How to Guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
Kentavious does most of his damage from three-point (47.5% of his attempts) and is a limited outside shooter you can sag off. The plan below is built from where he actually shoots this season.
Where Kentavious scores
Share of his 2025-26 field-goal attempts by zone, with how efficiently he finishes each. This is the map the game plan is built on.
The scouting report: how to defend Kentavious
Contest the pull-up, do not over-help
A large share of his offense (22.4% of attempts) comes from the mid-range, where he shoots 45.1%. Stay attached and contest straight up. Loading up extra help off shooters just feeds a shot he already lives in.
Go under screens, sag into the paint
He is a lower-volume or below-average outside shooter (31.6% on 174 attempts). You can go under ball screens and sink into the paint to take away the drive and dare him to settle for the jumper.
Get Kentavious's full matchup plan
The page above is the shot profile. HoopBrief turns it into a complete game plan, the exact coverage to run, on-ball positioning by spot, whistle tendencies, and the one counter to deny, in your own coaching lens.
Frequently asked questions
How do you guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope?
Contest the pull-up, do not over-help: A large share of his offense (22.4% of attempts) comes from the mid-range, where he shoots 45.1%. Stay attached and contest straight up. Loading up extra help off shooters just feeds a shot he already lives in. Go under screens, sag into the paint: He is a lower-volume or below-average outside shooter (31.6% on 174 attempts). You can go under ball screens and sink into the paint to take away the drive and dare him to settle for the jumper.
What is Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's biggest weakness on offense?
Relative to the rest of his shot diet, Kentavious is least efficient on his three-point attempts (31.6% on 174 shots this season). Steering him toward that shot, rather than the ones he makes at a high rate, is the statistical edge.
Is Kentavious Caldwell-Pope a good three-point shooter?
Kentavious has taken 174 three-pointers this season and made 55 of them (31.6%). That share of his offense (47.5% of his attempts) is what decides whether you chase him over screens or sag under them.
How many points per game does Kentavious Caldwell-Pope average?
Kentavious is averaging 8.4 points per game this season, along with 2.7 assists and 2.5 rebounds. Scoring volume is why he draws the defensive game plan on this page.
How to guard other players
Shot-profile and box-score figures reflect Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's 2025-26 season. Defensive recommendations are generated from that shot distribution and are teaching guidance, not a guarantee of outcome.