Post Up Frequency

Post up frequency is a basketball statistic that measures what percentage of a player's offensive possessions involve them receiving the ball in the post area and attempting to score through post moves and techniques. This metric has become important in modern basketball analytics for understanding how teams utilize post play, evaluating big man effectiveness, and tracking the evolution of basketball strategy away from traditional post-up offense toward perimeter-oriented approaches. Post up frequency reveals which players operate extensively in post situations, how teams integrate post play into offensive systems, and how the role of post-up scoring has changed in contemporary basketball. The tracking and analysis of post up frequency helps teams optimize offensive strategies, evaluate player skills, and make informed decisions about shot selection and offensive balance. The tracking of post up frequency relies on synergy sports technology and player tracking systems that categorize offensive possessions by play type. A post up possession is identified when a player receives the ball with their back to the basket in the low post, mid-post, or high post area, typically within 12-15 feet of the basket. The player must establish position using post footwork and body positioning, then attempt to score through post moves like drop steps, hook shots, up-and-under moves, or face-up jumpers after backing down defenders. Tracking systems record both post up frequency, measuring what percentage of possessions are post-ups, and post up efficiency, measuring points per possession on post-up attempts. Post up frequency has declined significantly across the league over the past two decades as basketball strategy has evolved. In the 1990s and early 2000s, dominant post players like Shaquille O'Neal, Tim Duncan, and Kevin Garnett routinely derived 30-50% or more of their possessions from post-ups, with teams building entire offensive systems around feeding the post. Modern basketball has shifted dramatically toward perimeter play, pick-and-roll actions, and three-point shooting. Today, even traditional centers typically show post up frequencies around 10-25%, with many modern big men posting up on fewer than 15% of their possessions. This shift reflects analytical insights showing that post-up possessions generally generate lower efficiency than other play types, combined with rule changes and defensive adaptations that make post play more difficult. Despite the overall decline, certain players still utilize post-ups extensively and effectively. Skilled post scorers like Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, and LaMarcus Aldridge continue deriving significant portions of their offense from post-up situations, with frequencies ranging from 20-40% depending on team system and matchups. These players possess combination of size, skill, footwork, and touch that enables them to score efficiently on post-ups despite the generally lower efficiency of this play type. Their post-up ability also creates gravity and passing opportunities, as defenses must send help defenders and double teams, opening up kick-out passes to perimeter shooters. Elite post-up players remain valuable in modern basketball, though their roles have evolved to include more face-up play, passing, and perimeter skills. The efficiency of post up possessions varies by player skill and defensive attention. League-average post-up efficiency typically falls around 0.85 to 0.95 points per possession, lower than pick-and-roll, spot-up, and transition play types. However, elite post scorers can generate efficiency levels of 0.95 to 1.05 points per possession or better, making their post-ups valuable offensive options. The efficiency calculation includes points scored directly by the post player, points scored by teammates receiving passes from the post, and accounts for turnovers and offensive fouls that occur during post-ups. Elite post players who can pass effectively from the post create additional value beyond their own scoring, making defenses choose between allowing one-on-one post scoring or leaving shooters open. The skills required for effective post-up play encompass technical footwork, body positioning, touch, and basketball IQ. Post players must establish position through sealing defenders with their body and using their lower body strength to maintain space. Post footwork including drop steps, up-and-under moves, spins, and face-ups enables players to create scoring angles. Soft touch on hook shots, baby hooks, and short jumpers is essential for converting post attempts. Reading double teams and making quick decisions about when to score versus pass separates good post players from great ones. Strength and physicality help players maintain position and finish through contact. The comprehensive skill set required for elite post play explains why dominant post scorers remain valuable despite strategic shifts away from post-up offense. Defensive strategies against high-frequency post-up players involve fronting to deny entry passes, sending early double teams to force the ball out of the post, using physicality to push post players away from optimal positions, and employing defenders with combination of size, strength, and mobility to contain post scorers one-on-one. Teams game-plan extensively for elite post players, sometimes designing entire defensive schemes around limiting their post touches and forcing other players to beat them. The defensive attention drawn by dangerous post players creates offensive advantages even when they don't receive the ball, as help defenders must shade toward the post and remain ready to double team. Post up frequency varies by court location, with different players showing different positional preferences. Some post players excel in the deep low post near the basket, using power and drop steps to score. Others prefer the mid-post around 10-12 feet, utilizing face-up games and turnaround jumpers. High post players operate near the free-throw line, often functioning more as facilitators and pick-and-roll initiators than traditional post scorers. Understanding location-specific post-up data helps teams position players optimally and identify which post-up locations generate best efficiency for each player. The relationship between post up frequency and team offensive efficiency shows interesting patterns. While individual post-up possessions may produce lower efficiency than other play types, teams with credible post-up threats often generate better overall offensive efficiency by creating diverse scoring options and preventing defenses from loading up against pick-and-rolls and perimeter actions. The threat of post-ups forces defenses to maintain position and prevents extreme switching or trapping schemes on the perimeter. Balanced offenses that mix post-ups with other play types can be more effective than one-dimensional perimeter offenses, particularly in playoff basketball where defenses are more sophisticated. Post up frequency in different game situations reveals strategic usage patterns. Teams often increase post-up frequency against smaller lineups or favorable matchups, exploiting size advantages. Late-clock post-ups serve as bail-out options when perimeter actions fail to produce shots. Playoff post-up frequency sometimes increases as teams slow pace and emphasize half-court execution. Understanding contextual variations in post-up frequency provides insight into how teams strategically deploy post play based on situations and matchups. The importance of post-up ability in player evaluation has decreased but not disappeared. Teams still value players who can post up effectively, particularly as change-of-pace options and matchup weapons against smaller defenders. However, modern big men must possess additional skills beyond post scoring to earn major roles, including shooting, passing, rim protection, and switching ability on defense. The days of one-dimensional post scorers dominating are largely past, though skilled post players who also provide spacing and defense remain highly valued. Draft evaluations assess post-up potential as one of many skills rather than a primary evaluation criteria as in previous eras. Post-up passing and playmaking has become increasingly important as defenses have adapted to send more help against post players. Big men like Nikola Jokic, Draymond Green, and Bam Adebayo excel at making plays from the post, recognizing double teams instantly and finding open shooters or cutters. This post playmaking creates efficient offense even when the post player doesn't score themselves, as defenses must choose between allowing one-on-one post scoring or leaving other players open. The development of post passing skills has extended the careers and value of many big men who might otherwise have been phased out by strategic shifts away from traditional post play. Post up frequency in transition versus half-court situations shows important distinctions. Transition post-ups are relatively rare, as teams typically push for quicker shots in transition. However, some teams run early post-ups in semi-transition before defenses fully set, creating favorable one-on-one opportunities. The vast majority of post-ups occur in half-court settings against organized defenses. Breaking down post-up efficiency by game state helps identify when post play provides most value. The future of post-up basketball will likely feature continued evolution toward more versatile post players who can score in the post, pass from the post, and stretch the floor with shooting. Pure post-up specialists may become increasingly rare, while players who can post up opportunistically while providing other skills will remain valuable. Analytical refinement will continue identifying optimal post-up frequencies and situations, helping teams balance post play with perimeter actions. As basketball continues evolving, post-up frequency will remain an important metric for understanding offensive approaches and evaluating player skills, even if absolute frequencies continue declining from historical levels.