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ASU Basketball: Five takeaways from last night’s win over Utah

By Trevor Booth

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 24: Jalen Hill #24 of the UCLA Bruins guards Zylan Cheatham #45 of the Arizona State Sun Devils as he drives to the basket in the second half of the game Pauley Pavilion on January 24, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 24: Jalen Hill #24 of the UCLA Bruins guards Zylan Cheatham #45 of the Arizona State Sun Devils as he drives to the basket in the second half of the game Pauley Pavilion on January 24, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 24: Jalen Hill #24 and Cody Riley #2 of the UCLA Bruins guard Zylan Cheatham #45 of the Arizona State Sun Devils as he drives to the basket in the second half of the game Pauley Pavilion on January 24, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 24: Jalen Hill #24 and Cody Riley #2 of the UCLA Bruins guard Zylan Cheatham #45 of the Arizona State Sun Devils as he drives to the basket in the second half of the game Pauley Pavilion on January 24, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

Utilizing Zylan Cheatham against the Zone

When it comes to being multidimensional, Cheatham is easily ASU’s best player. At 6-foot-8, the redshirt senior has the ability to crash the glass on one end and go coast-to-coast on the other.

In the past two seasons, the Sun Devils have struggled to find someone who could operate in the high post and short corner of a zone defense. Last night, Cheatham was used in both ways, and it opened up a lot of offense.

In the first half, Cheatham played in the center of the zone, flashing to the high post directly or through ball-screens on the baseline and cuts from the perimeter. In turn, ASU’s guards would create openings through dribble hand-offs or three-man rotations, eventually hitting Cheatham in the middle.

When he got there, there were two options Utah could implore.

  1. They could stay back on ASU’s perimeter players (Martin, Edwards, Dort), which would give Cheatham a 1-on-1 with Jayce Johnson or Timmy Allen.
  2. They could collapse on Cheatham, opening a dump-pass for Romello White or more opportunities for ASU’s perimeter shooters.

Either way, the Utes were at a disadvantage. With 13:55 left in the first half, there was a sequence where Cheatham received an entry pass, spun and finished over Johnson directly. On the next play, Utah’s two perimeter players collapsed on Cheatham, creating an open 3-point attempt for Martin to extend a 10-point lead.

In the second half, Hurley moved Cheatham to the block, where he played the short corner while Taeshon Cherry brought ASU’s offense to a ‘four-out’ set or White operated as a pick-and-roll man.

This is easily Cheatham’s best play when operating the short corner. First, he is decoyed as a perimeter player, then subtly flashes to the block. Here, he shows his veteran presence, sealing off Allen and giving Martin a direct angle for a no-look pass. Cheatham finishes easily.

Later, he gets the opportunity to go 1-on-1 on the block. With his athleticism, Cheatham is able to make one move toward the middle to get a much-needed easy bucket.

While facing zone defenses isn’t optimal, the Sun Devils have shown they’re adapting to it, using their most complete player in a variety of ways.

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