Nate Taylor Breaks Down the Tyson Tap-Out

We've long marveled at Tyson Chandler's ability to resurrect possessions by reaching high above the defense to tip offensive rebounds out to his friends. Sometimes it seems like he's missing an opportunity to just catch the ball with both hands, but most often, it's the only way to keep a play alive despite disadvantageous positioning. Nate Taylor of the Times took it upon himself to analyze the Tyson Tap-Out in an article posted on Sunday:

In the past 10 games, Chandler has attempted to tap the ball back to a teammate 27 times. Of those attempts, the Knicks have corralled the offensive rebound 17 times (63 percent). The Knicks have gone on to score 12 times on the second-chance opportunities.

...

"It’s been something that I’ve kind of just fell into over the course of my career," Chandler said. "I’ve done it in the past, but now I think me and my teammates are starting to get a rhythm on it. I’m starting to know where they are on the floor. It’s an effective play."

That's key: Chandler's not just slapping the ball at random. As is mentioned later in the article, the other Knicks are coached to position themselves so it's actually an effective pass and not just a loose bal. The fact that New York's been securing a decent percentage of the tips speaks to the effectiveness of the maneuver. (And that's not even counting o-bounds Chandler tips with one hand directly into the basket.)

Also of note: Taylor got to the bottom of the scorekeeping on tap-outs. If Chandler tips the ball securely to a teammate, he gets the rebound. If the teammate has to give chase to corral the tipped ball, the teammate gets the rebound. I think we've all been unclear on that for a while.

Again, two hands are always best, but one hand is better than none. Gandhi said that. About Tyson Chandler's offensive rebounding.