Film Room Friday: Milwaukee Bucks out of bounds plays
By Jack Maloney
Welcome back to Film Room Friday. The post has moved from our mothership to here at The Podium Game. Last time we looked at a nice play the Sacramento Kings ran for Ben McLemore. Today we’re going to dissect a few Milwaukee Bucks out of bounds plays. Let’s get into it.
Sideline out of bounds vs. Hornets
This first play comes from way back in October, at the very end of the Bucks’ first game, in which they lost to the Charlotte Hornets. If it looks familiar, it’s because though the initial set up is a little different, the Young Bucks ran this same play to get Brandon Knight open the other night in Brooklyn.
It starts out with Khris Middleton inbounding the ball and the Bucks in an expanded box formation, which provides excellent floor spacing.
Middleton enters the ball to Jared Dudley in the extended post and immediately goes to use a screen being set by Zaza Pachulia. Pachulia’s defender, Al Jefferson, has decided to sink back into the paint to provide help if Dudley makes a move to the basket. The play isn’t for Dudley, however, and Jefferson’s decision almost cost the Hornets dearly.
After using the first screen, Middleton plants and cuts back towards the ball, where Pachulia has spun and re-screened for him. The multiple screens leave Kemba Walker on the ground, and since Jefferson is in the paint, he cannot provide help.
It leaves Middleton with a perfect chance to win the game, but unfortunately for the Young Bucks, the shot careens off the rim. Still, the play worked to perfection.
Baseline out of bounds vs. Grizzlies
This next look was one the Bucks ran in their upset win over the Memphis Grizzlies the other day. Taking the ball out underneath their own basket, the Bucks set up in a collapsed box formation.
O.J. Mayo, who is on the weak side, breaks towards the strong side corner. To get there, he cuts through the gap, or “door” between Jabari Parker and John Henson. The two forwards try to close the door on Mayo’s defender but, they could have done a little bit better job.
Still, Mayo gets to the corner and has an open shot, but decides against taking it. In the end, the Bucks end up scoring on a pull-up jumper by Jabari. Even though the action didn’t result in an immediate shot, it is still a cool variation on the elevator doors play the Golden State Warriors have made so popular.
Sideline out of bounds vs. Heat
Finally, we’ll look at a quick hitter the Bucks got from a sidelines out of bounds play against the Miami Heat a few days ago. Jabari Parker is the one taking the ball out this time, while Zaza Pachulia is breaking towards him and Brandon Knight is lurking, waiting to set a back screen.
Parker gets the ball into Pachulia, and then cuts towards the basket, using the back screen set by Knight on Parker’s unsuspecting defender. The Heat do a poor job communicating, and so the pick leaves them tangled and confused. Meanwhile, Parker has made his way into the paint, where there are no Heat defenders.
Pachulia hits him with the pass and Parker gets an incredibly easy dunk.