Ish Smith vs Bulls
- David Robertson
- Oct 26, 2018
- 2 min read
Jumping back almost a week to the Pistons vs Bulls game on 10-20-18. Close game down to the wire. Pistons won 118-116 on a solid EOG from the Pistons. They were patient, so they could run down the clock. It is a sort of variation of a Horns set but the 4 & 5 man come to set a double-sided high ball screen.
Pretty simple play. Smith is quick and athletic and makes the right read to get to the basket. It was executed well but part of what makes the play work is the defensive breakdown by the Bull.
Takeaways:
1. Ish Smith is a quick, athletic guard and can see gaps. Smith made a smart and (obviously) right decision to go between Portis and Parker.
2. Bulls did some good things with having the bigs drop back on the screens. The wing defenders weren't in the paint to cover corner 3pt shooters. And this late in the game in this situation, it was probably the right choice (since the Bulls will get one more possession; better to be down 2pt instead of 3pts). But after the screens were set is where the breakdown really happens.
3. Parker didn't really commit to Smith after the screen. He anticipated Smith going more to his left but Portis didn't move his position either and that left a wide opening right down the middle of the lane. Parker would have been better off staying more in the center of the court. Staying more center would have prevented the gap that Smith took full advantage of.
4. Portis sort of stunted at the ball but it didn't do anything to really deter the drive. Payne then sort of moves towards the paint but ends up backing up once Smith leaves the ground (he didn't have enough time to get into the paint without fouling Smith).
5. The Bulls breakdown on the screens was probably covered in the next film session. No one committed to stopping the ball, left the middle wide open, no help from the corners. If any of the Bulls players had done one of these things, the outcome might have been completely different.
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