Podium Game Playbook: A double screen for DeMar DeRozan
By Jack Maloney
The Toronto Raptors and Atlanta Hawks squared off last night in a matchup between two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks were flying high (#nailedit) coming into last night’s meeting on a nine game winning streak, and they promptly made it ten in a row, leaving a loss as a parting gift on their way out of town.
But what I want to take a quick look at today is actually a play from the Raptors, a double screen for DeMar DeRozan that they ran in the second quarter. Let’s get into it.
It starts with Kyle Lowry controlling the ball on the left hand side of the court. DeMar DeRozan cuts towards the ball, running off a screen set by James Johnson.
Right after he sets the pick for DeRozan, Johnson turns and goes to set one for Kyle Lowry. Meanwhile, DeRozan has started cutting towards the opposite side of the court. The high ball screen for Lowry is merely a distraction, something to draw the attention of the defense while DeRozan is cutting. This may seem unimportant, but the defense has to pay much more attention to Lowry when he’s coming off a screen as compared to when he is just dribbling up top.
On the weak side of the court, Patrick Patterson and Tyler Hansbrough are preparing to set a double screen for DeRozan, who is making his way over.
This double screen look puts Kent Bazemore in a tough predicament. Should he chase DeRozan around the screens, but risk getting picked off and putting a Hawks big man in a one-on-one situation with DeRozan? Or should he try to shoot the gap and cut DeRozan off in his path? He chooses the latter, and so DeRozan bumps the screen–something we talked about the other day.
Unfortunately for Bazemore, he gets tripped up as he tries to sneak between the Raptors big men, which now puts Pero Antic in a tough position, as the big man has to try to guard the quicker DeRozan.
Antic does a pretty solid job in moving his feet, but he just can’t move quick enough to stay with DeRozan who knocks down the jumper over him.
This is a neat play by the Raptors, because the double screen almost guarantees that they will get DeRozan in a one-on-one situation with a Hawks big man, which is always advantage DeRozan. And the Raptors guard showed why, knocking in the jumper.