When Doug Collins met with his coaching staff weeks before the season began, weeks even before players and owners resolved the NBA lockout, Collins and his assistants spent hours going through game tape of last season. What were they looking for? Identifying the most effective offensive sets; the simplest, most potent pieces of offense that could easily be carried over, could easily be taught, especially in a season with an abbreviated training camp and only two pre-season games.
This smooth-running offense was on display during last night’s win over the Indiana Pacers. So far this season, Collins and his staff have created an offense that highlights what the team does well. Of course, you can’t place enough weight on the continuity factor. That for the first time in years, the 76ers entered the season with their top 12 players returning as well as the same head coach. But almost as crucial in this process was the distilling down of the very best offensive sets from a slew of offensive sets.
In Doug Collins’ first days as head coach, he instituted a base play that included stacking two players — maybe Andre Iguodala and Lou Williams — and having them run cuts off the low-post player. Whatever cut one player made, it triggered a different cut from another player. In those first few weeks, it seemed this set would be one of the most consistently run in the team’s arsenal. Collins had run this play when he was coaching the Chicago Bulls, and in those first days last season he spoke about how Michael Jordan would read those cuts, how effective Jordan became at breaking down the defense off of this stack play.
As last season began, the Sixers struggled to run this play. They struggled to run a number of plays based on reads and continuity. Why? Mostly because the whole mix — plays, players, coaches — was about two weeks old and chemistry doesn’t exist after two weeks. An ability to read one another comes after a year or two, if it comes at all. The Sixers also struggled because, as we all know, the team’s roster is filled with players who are stronger creating off of pick-and-rolls than they are off the ball. The Sixers have half a dozen players who know very well how to execute a pick-and-roll.
So what does the offense include now?
At its very best last night, the offense was a stream of successive pick-and-rolls, run so smoothly that it almost looks like its own offense. If you watch, it looks like that carnival ride with two separately spinning axis: Thaddeus Young starts low and then loops up top to set an on-ball pick for Lou Williams. Williams and Young execute the pick and roll; Young sets the pick then rolls into the open space for a little mid-range jumper. If Lou and Thad don’t get a shot off of the pick-and-roll, Lou reverses the ball to, for example, Jrue Holiday on the opposite wing. Immediately, Elton Brand swings up and sets a pick-and-roll on Holiday’s defender.
Using these successive pick-and-rolls is perfect for the Sixers’ roster — and Collins knows it — because half of his roster is great with the ball and his big men are versatile rolling off of a pick. And these successive picks aren’t stunted, like they might have been early last season. It’s not as if the trains come off the track and the ball lands in Lou’s hands and he frantically calls for a screener. These screens are executed while maintaining really good spacing between the other three players on the floor. There is timing and flow.
Also, the Sixers ran the “Flex” offense very effectively last night. They did so more toward the end of the game, or when they wanted to use a good chunk of the shot clock. But the Flex seems to be their long-winded offense (when they don’t want to pull the trigger quickly). The Flex is just a continuing series of screens: cross screen and then down screen. The two sets of screens are repeated on both sides of the floor until the Sixers take a shot. Because the Flex doesn’t traditionally contain an on-ball screen, it slows down the scoring process, it forces the use of clock.
Collins loves the effort the Sixers are playing with right now; he also loves how well rookie Nikola Vucevic fits into the lineup. Vucevic is the guy Collins wanted to draft from Day 1 of the NBA’s pre-draft camps. Last night, Vucevic scored by turning over his right shoulder, finishing with his left hand off the glass. Then Vucevic scored by turning over his left shoulder, finishing with his right hand. Then Vucevic stepped outside and hit a 15-foot jumper. With Hawes and Vucevic running the center spot, the offensive continuity won’t be interrupted because both guys can pass. There will still (specifically when the opponents become more challenging) be times when interior defense and rebounding will be a liability, but Collins believes his guys can offset that handicap with effort and hustle.
–Kate
Excellent insight as always, Kate…Still love reading your Sixers posts!
I learn more about the Sixers every time I read an article of Kate’s.
Good stuff as always- things are just too good for sixers right now. Something has to give.
The only thing this team is missing right now is a top flight beat writer. Happy for your burgeoning career but it sure was a shame to see you go, especially considering who they replaced you with.
Great article. I think this type of info goes under appreciated by the typical Sports Center-worshipping NBA fans out there. I love when Kate writes like this. I could read her Sixers stuff all day long. I agree with the comment that said losing her as beat writer is even worse when we consider what we are getting instead.
Good read, Kate. Especially like the insight into the rookie, who really seems to look very comfortable and unfazed.
Thanks for keeping at it, Kate. Too bad you left Philly right as the team started to gel! You deserved a glory year after making it through the Eddie Jordan era.
Kate, thanks for another great article! Please keep writing about the sixers.
Awesome article. Very encouraged. Starting to wonder if our second 5 can beat our first 5.
Really great stuff Kate, it’s nice to be reading this kind of analysis on our team. Great basketball!
Kate, thanks for breaking down some of these plays. I’ll be looking for these cutting moves!! While offense gets people in the seats, how about a Sixers defensive breakdown? We’ll see how tight is in once they get to a very tough February, but they’ve been lights out so far
Thank you Kate and thank you grantland for leading me to your blog. I feel compelled to let you know your inquirer coverage got me back into the sixers and nba. Somehow you made following the Eddie Jordan sixers worthwhile. Good luck with the world wide leader. I’m looking forward to your new work and your continued unparalleled sixers insight.
Thankfully we have a place to come to get some thorough Sixers analysis. Kate is the best analyst out there and I’m with the rest of you folks in hoping Kate finds the time to keep at this. Her insight is unparalleled and I don’t think I’m overselling her skills.
Good stuff. Miss your insights on philly.com
Kate, Thanks for continuing to write about the Sixers. As always, enjoyed your insight. The offense for the Sixers has been good. But I think the defense has been great. From my novice viewpoints, they have already adjusted their defensive schemes from last year and the first few games to include more hard double teams and traps… The Sixers coaching staff is finally unleashing the length and speed on the perimeters, getting us more easy points on the fast break as well as bad shots. Can’t say enough about how many kick balls Holiday has every game and how their defensive rotations are looking better and better day by day. It’s a scary thought how good this defense can be with a good post defender.
Hey Kate, this team is a joy to watch and reminds me a bit of how the Sixers were playing before they acquired Dikembe Mutombo during the championship season. The way they move the ball and play unselfishly is something you rarely see in a league that is now dominated by one one one play. Dough has these guys buying in and for those who haven’t bought in, they are missing a great product. Nice to see EB get off last night. It also started with two blocks. It is amazing how sometimes a strong defensive play can ignite your offensive game. The Sixers as a team seem to be doing this as well. The only sad part is that we don’t get your daily take in the paper. Thanks for giving us your insight and hopefully it will continue through the season!
[...] Why does one squad buy into team concepts while the other sticks to hero ball? How come one staff designs an offensive system to their players’ strengths while another continues to turn their entire roster into poor mid-range jump shooters? Why do [...]
You are sorely missed in Philly, Kate. Thank God, I can still read about the Sixers on your site. Question: what, if anything, can the Sixers do to pull closer to the Heat without disturbing the core of this team?
Aw, this was a very nice post. Spending some time and actual effort to create a really good article… but what can I say… I hesitate a whole lot and never seem to get anything done.