Designing a Great NBA Offense: Slice Follow Play Breakdown

I’ve released my proposed ideal Laker playbook for next season, but it’s time to break it down. The playbook is comprised of 55 plays and grouped together in 9 chapters. I’ll be going through the playbook play by play and breaking down each of the plays I think the Lakers should run. Today is the third play of the playbook we’ll be breaking down.

Prerequisite Background Information

If you haven’t first read my earlier Forum Blue & Gold piece about Designing a Great Offense, which covers the 7 principles I think every great NBA play and offense NEEDS, check that out first. Each of those principles will be referenced in these play breakdowns, but for an explanation on the principle itself you’ll need to reference that original piece.

What This Includes

I’ll start with background info on each play, including its name, which team was seen running the play when it was diagrammed, the actions involved in the play, who (me or a FastModel contributor) diagrammed the play, and what alterations I may have made to the original play to make it #good.

After that short background, I’ll dig into how each play incorporates or could use improvement on each of my 7 principles of a great NBA offense.

Today’s Play: Slice Follow

Play: Slice Follow

Original Team: Boston Celtics (the Rondo, Pierce, KG, Allen Celtics)

Actions: Flex Cut, Pick and Roll, Hammer Action, Split Cut

Play Diagrammer: Craig LeVasseur

Alterations by Tim: Added the hammer action on the drive, the lift by 2, the ice and post options

Action Over Motion

All of the movement in this play is action, with three of them in about 6-7 seconds after the first pass. The action being run isn’t complicated or unique, but the spread floor and multiple looks in a short period of time makes this a set that can cause issues for a defense.

Verdict: Thumbs Up

Weak Side Action

The first frame only has one action, but after that you have two actions at a time, generating the type of movement and decision making that can cause a defense problems. The hammer action + flare screen on the weak side being run opposite of the pick and roll or split cut is a perfect complement, either taking help defense out of the paint or generating a good shot. This is also an easy read for the offensive players, enabling quicker decision making.

Verdict: Thumbs Up

Run Action the Right Way

The Flex Cut: Having the entry pass come from the wing rather than the top of the key increases the likelihood that the cutter will be open. Additionally, the floor spacing makes it more difficult for the defense to help on the cut.

The Pick and Roll: The open paint due to the weak side action combined with the 2 lifting to the wing results in the ball handler having open space in the middle of the floor to attack + the roll man having more open space to roll.

The Hammer Action: The ball handler that is potentially passing to the shooter on this flare screen is in a position to 1. make the pass 2. driving into the paint or 3. facing up in the post. There is also no one in position to help on the screen, other than 5’s defender, which would leave 5 open for a 3-pointer with no other defenders close to rotate over.

The Split Cut: The paint being open allows the cutter a chance to actually create a good look at the basket. Additioanlly due to the player alignment, there’s no opportunity for the defense to help on the flare screen without leaving the cutter wide open.

Verdict: Thumbs Up

Synergistic Action

Just like with Slice and Slice Split, the actions in this play combined with its spacing makes it difficult for the defense to help. The split cut and 5 spotting up after the hammer action provide opportunities for the offense to exploit normal help rotations by the defense. That synergy is seen with the hammer action weak side on the pick and roll or split cut, depending on how the play progresses.

Verdict: Thumbs Up

Spacing & Usage of Personnel

The spacing on the play is strong due to the four out alignment it starts in and that one player inside leaving as the pick and roll or split cut attack the paint.

Here is how the play fits with each Laker player that’d be running it:

1 – Lonzo: Unlike some of these other sets where Lonzo is a playmaker or ball handler, his role in this play is simple: Look to catch and shoot a corner 3-pointer off of the hammer action. He scored 1.078 points per possession using off-ball screens at UCLA, which is a strong number and comparative to Otto Porter at the NBA level. I like Lonzo in this role.

2 – Ingram: For this play (and regular Slice), I don’t want KCP in this role. Before his injury last season, KCP was in the 11th percentile finishing at the rim. I’d much rather have Ingram in this position as a competent cutter with long arms that’s a big target. Ingram should be adequate passing from the post if needed, and presents a good 3-point shooting option when lifting during the pick and roll.

3 – KCP: KCP’s role in this set will be as a pick and roll attacker or potentially running off of a flare screen, two areas he was average last season. Pre-injury, he was in the 44th percentile scoring off of screens and 64th scoring from the pick and roll.

4 – Randle: Julius’ lack of shooting ability and gravity can be an issue in general, but not so much on this play. If his man helps down on the flex cut, he can quickly set a flare screen away for Lonzo to exploit that defensive strategy. In this play, Randle functions as a roll man or cutter, depending on how the play progresses. These are two areas he struggled mightily in this past season, having a Points Per Possession value only in the 34th percentile rolling (and 45th percentile popping) and 26th percentile cutting. However, much of this inefficiency is due to what I consider poor Laker play design, personnel groupings that led to bad spacing, and heavily contested shots at the basket in those opportunities for Julius. At Kentucky, he was in the 78th percentile as a cutter and finished at the rim in the 93rd percentile, which leads me to believe that even as a non-lob threat, he can still put the ball in the bucket as a roll man or cutter if given the chance.

5 – Lopez: The center in this play is used entirely as a screener, but him in this role is still important. His ability to stretch the floor on the hammer screen is key in preventing his defender from helping to defend Lonzo cutting to the corner while also maintaining the play’s spacing. If Randle or a non-3-point shooting big were setting that screen, they’d have to dive to the rim immediately after to counter their man potentially helping on the shooter, but that would be a bad move due to the split cut or pick and roll needing the open paint to be most effective.

Verdict: Thumbs Up

Disguising Plays

Most of this evaluation of the play comes from the starting player alignment and opening action, both of which are identical to the other Slice Series plays and thus garners a passing grade in this regard.

Verdict: Thumbs Up

Set Counters & In-play Counters

There’s no set counter to this play I’ve included into the playbook that has some devastating lob or great misdirection that looks like this play and becomes something else, but Slice Follow has some ways to counter in-play defensive tactics.

One defensive tactic that this play would likely face is the defense icing the ball screen. What that would look like is 3’s defender recognizing that 4 is coming to set a screen and jumping out high a bit to force 3 to reject the screen. 3 would then chase the ball handler and 4’s defender would sink down to try to contain the ball handler until 3 recovers. If the offense just lets this happen, it generally leaves the opportunity for a pick and pop. But since a Randle long 2-pointer or shot from deep may not be the ideal shot, we’ll look to counter this defensive adjustment.

There are lots of ways to attack a defense icing ball screens (at least 10 I can think of off the top of my head), but the smoothest counter to the defense icing this ball screen is 4 flipping and rescreening, and 3 dribbling off that pick and snaking back middle to attack an empty paint. It’s simple, allows the hammer action to stay the same (as long as they’re timing it correctly) and keep the paint open for a pick and roll, just about the same resulting action as before.

Here’s what that would look like:

If the defense switches on the hammer action, 5 should bury the point guard trying to defend him and the offense should feed Lopez in the post. The gameplan is the same if the defense switches on the flex action between 2 and 5.

If the defense switches on the ball screen, it’s up to to the offense to see if 3 attacking a PF on the perimeter/driving or 4 attacking a SF in the post is the better look.

The normal reads to these actions are simple, as are the counters to any defensive tactics used.

Verdict: Thumbs Up

Overall Play Thoughts

Slice Follow is another solid option from the Slice Series that both generates good offensive opportunities and utilizes the Laker personnel well. The spacing, weak side action, and counters keep the defense from being able to easily stem the actions run. I also like how this play attacks the defense in some different ways from the other sets starting with the same alignment, first pass, and first action. Putting Ingram in a playmaking role in the post and the idea of having KCP being able to attack off of a pick and roll are ways to optimize the team’s personnel. I’d love to see the Lakers run this in 2017-18.