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What offense should the Raptors run?

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What offense should the Raptors run? 

Post#1 » by Wannabe MEP » Wed Nov 24, 2021 11:28 pm

(I wanted a more generic thread about offensive systems than the one specifically about the Warriors offense.)

The Raptors personnel has changed significantly since the 2019 championship. Four starters and six of the top eight for playoff minutes from that team are gone. Most (all?) of those players brought unique things on offense that we haven't replaced with a younger version of the same thing -- our offensive strengths are quite different now. I think we have the following unique strengths:

  • Scottie Barnes
  • Quite a few guys who can both shoot and drive at least decently well
  • Frontcourt mobility
  • The ability to go *small* without actually giving up a lot of size
And the following weaknesses:

  • No elite iso player
  • No clear, elite pick-and-roll combo
  • No elite post/passing big
  • Not a ton of experience/veteran savvy
I'm not convinced we're running the best system to maximize our strengths and minimize our weaknesses. These are my main concerns with our offense right now:

Overall, our true shooting % is 25th in the league, which suggests a poor half-court offense. Our offensive net rating is much better than these numbers would suggest, but I think that's because 1) we lead the league in offensive rebounding, and 2) we're #2 in points off turnovers and #1 in steals. In other words, the most effective aspects of our offense have nothing to do with shots generated by our half-court offensive system.


****************


I don't know all the systems out there: help me out if you have some suggestions. Here are some possibilities:

  • Triangle
  • Spread Pick-and-Roll (e.g., D'Antoni)
  • Flex
  • Princeton
  • Spurs Motion
  • Dribble Drive Motion
A bunch of teams hybrid multiple systems (e.g., I think the Warriors is mostly Spurs Motion, but with a lot of Triangle and Spread Pick-and-Roll, after Kerr was influence by Popovich, Phil, and D'Antoni). And everybody uses set plays sometimes, in addition to spread pick-and-roll and isos. But I think most teams have a base motion or pattern offense that they use a significant chunk of the time.

My current vote is Dribble Drive Motion offense, because I think it makes sense in a few key ways:

  1. I think it fits the versatility and quickness of the roster.
  2. Minimizes the need for an elite iso guy.
  3. Minimizes the need for a big as offensive fulcrum.
  4. I think it would help generate chances earlier in possessions.
  5. I think it would get the ball changing hands more quickly, so guys like Scottie Barnes and OG would be involved in more plays.
  6. There's been some NBA success for teams with similar roster construction using dribble drive motion (e.g., Nuggets 2012-13).
  7. The Raptors already use a spread base offense with some similar principles as dribble drive, but it clearly doesn't have the same rules about attacking aggressively. But it wouldn't be a total overhaul of everything -- just a shift in mentality.
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Re: What offense should the Raptors run? 

Post#2 » by DG88 » Wed Nov 24, 2021 11:49 pm

From what I know Trevor Gleeson is a student of the flex offense which we do run in our offense. But what I can see is that we do run a hybrid of some other offensive systems. What Nurse does is give players freedom to run plays based on what they see on the court allowing for my improvisation making it harder to defend. Now this will come down to bbiq just like our defense.
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Re: What offense should the Raptors run? 

Post#3 » by blindchase » Wed Nov 24, 2021 11:54 pm

The Bellarmine Offense.
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Re: What offense should the Raptors run? 

Post#4 » by Inevitable » Thu Nov 25, 2021 12:14 am

Think this team just needs more dynamic half court players. We are middle of the pack at drives, and below average FTA. We aren't putting pressure on teams at the rim, very easy to game plan against.
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Re: What offense should the Raptors run? 

Post#5 » by C_Money » Thu Nov 25, 2021 12:17 am

blindchase wrote:The Bellarmine Offense.


Thats so much running lol. Add in Nurse’s rotation heavy defence and the team would be gassed.
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Re: What offense should the Raptors run? 

Post#6 » by d00lttle » Thu Nov 25, 2021 12:50 am

Box and 1, the offence version.

Either that or the Flying V. They should more sets where everybody on the weak side starts at the same area, then run to their spots when the action is initiated (like screen and roll). Like a football play where each player has routes.
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Re: What offense should the Raptors run? 

Post#7 » by JN » Thu Nov 25, 2021 3:09 am

The Reverse Full Court Press with Run/Pass Options.
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Re: What offense should the Raptors run? 

Post#8 » by ImaBeatDatAzz » Thu Nov 25, 2021 3:15 am

As much as we hate gtj ball hoggin.. the guy can make shots anywhere on the floor. He is our best iso scorer /shot creator by far
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Re: What offense should the Raptors run? 

Post#9 » by MixxSRC » Thu Nov 25, 2021 3:16 am

Post ups every possession
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Re: What offense should the Raptors run? 

Post#10 » by Wannabe MEP » Thu Nov 25, 2021 6:06 am

DG88 wrote:From what I know Trevor Gleeson is a student of the flex offense which we do run in our offense. But what I can see is that we do run a hybrid of some other offensive systems. What Nurse does is give players freedom to run plays based on what they see on the court allowing for my improvisation making it harder to defend. Now this will come down to bbiq just like our defense.

Yep. I don't know how much they've implemented yet. It doesn't look like a ton to me, but I haven't specifically been looking for it.

I like the idea of egalitarian innovations. I don't love the idea of flex, personally. Seems too static to me -- not enough freedom for NBA-level talent. And doesn't maintain wide spacing. You're trying to create space with screens and motion, but I think NBA defenses can predict pretty well and disrupt those actions, especially in a playoff series. But maybe Gleeson's version of flex is more advanced than I realize.
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Re: What offense should the Raptors run? 

Post#11 » by Wannabe MEP » Thu Nov 25, 2021 1:49 pm

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Re: What offense should the Raptors run? 

Post#12 » by Wannabe MEP » Thu Nov 25, 2021 7:46 pm

Trying to wrap my head around the Spurs motion principles a little bit. This was helpful:

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