clean entry passes. Double teaming punishes post touches once established. Modern defenses have become more effective at limiting post touches and post efficiency through improved post defense techniques. Post touch creation ability involves establishing post position through physical play, screening then sealing defenders, using footwork and positioning to create post opportunities, and communicating with teammates for entry passes. Elite post players excel at creating post touch opportunities through positioning and physicality. Those lacking this skill show limited post touches despite size. Age effects on post touches show young big men often developing post games through college and early professional careers, peak post touch frequency in prime years, and sometimes increased post touches late in careers as athleticism for running declines but post skills remain. However, modern development de-emphasizes post play even for young big men, reducing post touch frequency across all ages. Post touch role definition distinguishes traditional post players (high post touch frequency, traditional post scoring), modern versatile bigs (moderate post touches combined with perimeter play), and perimeter-oriented players (minimal post touches). Understanding post touch involvement clarifies offensive role and system fit. Lineup post touch frequency reveals whether lineups include traditional post threats. Traditional lineups feature centers with 8+ post touches per game, while modern small-ball lineups might show team post touch frequencies under 5 per game. This frequency difference reflects fundamental philosophical differences about optimal offense. Playoff post touch changes often show slight increases as pace slows, defenses intensify limiting other actions, and half-court offense predominates. Post-up mismatches created through pick-and-roll switching create playoff post touch opportunities. However, playoff post efficiency often declines through enhanced defensive attention and game planning. Post touch optimization for teams with elite post players involves creating post entry opportunities through screening, spacing the floor with shooters forcing help defense to stay home, timing post entries when post players establish position, and reading post double teams for kick-out passes. Teams maximize post value through system support. Post touch limitations include generally lower expected value than alternative offensive actions (except for elite post players), tendency to slow offensive pace, difficulty creating post touches against face-guarding and fronting, and turnover vulnerability to double teams. These limitations explain reduced league-wide post touch frequency. Post touch development for young big men historically emphasized post moves, positioning, footwork, and post scoring packages. Modern development increasingly de-emphasizes post play in favor of screening, rolling, spacing, and face-up skills. However, versatile post skills remain valuable for creating mismatches and counter-punching when defenses over-extend. The future of post touch analytics will likely involve enhanced classification of post touch quality, expected points per post touch based on position and defensive attention, optimal post touch frequency given personnel and context, and integration with other offensive actions. Machine learning could identify situations where post touches create most value. In contemporary basketball analytics, Post Touches provide specific measurement of traditional post-up offensive activity that has declined significantly in modern basketball but remains valuable for elite post players. The metric reveals post role, post scoring involvement, and post playmaking separate from other interior actions like drives and cuts. Teams use post touch data for role definition, offensive strategy, player evaluation, and understanding when post-ups create value versus when alternative actions better serve offense. As basketball continues evolving, post touches will remain relevant for tracking this traditional skill's role in modern pace-and-space basketball.