Film Room: Kerr Kriisa

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Kentucky executed a “double boom” on Wednesday to officially make it six commitments in six days. First, Koby Brea made his announcement which everyone pretty much anticipated. However, the second commitment seemingly came out of left field. Only those super plugged into Twitter and KSBoard likely would have even known that Kerr Kriisa was an option. Then, just as quickly as his name was catching steam it was announced that he would be a ‘Cat.

Things were a bit of a dumpster fire last season at West Virginia, but Kriisa did plenty of winning during his time at Arizona. He led the Wildcats to a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament as the starting point guard his sophomore season. Then, as a junior, they were a #2 seed. He made 80 and 83 three-point shots in those two seasons respectively while dishing out around five assists per game. In 23 games last year in Morgantown he made 61 three-point shots at a career-best 42.4% clip. Kriisa is a proven high-level shooter and playmaker at the power conference level. Landing him along with Koby Brea on the same day immediately calms any concerns about shooting on this Kentucky roster. He also is likely your penciled in starting point guard alongside Lamont Butler in the backcourt.

As always, we’ve been hard at work inside of the KSR Film Room breaking down tape of Kentucky’s most recent commitment. When they come back-to-back, especially with one nobody saw coming, it makes us work at double speed. However, that is a really good “problem” to have. In just six days Coach Pope and his staff have built the roster from three players to nine. Now, they’ve landed their point guard and addressed shooting concerns all with one addition. Kriisa will bring a flair that should be infectious at Rupp Arena and among Big Blue Nation as well. Let’s dive on in and take a closer look at what Kentucky is getting in Kerr Kriisa.

You can check out all of our KSR Film Room breakdowns with corresponding YouTube videos via the links below.

Koby Brea: Film Room & Video
Lamont Butler: Film Room & Video
Andrew Carr: Film Room & Video
Collin Chandler: Film Room & Video
Brandon Garrison: Film Room & Video
Otega Oweh: Film Room & Video
Travis Perry: Film Room & Video
Amari Williams: Film Room & Video

Shot-Making Off the Dribble

Something we have talked a lot about in scouting reports, film breakdowns, and watch the tape articles over the years is how the best way to increase three-point volume is by having a point guard that can create his own threes and a pick-and-pop 4-man. Kentucky now has both of those pieces in Kerr Kriisa and Andrew Carr. Per Synergy, Kriisa took 58 three-point shots off of the dribble last season and is a 37.8% shooter from deep off of ballscreens. There is a level of shiftiness to his game that allows him to create the necessary separation to get his shot off from beyond the arc. He is also a supremely confident player that allows him to have no fear squeezing off contested shots. Kentucky landed a high-level shot-maker for their backcourt.

Kerr Kriisa is a primary ball handler with the mind of a shooter. Anytime he has space he is going to squeeze one off. This clip showcases him working off of a staggered ballscreen with Oklahoma State electing to switch the action. However, the big man (yes, that is Kentucky commit Brandon Garrison) doesn’t get up into his space enough to take away the three-point attempt.

It isn’t just about making threes behind the ballscreens and handoffs. Kriisa also can also create his own shot in the mid-range. This is an action that Coach Pope could utilize between a guy like Amari Williams and Kriisa at Kentucky. After hitting the big man at the elbow, Kriisa cuts and receives the little toss back into a step up screen. His one dribble covers enough ground to create separation from his defender chasing over the top and he elevates for the jumper over the secondary defender.

Similar to Brea, Kriisa requires the attention of two defenders in ballscreen situations. It isn’t enough to simply chase over the top to take him away from three. Instead, the defense also has to hedge hard enough so he can’t dribble into a pull-up. Kriisa does a good job of quickly creating space away from his defender when working off of the ballscreen.

You don’t make 2.4, 2.4, and 2.7 three-point shots per game over the course of the last three seasons by accident. Kerr Kriisa is an excellent shooter off of the bounce that changes directions fluidly, plays with pace, and understands how to separate from his defender. This is a perfect example of how he thinks several steps ahead when trying to get open. First, Kriisa dribbles away from the big man to create a longer runway to receive the handoff. That puts more pressure on his defender who ends up overplaying the handoff and gets caught up as Kriisa takes one big dribble back towards the middle of the floor. Excellent execution from the veteran point guard. This is where his international experience with the Estonian National Team shows up as well.

Catch-and-Shoot Threat

Per Synergy, Kerr Kriisa was in the 99th percentile in spot up opportunities last season. He was 30-60 from deep on such shots. Furthermore, in all catch-and-shoot situations Synergy had him at 42-84 from deep meaning just over two-thirds of his made threes came off the catch. Playing in a system that initiates offense through skilled front court pieces is perfect for a guy like this. Also, playing alongside a capable secondary point guard like Lamont Butler will open up opportunities for both players. Rising tides lift all ships. Kriisa and Butler are the perfect backcourt compliments to one another.

Does this play look familiar? You can definitely expect to see Kerr Kriisa working off of Zoom Action just like this for Coach Pope next season. Due to his shooting ability, the defender over plays the handoff which allows Kriisa to reject it and cut back to the left wing for an open three. This is the type of movement and off-ball savvy that allows him to get off such a high volume of shots from beyond the arc.

Throwing it back to his days at Arizona, Kriisa made 80 and 83 three-point shots in back-to-back seasons. This is another example of what he can do off of the ball. After hitting the forward at the top of the key, Kriisa sets up his defender and receives the flare screen to the corner. His defender gets caught going underneath which triggers and automatic shot attempt. He made 76% (19-25) unguarded catch-and-shoot three-point attempts last season.

First and foremost, Coach Pope is going to want to push the tempo. Rhythm three-pointers are always good shots in transition and that will certainly be true at Kentucky next season. Kriisa is a guy who does not need much space to get a shot up. Once again, this is where playing next to essentially a second point guard in Lamont Butler will be so effective. Either guard can begin the break and when Kriisa is the one running ahead it gives you a big time shooting threat.

The defense cannot help off of Kriisa when he doesn’t have the ball. As we’ve covered, his spot up and catch-and-shoot numbers speak for themselves. Playing in an offense with other skilled players, and for a coach who can and will scheme him open, will unlock the very best of Kriisa’s offensive game.

Playmaking Ability

So far we’ve covered what Kerr Kriisa can bring to the table as a shooter and scorer. However, he is also going to be the point guard of the Kentucky Wildcats. His ability as a playmaker will be just as important as what he does as a shooter himself. Kriisa has averaged 4.7 assists per game over the course of his career between Arizona and West Virginia. Last season saw him record a career-best 29.1% assist rate which was 82nd best nationally. While the Mountaineers struggled mightily last year, it is important to remember how good those Arizona teams were when he was their starting point guard. This is a guy with a proven track record of success at the highest levels.

Earlier we talked about how Kriisa commands the attention of two defenders when playing off of a ballscreen. However, this is what happens when defenses are more aggressive and take away his ability to shoot. When the secondary defender stepped up to take away the jump shot it left West Virginia’s 5-man alone inside with a much smaller defender tagging the roll. Kriisa read this play perfect and hit his big man for an easy dunk.

Amari Williams and Brandon Garrison are going to love playing with Kerr Kriisa. Look at how fluidly he hits the roll off of the Spain action on the wing. Throwing the pass with his right hand back to the right side while moving to his left is not easy, but he does so with perfect precision. Kriisa is clearly very gifted as a passer.

Having a point guard that can really shoot benefits the offense in so many ways. Again, we’ve talked about how Kriisa will demand the attention of two defenders off of the ballscreen. That means that it shrinks the floor behind the screen as well. Toledo was out hard hedging the ballscreen 40 feet from the basket which allowed Kriisa to get downhill and whip the ball cross court to the corner for an open three. Any of Kentucky’s high-level catch-and-shoot threats will benefit from Kriisa’s gravity off of the ballscreen.

Evaluation

Shooter, playmaker, and power conference veteran. Kerr Kriisa has started 93 of the 99 games he has played between Arizona and West Virginia making him yet another highly experienced addition to Kentucky’s roster. He is an elite shooter making 238 career three-point shots at a 36.8%. clip. Most impressively, Kriisa is able to make them either off of the dribble or from the catch when playing off of the ball. While being an excellent shooter, Kriisa is still a skilled playmaker. He has averaged 4.7 assists per game for his career and processes the game at a high-level. Turnovers can be an issue, but he always passes the table-test. Kriisa brings a ballscreen gravity that makes offense easier for everyone else on the floor. Excellent addition to the Wildcats’ backcourt.