After getting the first real look at the Blazers offense under Billups last night, I put together a video highlighting what they were running in the half-court, on the secondary break as well as their early offense principles. I also clipped all after time out and out of bounds plays. Before getting into the video, here's a quick rundown of a lot of the terminology you'll see in this video for those not as familiar with NBA X's and O's: "Pistol" - 3 man action w/ 2 guards or wings with a big in the trail spot. Usually initiated with a guard to guard action (screen/handoff/flip). Most often followed up with a big "chasing" into a side ball screen. "Flip" - a pass quickly flipped back to original ballhandler "Chase" - Big running into a ball screening or ballhandler running into a handoff "Brush" - Quick screen and dive/pop "Step-Up" - Big running into a ball screen angled towards the half-court line "Double Drag" - A double ball screen angled towards the sideline "Slot" - Area of the floor just roughly between lane line and short corner extended to half-court line "Away" - Weakside stagger screen "Floppy" - Single or staggered down screens angled between the opposite baseline corner and sideline. Shooter typically starts cut from paint or lane line area "Open" - 5 out spacing with two players in each corner, two players at each wing and a big in the trail position at the top of the key "Delay" - Same 5-out spacing as "Open". Action is started by a pass to the trail big "Slash" - Concept within delay where the big dribbles out a wing player who cuts to the weakside corner "Quick" - Call out for a wide pin down (pin down screen angled towards the sideline) for the weakside wing. Most teams call for this is "Wide" If you see it in a play call, its usually refers to any pin down screen involved in the play (ie "Fist 15 Quick) "Motion" - In terms of the Blazers (and most NBA teams), refers to a handoff w/ the corner player to a swing pass to the weakside wing player or elbow if wing pass is denied "Elbow" - Any set initiated by a pass from the wing to the elbow "Rip" - Fancy term for a backscreen "Split" - Two players coming together and screening for each other High Split: takes place above the break in the 3pt line Low Split: takes place in the corner / anywhere below the break "Zipper" - A cut up along the lane line. Usually starts w/ a screen at the low block "Iverson" - Cut to the weakside along two screens set at the elbows. Made famous by Larry Brown in years with Iverson. Also referred to as an "AI cut" "Nash" - Handoff into a double ball screen "Chicago" - Pindown into a ball screen "Miami" - Handoff into a ball screen
Awesome, really well done. Thanks. know what the most obvious difference is between this and the previous offense? look at the number of passes per possession. Execution looks awful right now and guys are a bit unfocused. that should tighten up by season's start
from the comments so far: I was curious so I checked NBA.com for team touches stats last season. No surprise that Portland was 30th with 364.6 touches a game. Indiana led the league with 431.3 touches that Blazers mark should be pretty easy to beat
I was encouraged to hear Dame say that he welcomes playing off the ball more as I think he's at times to methodical & slow in bringing the ball up. I think Chauncey will have us push it more on inbound and d rebounds.
I'm not sure that will work out well. Dame is by far the best Blazer with the ball in his hands. I sure don't want to see less of Dame and more of MeJ. And if it's guys like RoCo or Powell or Simons or Nas with the ball in their hands I have no confidence in them consistently making the right pass unless the right pass is just a simple perimeter pass....and those won't break down a defense much I also don't think less of Dame and more of Nurkic will work out well either, not unless the Blazers become the masters of back-cuts to the hoop now maybe that's just me being conditioned by 9 years of the Stotts offense, but pretty consistently, in previous seasons, when the offense started without Dame touching the ball, it often ended poorly without him touching the ball. Hopefully Billups can implement an offense that solves that riddle. I just don't think the Blazers will be at their best if Dame shoots less and has a lower usage rate. And I have little confidence that this roster has the ability to consistently create offense for Dame off the ball
I think Billups feels by using more motion and pushing the ball up court it can involve more players and keeps them form standing around watching Dame & CJ go iso. I get what you are saying about not sacrificing Dames production and touches and I think come 4th quarter we will continue to see Dame time. Norm also feels like he's going to be having the ball more for drives to the hoop. Dame will probably give up 2-4 shots per game to allow a different O scheme to work.
Thanks for posting that. That must have been a lot of work! Also thanks for explaining the terms, although I'm not sure if I want to go into it that deep. I did notice from your video that there definitely was more passing and more player movement and that they seemed to pass earlier and more crisply. I felt better about Nurk after watching; he is really trying hard and moving a lot and moving quickly.
chauncey billups should allow nurk to do this and then see how it goes, as you cant make a judgment (good or bad) based on a few games im not saying make him primarily playmaker like jokic, but secondary playmaker as these things in the video give this team whole new dimension (interior passing, high post passing & kick outs to 3-point shooters)
since I do not believe the Blazers are close to being a contender, I'd think experimenting with Nurkic as a facilitator is fine. Other than Dame, the Blazers do not have good facilitators, so Nurkic in some kind of high post sets might be OK. I don't want to see him in too many low-post sets because his decision making seems to get worse and worse as he gets closer to the hoop career assist/turnover: Jokic 2.30....Adebayo 1.78....Sabonis 1.53....Nurkic 1.02 last season assist/turnover: Jokic 2.70....Adebayo 2.04....Sabonis 1.95....Nurkic 1.71 (1.14 in playoffs) (Nurkic is the oldest of the four) I'd hope the increase in touches is incremental because what he's done so far does not warrant a much bigger share of the offense
well, blazers can try to do some different things in order to succeed or they can do the same things as before and fail for sure blazers are too good to miss the playoffs, even if theyre experimenting, but that experimenting just might do wonders in the playoffs monty williams did wonders with phoenix suns (sure, they had enormous amount of luck in the playoffs), but they play really good bball on both ends of the floor and lets hope chauncey billups can do the same with our team
But the things we did before got us into the playoffs each year. About as far as realistically expected considering injuries and talent level.
yes, they did and im not deluded to think that blazers could have won chip in the previous years or that they can win it now... many blazers fans saw terry stotts shortcomings and id like to see chauncey billups change that and lets hope he will, but in any case, thats the risk im willing to take in order to improve this team, when it comes to results and their playing style, by playing more exciting, team oriented bball, utilizing players to the best of their abilities, to hold player accountable etc blazers might not win chip during our lifetime, but if we can win it by playing style of bball i despise (i.e. terry stotts bball), thats fine, im all for it, but if we cant, then at least give me something to enjoy
I think if we do actually run an offense with lots of ball movent and more/better screens, the one who will benefit most from it most will be CJ. He is the one player on the Blazers who can score from anywhere on the floor. If he stays in motion as he did early in his career then he will be rewarded.
I’m so tired of hearing the whole, “hold players accountable “ How the hell do you know our new coach will? How do you know the old coach didn’t? You won’t know, that’s just it. When a local news hack wants to know why Nurk is doing the exact same thing on defense on a pick n roll that he did last year, you actually think Billups is going to call him out in public? This is on the players, plain and simple.
