The Cutting Room Floor - 2
Back in the lab. Xs + Os, concepts, and individual skill
NOP Nickeil Alexander-Walker
This sequence is just brilliant. First on the PNR, NAW snakes to space v drop coverage, keeps his dribble alive and keeps it in the Canadian family Nash-ing under the rim. I’ve never quite understood why the Nash seems to always panic defenses other than knowing that it just does. Both Barton and Murray stunt towards the sideline as NAW circles under which opens the back cut for Zion. Look out below!
On the other end, NAW contains Barton in semi-transition, fights over the DHO and blows it up with a deflection. Barton rejects the ensuing ball screen but NAW takes his first hit with his chest before swiping down for the Iguodala-like strip.
I think I’ve found my new favorite player.
The ‘get to the rim in one dribble’ myth
Growing up in the game I was always taught to work on getting to the rim in one dribble from anywhere. If you weren’t able to get from the perimeter to the cup in one bounce that meant you weren’t going hard enough. As a player, I struggled to finish at the rim. Largely due to a nasty habit of gathering too far from a realistic scoring position. My working theory is that this one dribble myth instilled the habit of taking my one dribble and picking the ball up regardless of situation.
I’m a 6’4 white guy who had limited (at best) athleticism. Terence Davis is neither of those things. He has a wide open lane in the above clip and it still takes him 2 dribbles to the rim.
SAS Side 77 Veer
Empty side PNRs and double drags are both simple concepts that can be very effective with proper spacing and deception. Spurs use both in tandem here to get Patty Mills a look from three. Mills slips the first screen, Eubanks ‘connects’ on the second but is already moving to pin for Patty.
Corner Cuts from the 2 side
The European influence on Popovich the Spurs is well documented (both personnel and scheme). I first learned this concept watching a clinic from Ryan Pannone (head coach of the Erie Bayhawks in the G League). With a PNR moving towards the 2 side, the corner (Lonnie Walker) back cuts as the ball handler comes off the screen as the 45 (Dejounte Murray) slides down to fill the corner. This movement is designed to occupy and distort the nail help from the 2 side.
SAS pairs this with a weakside lift from the 1 side (Rudy Gay). All this movement gives DeMar multiple options off the ball screen.
Maggette Cuts
Creative and well-timed off ball cutting is a key skill for non-shooters to maintain value as a spacer. On both above clips, Dorian Finney-Smith follows the low man help on baseline penetration, finding the pocket of space under the normal X-Out-ish rotation.
Similar concept here with Brandon Ingram second cutting across DJJ’s face as Bledsoe’s drive gets stuffed.
UTA Donovan Mitchell shake reads
‘Shake’ referring to a PNR with a single tag. Off the DHO from O’Neale, Mitchell cuts back middle as Oubre jumps high side. Gobert flips his angle, Mitchell snakes and puts pressure on the rim. Gobert obviously a huge threat at the rim pulls Wiggins in to tag his roll. Mitchell flows directly from his dribble into a one-handed hook to O’Neale on the shake. Lovely.
Top Lock PNR Counter
UTA in a Horns Chest look to start the poss, but Draymond top locks Mitchell to jam the set. UTA flows directly into a 77-ish ball screen as Draymond is now out of position to corral the PNR. Gobert rolls early once he sees Conley turn the corner downhill, Wiggins reacts late to tag = dunk shot.
Same concept here. Top lock is designed to make life as hard as possible for a shooter to get a catch. The simple counter is to cut back door. Another is to use the top lock against the defense and push the denial into a ball screen. MIA loves to use Duncan Robinson and Bam in DHO actions. When DRob gets top locked, he jams the coverage to get Bam downhill.
Ghost Footwork
EOQ CHA goes to a high ghost screen with Devonte Graham and PJ Washington. PJ’s footwork after slipping out into space is textbook.
CHA Single Tag + Exit Zeller
Single Tag + Exit is all over the league now. Aside from the league pass fun that Charlotte provides, Borrego is really adept at adding creative wrinkles to their common actions. After the UCLA cut to get Hayward a PNR look, one of the Martin Twins loops towards the Exit. Instead of using the screen to exit out of the corner, he shorts the ball screen and gets into a Zeller DHO (dribble underneath - named after the great Cody Zeller) for Rozier.
CHA Horns Stagger Quick BD
Horns Zoom is common across the league and the sport as a whole (Loyola Chicago abused this action in their upset over Illinois). Frank Vogel likes to use this action for guys like KCP and Kuzma, but if you see LeBron as the man in the strong side corner you can expect the stagger to be false action. Instead of flowing into empty DHO with PJ and Monk, CHA uses the weakside stagger to clear the paint for Monk cutting backdoor.
Dame Lillard PNR Progressions
It all starts with the threat of the jumper.
It seems the majority of close games POR ultimately ends up with Dame putting on a PNR clinic. 1st - Jaxon Hayes shows too high and Lillard races to find his outside hip and draw the foul. 2nd - Hayes worried about setting the edge and jumps early, Dame counters with a cross to get downhill. 3rd - Hayes stuck in the mud not trying to give up a blow by and Dame steps into a 30 foot PU3.
MIL Giannis ‘LeBron’ Pass
I’m not sure the average person understands how difficult this pass is. Shoveling the pass of the hip isn’t the difficult part, throwing this accurately and with real velocity is incredibly tough. LeBron (as is the case with many skills) is the best I’ve ever seen at rifling this ball.
MIL PJ Tucker’s Value
Even with all the madness at the trade deadline, PJ Tucker to the Bucks stands out as one of my favorite moves. The switch master himself seems a perfect fit within MIL’s offensive system and now can help bolster their (so far) suspect switching. EOQ SAS holds for one shot and we see PJ yelling coverages to Jrue, pre-switches Forbes off Vassell to guard the PNR himself, switches onto DeMar and forces a tough look.
MIA Horns Zoom Runner
More Horns Zoom action with MIA throwing a wrinkle for Duncan running off a stagger. MIA likes to start games with a set for Duncan and this is a creative option. Bam ‘rolls’ after the DHO, almost turning this into a GSW Floppy-type action.
MIA Switching Indy Cut
Seamless coverage from MIA v IND stagger. ‘Indy Cut’ is a curl of the first screen of the stagger, which slingshots the first screener back off the pin. Tyler Herro lock + trails McDermott off the first screen, Gabe Vincent stays low side and takes McDermott as Herro stays high to top lock Holiday and stall the action. “NbA teAmS dON’t PlaY AnY dEfenSe” though…