A look at the Kings Pick and Roll Defense

[Allen K]

Forget about the talk about the offense, the biggest problem with the Kings right now is that their pick and roll defense is atrocious, and if you can’t defend the pick and roll in the NBA, then you can’t play defense in the NBA. The Kings’ help and weak side defenders are frequently out of position, either losing track of their man or drifting too far away from their man when it’s not their responsibility to help. Here is a look at 5 defensive sequences from just a few minutes of play from the 3rd quarter of the game against the Wizards. There's plenty more bad pick and roll defense throughout the game.


1.

McLemore and Landry are defending the pick and roll.

Landry contains Beal and Beal passes it back to Gooden. No help on Gooden is needed because Landry should have no problem closing out on Gooden and you live with Gooden taking a contested jumper. Notice how far McCallum has come over leaving no way to get back to Wall in time. Also notice how Omri isn’t paying attention to Pierce cutting to the basket.

Gooden hits Pierce for the easy layup but he had Wall on the wing as well. Why are we doubling Gooden at the 3 point line?



2.

McLemore is defending the pick and roll, not allowing Beal to use the screen and Landry is there to contain. Gooden starts to roll to the basket and it’s Cousins’ responsibility to help. It shouldn’t be Omri’s responsibility to help on Gooden but Omri is a step too far from his man.

Beal hits an open Pierce with the pass, Omri does a good job to closeout but he was too far from Pierce and Pierce nails the 3.


3.

Landry’s man sets a screen on McCallum

Landry needs to help McCallum as it was his man who set the screen. There is no way Cousins can stop the ball in this situation.

Landry still right up on his man as Wall gets an easy layup.


4.

Cousins contains the ball on the pick and roll and has his weight on his right foot ready to recover back to his man.

Cousins gets back to contest the long 2 which is exactly what the Kings want on defense. No one needs to help on Cousins’ man because it will just leave a better shooter open. This is solid defense and Gooden bricks the 2.


5.

Pierce sets a screen for John Wall. Omri needs to show on Wall to slow him down but for some reason he is fighting for position with Pierce.

McCallum needs to go under the screen since it's John Wall but goes over instead. Wall blows by McCallum and I don’t know what Omri is doing.

Wall has a full head of steam going to the basket because Omri didn’t help and McCallum didn't go under the screen. Cousins gets called for the block.

 

[lawlman91]

Nice. This board needs more of this.

 

[Gilles]

1. McCallum is obviously at fault here. Somehow his reach-in looks funny to me. Omri left middle a bit too open for a cut. Not sure, if he was aware of Ray's mistake and was trying to keep both Pierce and Wall within reach. Over-helping on Gooden long 2pt shot/Beal's drive seems an odd choice. RayMac gets the prize.
2. Omri wandered too far - you live with Gooden trying to catch a pass on the move from about average passer or him attempting to make another pass to now freed Gortat.
3. Yes, Landry should've made 2-3 steps ahead and leave Cuz to deal with rolling Seraphin. Plus Gooden is right there, so no need for Ben or Omri to leave their man, Landry can simply take Drew.
5. Omri is obviouly asking some of his teammates to go and sit on the sidelines...He was entangled with Pierce and lost orientation a bit. With the weight on his right foot Omri is clearly farther than Boogie, who is also already on the move, while Casspi is stationary.
It doesn't look like they talk that much, if at all, on D (huge deficiency), and I'm not sure, what the defensive system is supposed to be now, but Malone had this whole "protect the middle" nonsense, and that's clearly not in play at this moment. They also always opt for committing to movement/double team, when simple "showing" could be just as effective.
Kings seem to have general idea, what they are supposed to do, because they continue to do the same things, that at some point are no longer working. And that's how leads are squandered. Probably stealth tank at its stealthiest.

 

[LPKingsFan]

Nice thread! My question always with these types of things is whether the problem lies with the plan or the execution of the plan (or sometimes both!).

 

[Allen K]

Nice thread! My question always with these types of things is whether the problem lies with the plan or the execution of the plan (or sometimes both!).

It's probably execution. In the first situation it's hard to believe that any NBA coach wants their guard to double team Gooden at the 3 point line while leaving either Pierce or Wall open. In the second situation Omri probably just lost focus of where his man was. The 3rd and 5th situations are obviously bad execution. In most pick and roll defense if your man sets the screen, it involves some form of helping and then getting back to the screener. In situations 3 and 5 there was simply no help at all by Omri and Landry respectively. They fell asleep on the play.

 

[kingsboi]

This has been a Kings issue for quite some time. There isn't much communication when I watch them, another thing is the players do not understand their responsibilities once the switches occur and that leaves a man or two open every time because the Kings players don't know the personnel they play, by the looks of it.

 

[VF21]

This has been a Kings issue for quite some time. There isn't much communication when I watch them, another thing is the players do not understand their responsibilities once the switches occur and that leaves a man or two open every time because the Kings players don't know the personnel they play, by the looks of it.

That's the crux of the matter in one simple word.

 

[IfAt1st]

Remember what Rudy said? (I can't find the quote, though....)

"Guys don't know what their roles are anymore - they don't know what they're supposed to be doing out there."
(paraphrased)

What I don;t get is - how can players suddenly not know what to do when they knew just a couple months ago?
Did the defensive schemes change THAT much between Malone, Corbin, and KArl?
I really don;t think fundamental, basic pick-and-roll defensive responsibilities and expected moves changes AT ALL between the coaches.
It simply doesn't make sense that the Kings defense would change so much between coaches, when the players have all basically stayed the same (- Collison).