Which offensive philosophy would you try and run? Defensive sets etc? I really believe TMP and some others could give some good replies here. (No sarcasm) TIA
If you were Mike Woodson with this roster
- Thread starter GeorgeStrait IU
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Start Reneau, Mgbako, Tucker, Carlyle and Rice. Press a lot and push the ball, get easy baskets off turnovers and 3s from players trailing the break. Keep it simple and fast. Then bring in Galloway and Ballo and shift gears into token pressure and pick and roll stuff between Ballo and Galloway. Move the ball side to side, distort the defense is rule one in the half court until you get what you want. But movement, movement, movement with intent. Block out and send 5 to the glass. Mix it up, but be sure you have the right guys with the specific style. Right now we look like we're lazy and lost which I believe combined almost spells lousy.
invert the offense/move the offense higher to create move space and lanes for cutters. We have wing size. Seems this would be be effective with Malik being high, and Ballo on the bench.
Could result in rim opportunities ala Princeton or NU (Carmody).
Could result in rim opportunities ala Princeton or NU (Carmody).
When Ballo and Reneau are on the floor together, run a lot of "horns". When Rice (or Galloway), comes off a Ballo ball screen, Ballo rolls or dives to the bucket. At the same time, Reneau screens away for opposite wing. Ballo if he deosn't get the ball, heads out weakside to set a back screen for Reneau. If all of that ends with nothing, Ballo comes out top looking for another pick and roll action, with backside cutting and screening.
When the ball handler comes off a Reneau screen, Malik has the option to roll or pop. If he rolls, Ballo goes and screens backside wing. If he pops, Ballo dives to the basket for a lob or duck in. If there's nothing at that point, Ballo goes back up and back screens Reneau. Then goes and looks for ball screen opportunities. Neithe big stays in the post areas for more than a second or two, always vacating and looking for cutting or screening opportunities.
When Ballo is the only big in the game, run a healthy dose of single high big, pick and roll. With screening and cutting action on backside.
When Reneau is the only big in the game, run a healthy dose of Pinch Post Princeton style sets, with Reneau as the pinch post.
When neither are in the game (rare). Run 5 out Princeton style read and react.
Defensively...High ball pressure, contain to same side, hard hedges by bigs on ball screens, don't overhelp otherwise. Layups at times are better than constantly being in rotation, and chasing perimeter guys around. All 5 crash boards hard.
I would have been running 1 on 1 and 2 on 2 closeout drills... and then 3 on 3, 4 on 4, and 5 on 5 shell drills since August, HEAVILY, to make defensive rotations second nature. AND to get guys like Ballo and Reneau in those pinch post/roll man areas, forcing them to make the right decisions and plays on offensive kick out opportunities.
I would track offensive rebounds versus rebounds given up. It would be an aspirational award for bigs, and also for guards.
And we would work heavily on pushing the tempo, off misses or makes. And basically ALL players except Ballo would be pushed, encouraged, demanded, to seek out gaps and open passing lanes, and be ready to shoot when the pass comes their way. Flat footed, reactionary catches, would often stop practices and get yelled at, and attention made to it.
When the ball handler comes off a Reneau screen, Malik has the option to roll or pop. If he rolls, Ballo goes and screens backside wing. If he pops, Ballo dives to the basket for a lob or duck in. If there's nothing at that point, Ballo goes back up and back screens Reneau. Then goes and looks for ball screen opportunities. Neithe big stays in the post areas for more than a second or two, always vacating and looking for cutting or screening opportunities.
When Ballo is the only big in the game, run a healthy dose of single high big, pick and roll. With screening and cutting action on backside.
When Reneau is the only big in the game, run a healthy dose of Pinch Post Princeton style sets, with Reneau as the pinch post.
When neither are in the game (rare). Run 5 out Princeton style read and react.
Defensively...High ball pressure, contain to same side, hard hedges by bigs on ball screens, don't overhelp otherwise. Layups at times are better than constantly being in rotation, and chasing perimeter guys around. All 5 crash boards hard.
I would have been running 1 on 1 and 2 on 2 closeout drills... and then 3 on 3, 4 on 4, and 5 on 5 shell drills since August, HEAVILY, to make defensive rotations second nature. AND to get guys like Ballo and Reneau in those pinch post/roll man areas, forcing them to make the right decisions and plays on offensive kick out opportunities.
I would track offensive rebounds versus rebounds given up. It would be an aspirational award for bigs, and also for guards.
And we would work heavily on pushing the tempo, off misses or makes. And basically ALL players except Ballo would be pushed, encouraged, demanded, to seek out gaps and open passing lanes, and be ready to shoot when the pass comes their way. Flat footed, reactionary catches, would often stop practices and get yelled at, and attention made to it.
I don't know shit ... but I'll give it a shot.
Offensive basketball is fairly homogenized with most teams running the same actions and/or variations of actions. Those actions are used to create situations where 1 defender guards/checks 2 offensive players. Example: zoom action or high PnR with JHS. When JHS went around the pick, putting his defender in a position he can no longer guard ie behind him, he has created a 2 on 1 situation with Edey in the post having to choose to guard the ballhandler or roller.. probably a bad example as Edey couldn't rotate out of drop coverage but the gist is there.
Too often IU chooses to get the ball into an interior player's hands to score against two/three defenders. We don't pass back out... If you watch the tapes on the Princeton stuff we run, pay attention to the corner and wings. If the double is coming from that side there's two players being guarded by one. It doesn't mean the shot is open, the defender can rotate, but that's a two on one situation and making the defense rotate puts them on their heels and if the ball is passed effectively will create open looks elsewhere. If the defender doesn't cover correctly, it's a wide open 3 pt shot.
I want to see IU pass the ball back out and even sometimes run secondary actions off of that pass. It's not that complicated. Would also like to see more emphasis on drive and kick. We need a better balance of interior vs perimeter. That's one way to create more opportunities without changing the set much. The thing that drives me insane: unless wide open, pass the damn ball back out after an offensive rebound, it's the easiest three in basketball.
As far as what offense I like to watch. UConn and their version of modern motion, which is basically continuity actions, actions stacked on top of actions, sometimes reactionary based on what the defense does, if that makes sense. It's as close as you can get to motion in the modern era.
Defensively, I hate the slot nail rim defense and feel it may be as outdated as No Middle and Packline may be, as it's main emphasis is doubling/pressuring on the nail with one of the wings to not only stop the play but create turnovers. It stops dribble penetration if done correctly but is susceptible to spacing. Modern basketball is all about spacing.
Example one why I hate it: it puts the backline defender in a 1 on 2 situation and is susceptible to open 3's from the wing and corner, just like the packline. Think of all the times where Malik is in a situation having to close on shooters, that's why.
Example two why I hate it: it's proven by analytics that over pressuring and gambling to create turnovers is fool's gold and generally only works when there's a talent advantage and isn't effective against equal talent or smart teams especially late in season when they become highly proficient. This is why the 40 minute full court press has almost disappeared. The pressure and doubling should be used situationally only, less fouls, less breakdowns. Play to contain. Especially when you have rim protection like TJD and Ware ...
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Everyone thinking about benching him may need to consider something. To run and play in transition defense boards are generally a must. Malik has maybe improved his rebounding, ditto Mack, but will it be enough?
I’m only suggesting at times it s/b either of the 2 on the bench. Malik and Ballo will both get minutes.
Gotcha...
fwiw - I like the smaller lineups so much better, with Mack at 4.. my two concerns with it are post defense and rebounding.
I see a lot of teams running two bigs this year and not many with an actual stretch. So matchups may dictate we need to go with two bigs. That's really not the outlier in his lineups, a 6'9 three is. We're basically running with 3 bigs.
Has everyone noticed the big perimeter lineups? Galloway/Tucker/Goode at 1/2/3 Mack at 4. That's interesting also..
Yes, with the big perimeter lineup , that’s what I was referring to when I said we had size with wings. If we invert the offensive, or have it higher there should be space for players like Galloway and Tucker as drivers/cutters. Which opens up a bunch of things offensively.
Many people here talking about the opportunities with a smaller lineup in transition, but if used properly we can get easy buckets in the half court as well.
It could also leave Malik with a lot of one on one situations and space down low, especially since we'll have mid-range and potentially multiple perimeter scorers on the floor with him,
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