The top teams have experimented extensively, trying to get a lot of looks on film to decide what they like the most if they get into a series with the Thunder.
Amazing stuff bro! I have to run, and will finish later today. I did have a question, could you explain what a veer switch is and what situations it would be effective in?
Thanks for giving it a read. I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Two Veer Switches are in the "Drop" edit for a visual reference (#3 and #5). The first is Zubic and Mann, and the second is Jokic and KCP. Both times, the screener is Chet.
Effectiveness is always a matter of the staff's preference. You can't take away everything, so you must choose what you believe is most important.
I think it's best used when you are playing against a big who can shoot it (Chet, Porzingis, Towns, etc.), and you feel like your big can hold up defensively vs. a guard on the cross-match. This way, you remove the "open" three-point shot on the pop and, theoretically, prevent paint touches from the guard.
^^ The Lakers can Veer switch a lot of stuff vs. shooting bigs because AD is one of the best at guarding on an island in cross-matches. This coverage was very effective for them during their run to the 2020 championship.
Really enjoyed this! I'm curious if you have any breakdown or just intuition of how often Joe slips out to the right wing rather than the left during the ghost action? I assume they have him slip out to the left more often since that would 1) mean SGA is driving right, presumably his stronger direction and 2) it's easier for Joe to catch and shoot on the move going that direction rather than drifting to his right, as a righty shooter
Thanks for reading, Ford. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
I did not log the directions of Joe’s pops after the “ghost.” It did feel like the preferred combination was the one you mentioned.
I think you are spot on with both of your reasons too!
A righty shooter loads the shot's power on the left foot. So, Joe popping to the wing opposite SGA’s right-handed drive is the best of both worlds for the Thunder.
Of course! And yeah no worries on not logging it...having done similar stuff in the past I know it's impossible to log everything and you have to pick and choose. I often found myself thinking of things midway through a project and wishing I'd also been logging X, Y, or Z. If only it were that simple...
I wonder if a defense could try to deny the "ghost" and force them to flip the direction of it, and how that might look. Will be something to watch for in the playoffs!
There were a few little actions that started to become more prominent as the project moved forward. I found myself weighing the decision to go back and log them for an extra fun wrinkle vs. pushing forward.
Trying to deny the ghost is challenging because, technically, it doesn't exist. That's why I preferred the stop/down -> switch on tape compared to anything else.
Teams that dictated SGA must go in the direction of Joe + switched with a sense of urgency had the best process. It does not guarantee a stop, SGA’s incredible. But it did look better than a lot of the other looks.
Amazing stuff bro! I have to run, and will finish later today. I did have a question, could you explain what a veer switch is and what situations it would be effective in?
Thank you for your time and expertise
Thanks for giving it a read. I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Two Veer Switches are in the "Drop" edit for a visual reference (#3 and #5). The first is Zubic and Mann, and the second is Jokic and KCP. Both times, the screener is Chet.
Effectiveness is always a matter of the staff's preference. You can't take away everything, so you must choose what you believe is most important.
I think it's best used when you are playing against a big who can shoot it (Chet, Porzingis, Towns, etc.), and you feel like your big can hold up defensively vs. a guard on the cross-match. This way, you remove the "open" three-point shot on the pop and, theoretically, prevent paint touches from the guard.
^^ The Lakers can Veer switch a lot of stuff vs. shooting bigs because AD is one of the best at guarding on an island in cross-matches. This coverage was very effective for them during their run to the 2020 championship.
Really enjoyed this! I'm curious if you have any breakdown or just intuition of how often Joe slips out to the right wing rather than the left during the ghost action? I assume they have him slip out to the left more often since that would 1) mean SGA is driving right, presumably his stronger direction and 2) it's easier for Joe to catch and shoot on the move going that direction rather than drifting to his right, as a righty shooter
Thanks for reading, Ford. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
I did not log the directions of Joe’s pops after the “ghost.” It did feel like the preferred combination was the one you mentioned.
I think you are spot on with both of your reasons too!
A righty shooter loads the shot's power on the left foot. So, Joe popping to the wing opposite SGA’s right-handed drive is the best of both worlds for the Thunder.
Of course! And yeah no worries on not logging it...having done similar stuff in the past I know it's impossible to log everything and you have to pick and choose. I often found myself thinking of things midway through a project and wishing I'd also been logging X, Y, or Z. If only it were that simple...
I wonder if a defense could try to deny the "ghost" and force them to flip the direction of it, and how that might look. Will be something to watch for in the playoffs!
Yes!!
There were a few little actions that started to become more prominent as the project moved forward. I found myself weighing the decision to go back and log them for an extra fun wrinkle vs. pushing forward.
Trying to deny the ghost is challenging because, technically, it doesn't exist. That's why I preferred the stop/down -> switch on tape compared to anything else.
Teams that dictated SGA must go in the direction of Joe + switched with a sense of urgency had the best process. It does not guarantee a stop, SGA’s incredible. But it did look better than a lot of the other looks.