Maccabi Tel Aviv

ALEX POYTHRESS tried to play through injury, but the Maccabi Tel Aviv big man needs surgery now, leaving yet another glaring hole that the club needs to fill. ( ...

Poythress will now be on the shelf while Nebo admitted that he needs to be more assertive on the defensive end, it’s obviously not all on them and Katash has to find a way to work to Nebo and a yet-to-be-signed big man’s strengths.Yes, Maccabi leads the league in blocked shots with four players in the top 25 including, not only Poythress and Nebo but also Bonzie Colson and Roman Sorkin as they average 4.5 blocks per game. [yellow-and-blue](https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/sports/article-722303)is 12th overall or 16.3 per game in free-throws attempted, but it still needs to see a marked improvement on that number as Monaco is well over 20 a game in first with 22.5.In today’s game, it’s also crucial to be able to play beyond the arc and hit three-pointers at a decent clip. On the offensive side over that same time period, Katash’s squad moved from 81.2 points per game to 83.5 points, which of doesn’t doesn’t help when giving up over 90 points per matchup.In terms of fouls, Maccabi Tel Aviv is also in trouble having had issues getting to the charity stripe as it sits in 17th place with only 207 fouls drawn.The The yellow-and-blue have played way below expectations and the most concerning part is that it seems to be regressing as the weeks and games go by.With a third of the season now in the books, Oded Katash’s team is 5-6, one game under .500 while only having won once in the last six games. [find its way back to the postseason](https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/sports/article-720505), it not only needs to get the house in order but also needs to find a way to improve on the areas listed above.In an age where statistics are used across the board in sports of all types, Katash needs to use them as a blueprint in order to wade through the waters and make the right moves to get Maccabi back onto the right track. On the offensive glass, the yellow-and-blue are first, checking in with 11.7, for an overall average of 33.2, good for ninth of 18 teams.