One suggestion I would make is to keep some extra distance between you and the ball. It sounds like you may be too close to the play, so that when it changes direction, you're already in the middle of it.
You say you "try to stay near the ball". There's nothing wrong with working the middle of the floor to get a good angle; but you don't necessarily have to be "near" the ball to get a good look.
When I work towards the middle of the floor (and just to be clear, these are 2-whistle games) as Trail, I never get lower than the bottom of the jump circle. If you're in the middle of the floor and between the circle and the 3-point arc, I'd say you're in a bad place. Just my opinion. Hope some of that is useful
Chuck