The Role and Value of R&D Players

[The-Power]

For some years now, 3&D players are talked about as ideal role players when it comes to non-bigs. The idea is to have good defensive players on the perimeter who can shoot from distance which complements the scorers and playmakers on the team. This way, their offensive limitations do not hurt the team and the team's offense may indeed even be maximized.

This also meant that offensively limited players who couldn't shoot were cast aside or at least viewed with skepticism. The continuing evolution of the stretch big as well as the spread of line-ups with only one big, however, seems to have opened up space for different types of players to (re-)emerge and make an impact.

I wanted to get your thoughts and impressions on these type of role players. The topic is about all the different ways in which non-bigs can carve out roles based on qualities other than shot creation and shooting/floor spacing. And I believe we currently see the emergence of various highly valuable players that do not fit this mold.

An obvious point of reference here is Gary Payton II. Steve Kerr essentially decided that GPII is a big man on offense who should do big man things – and he did so exceptionally well, playing a huge and unique role during the championship run.

To spice things up and get the conversation started, let me introduce to you one type of player that might be on the rise: the R&D player. The R&D player is supposed to defend like a 3&D player but his role on offense is to rebound and keep balls alive for the offense rather than to primarily space the floor. Let's call it the ‘Josh Okogie’-type.

Teams are happy to let Okogie shoot from deep. That has limited him, because he's also not a primary playmaker or scorer in general. But watching him against the Warriors and Lakers, it's impossible to not have felt the impact on the court even on offense. Last season, Okogie averaged a whooping 3.9 offensive rebounds per 100 possessions. He's so effective in part because he can roam around and players that would usually guard him are not used to boxing out.

Naturally, the R&D player would have to do more than just rebound to be impactful on offense. Making smart cuts, finishing around the rim, keeping the ball moving and not being a complete non-shooter would seem to be a necessary part of the profile for an impactful new type of offensive role player.

There are a bunch of players that could be categorized as such. Okogie and GPII are only two prominent examples of a diverse group of players who can be valuable in such roles under the right circumstances. Potential examples include: Luguentz Dort, Aaron Wiggins, Kenrich Williams (yes, the Thunder are poster boys here), Jae'Sean Tate, Josh Hart, Christian Braun, Bruce Brown (especially during his Brooklyn tenure), Donte DiVincenzo, Haywood Highsmith and perhaps Isaac Okoro. Some young players that could (or should) carve out a such a role down the road include Jalen Suggs, Ausar Thompson, Jonathan Kuminga and Jaden Springer among others.

To end this long post: what are your thoughts on the non-3&D role players in today's NBA? How valuable are they? Can we think of them as a new (or at least re-emerging) type of role player? Should we further differentiate them and if so, how? I'm curious to hear what the PC board thinks.

[Colbinii]

Big fan of R&D guys, very intelligent and think outside the box

[rk2023]

Ausar Thompson as the season progresses.

[Colbinii]

Bruce Brown was the first player I picture in this role. When you have Kyrie/KD/Harris, you have ample spacing but want Bruce on the floor for his passing out of the short roll to get the ball to your playmakers. Using an offensively limited center isn't great because they can't reliable make the pass to the corner or take a dribble and make a quick pass to Kyrie/KD.

Okogie is going to fill this role well in Phoenix, as he is a defensive menace [I own his Timberwolves jersey...at least Mcdaniels is planning out] and strong enough [like Brown] to finish inside.

These players can survive in today's NBA because teams have more shooting and more spacing.

[parsnips33]

Yeah being a connective passer is another really important skill - being able to make that second or third pass in a possession that turns a decent shot into a great one helps a ton when you have one or two guys who can consistently draw a second defender

Warriors have obviously made this a big part of their offense in the Steph era

[Ryoga Hibiki]

To spice things up and get the conversation started, let me introduce to you one type of player that might be on the rise: the R&D player. The R&D player is supposed to defend like a 3&D player but his role on offense is to rebound and keep balls alive for the offense rather than to primarily space the floor. Let's call it the ‘Josh Okogie’-type.

I would describe this slightly differently, though.
These are guys who are not high level shooters, in terms of accuracy and volume, but who can still be dangerous from the perimeter because they have ON TOP additional ball skills.
The can cut, they can crash the boards, they can attack closeouts, make decisions and keep the ball moving.
In general, they are smart high motor guys who can find a role in a modern offense that is not just standing in the corner.

I think it goes into the recent evolution of the game where just making a set shoot is not enough anymore when (playoff) defenses play the gaps, x rotate and contest strong. Even specialists can lose focus when they're asked to shoot like 10-15 times a game a contested 3 and nothing else, with any hesitation resulting in a win for the defense.

Take guys like Derrick White or Aaron Gordon, those are the elite version of this archetype.