Mid-Season Nets Offense Review

[LKIRNets]

Many people have bitched and moaned about this system not being productive or not being great for the type of players we have, or my favorite argument, how Kenny Atkinson is not ready to be the coach that Brooklyn needs. I've wanted to go over a few things in this offense, using the last 2 games against playoff contenders to measure it's effectiveness. It's faults, and how sometimes the players just need to do a better job.

Let's go into the most glaring issues and that is how D'Angelo Russell is sometimes his own worst enemy.


DLo has a tendency to want to finish and at times probably doesn't feel like an alpha using his 2nd option. Here he clearly turns down giving another teammate an opportunity, instead chooses to take on triple coverage. In the NFL that lunacy, in hockey that's lunacy, in the NBA it's no different.


Again DLo feeling like an alpha, decides to shoot the ball early in the shot clock. Resulting in stagnating the offense. These are things 21 year olds who have a shooter's mentality goes through.


Here DLo receives the screen. Gets open and Dante Cunningham has the mismatch but DLo settles for the face up contested 3.


Then there are times he gets hedged on screens, especially when players start reading our sets. Here his only bail out was a trail pass, but he saw Dante late and forced a wrap around pass that was then stolen. These are the majority reasons as to why his turnovers happens.


Here he's bailed out as he forgets to move for the flare screen pass and gets caught into no man's land. Again 21.


Here he overthinks. He's now in the combo guard mindset. Which is his 2nd best mindset of the 3. What's concerning here is how he turns down a wide open 3 and takes a more difficult shot. That part I just don't understand. A great drive and kick by Joey, he's starting to do that a lot more. But concerning turn down, which can only be explained w/ saying... Again 21.


Again settling for a shot, the alpha SG mentality


Here turning down a screen causes us a possession as Allen Crabbe becomes the one effected by it in the end.

But rest assure it's not just D'Angelo. A glaring small issue is Dinwiddie's passiveness.


What should be a fastbreak pull up 3 becomes a contested corner 3.


Spencer's passiveness here as he stops his dribble fearing a turnover, instead of maintaining that dribble and Allen dunking it on that SG, this results in the offense stagnating in the corner.


This set, haunts both DLo and Din, b/c the spacing is too tight, the window is too tight to make a bail out play. In watching video this play would be the one I take out of the playbook. B/c it results in stoppages mid clock, end clock, turnovers, double, triple and sometimes quadruple coverage. That window to make a play is too tight especially wit the wingspan of who guards these positions, which is normally a big PG or SF or C.

Then there are the mental zone outs. Here's one wit Quincy Acy as he forgets to set a screen and coach had to scream at him to get in position.


Dinwiddie is so good to be working in those conditions. He's an allstar next year, the guy has one fault, being too passive.

Look for Part 2 of these sets later. We actually make good to excellent plays at times, I'll post them when I get back home.

[LKIRNets]

Part II

Let's get into the sets that work and enhance a player's ability. Or the how the ability of certain players adjust based on the sets.


This play set is built for Allen Crabbe, it's his bread and butter. Allen Crabbe over the season has adapted into a Reggie light 3 point shooter. Not just being a spot up, but running men through double stagger screens, now losing them and drawing the mismatch.


Here's a broken play, in which Crabbe gets a single screen and manages to back peddle his man and get a decent look. This tells me Crabbe is getting aggressive now.


When Crabbe gets going he can take simple flare screen passes and finish on them. this is a very confident shooter right now. The straight away 3 has not been his strong suit during this streak and he just continues to be aggressive.


We've been using the SPnR a lot lately. And now it seems like Atkinson has his version of Diaw in Cunningham, as he drives and kicks to a wide open corner threat now in Crabbe.


Here's the evolution of Allen Crabbe's game, not just settling for the jumper, but indeed driving and finishing at the cup on a legit shot blocking threat/smart defender in Turner.

But how about Joe Harris?


It's not always perfect, like this play shows. But Harris is also starting to use the system to enhance his ability. I really do like this play and it's why I chose it, if he runs through it's a backdoor and 1. But unfortunately he didn't. Still wit this being a timing play and showing the flexibility our guards have in it.


Here's a perfect view of how the Nets SLOB play turns Joe Harris into a threat from the paint.


Here we come out of a SLOB play, and use Joey Buckets as the decoy, freeing up Cunningham for a wide open dunk, nice job by DLo on that pass out of the hedge.

segway into D'Angelo Russell the combo guard effect he has on this system.


Simple high screen, frees him up into a mismatch wit the big and this play is usually his go to play


Here's the combo guard mindset in DLo, as he takes a screen and a weaker defender to the hole wit a pretty good look. All in all a good play that frees up his center to get the 2nd chance opportunity, he'll finish this play more often than not.


We're also starting make DLo active in running wit out the ball. Kenny's way of turning him into Manu. With more cardio these plays will continue wit DLo as it has the potential to be a very effective weapon.


Shooting Guard mode DLo. As he sniffs out how Gallo falls for the SnR, he and Dinwiddie lock eyes and cause damage.


Here's another example of Shooting Guard mode DLo in Atkinson's type of play. Crabbe has the defense so worried that DLo goes backdoor and Dinwiddie has an easy assist.


Point Guard mode DLo, who in my opinion, is the best out of all his modes. B/c he surveys the floor. On this play it's the dying seconds of a quarter, the defense has hedged on him all week, he's adjusting and making that tight bounce pass to make them pay for the over committing.


And if we get stops. One of the most fun versions of DLo is watching him run that fastbreak.


Did I mention he sees plays before they even happen? If he sniffs you over committing on defense DLo has the ability to hurt you wit flare screen passes. Leading to FTs or drives.

D'Angelo Russell has the most untapped talent on this roster. If he ever puts his cardio game on the same level. He's going to be a terror to cover.

The reliability of the already near allstar level ability of Spencer Dinwiddie is also system/development related.


The way Dinwiddie can at any moment decide to drive the ball off screens, GETS FOULED! and still leads to productive points in the paint. Here, Okafor cleans up a missed call. One thing I want to touch on is how Okafor's cardio has improved. And there is something, but time and patience is the key wit him.


Here's another version of the weapon Dinwiddie is in this system. Now he didn't finish this. But how he ran off screen and how Allen played the point and handed it off to Crabbe becoming the playmaker for Dinwiddie. Dinwiddie will hit more looks like this wit more familiarity wit this system. But it's just great to see those looks.

Last but least. The Acy Effect.


When Acy is your 4th option, he helps your system. And imo this pivot screen play off ball play, is his bread butter, and most effective way to use him.


Here the Nets learned from their mistake, Acy is not a Rondae, he's not going to drive pass. And that tight window on the DLo and Dinwiddie play was b/c Acy drove to the paint incorrectly. Here he decides to pop out to his hot zone. The shot doesn't go down, but again these are the types of looks you want for Acy.


Again, simple and even a smart set of drive and kicks here. To free up Acy who started this set in a disaster screen attempt, but found his hot zone on the floor.


My final report on the Kenny Atkinson system, is players in the league are starting to learn how to disrupt it but not stop it, so are the Nets players, and they're learning how to be flexible wit it. You're seeing Joe Harris driving and kicking. You're seeing DLo evolving his game, you're seeing Dinwiddie turning into a near franchise player, and Crabbe evolving. We're missing that PF that takes that SnR a drives. Yes his name is Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. Also it would be nice if we start running Caris in loop plays and off ball backdoors. Since he has the size and intensity to finish at the rim.

My Grade on the Offensive Sets: A
My Grade on the players using it?: I'll go wit a C+, they're getting there and should only improve wit more reps.

My sleeper pick for breakout 2nd half?: Keep your eyes on Allen Crabbe. The guy is just becoming an all around threat. Especially now wit his new mindset. Prok get ready.

[MrDollarBills]

Many people have bitched and moaned about this system not being productive or not being great for the type of players we have, or my favorite argument, how Kenny Atkinson is not ready to be the coach that Brooklyn needs. I've wanted to go over a few things in this offense, using the last 2 games against playoff contenders to measure it's effectiveness. It's faults, and how sometimes the players just need to do a better job.

Let's go into the most glaring issues and that is how D'Angelo Russell is sometimes his own worst enemy.


DLo has a tendency to want to finish and at times probably doesn't feel like an alpha using his 2nd option. Here he clearly turns down giving another teammate an opportunity, instead chooses to take on triple coverage. In the NFL that lunacy, in hockey that's lunacy, in the NBA it's no different.


Again DLo feeling like an alpha, decides to shoot the ball early in the shot clock. Resulting in stagnating the offense. These are things 21 year olds who have a shooter's mentality goes through.


Here DLo receives the screen. Gets open and Dante Cunningham has the mismatch but DLo settles for the face up contested 3.


Then there are times he gets hedged on screens, especially when players start reading our sets. Here his only bail out was a trail pass, but he saw Dante late and forced a wrap around pass that was then stolen. These are the majority reasons as to why his turnovers happens.


Here he's bailed out as he forgets to move for the flare screen pass and gets caught into no man's land. Again 21.


Here he overthinks. He's now in the combo guard mindset. Which is his 2nd best mindset of the 3. What's concerning here is how he turns down a wide open 3 and takes a more difficult shot. That part I just don't understand. A great drive and kick by Joey, he's starting to do that a lot more. But concerning turn down, which can only be explained w/ saying... Again 21.


Again settling for a shot, the alpha SG mentality


Here turning down a screen causes us a possession as Allen Crabbe becomes the one effected by it in the end.

But rest assure it's not just D'Angelo. A glaring small issue is Dinwiddie's passiveness.


What should be a fastbreak pull up 3 becomes a contested corner 3.


Spencer's passiveness here as he stops his dribble fearing a turnover, instead of maintaining that dribble and Allen dunking it on that SG, this results in the offense stagnating in the corner.


This set, haunts both DLo and Din, b/c the spacing is too tight, the window is too tight to make a bail out play. In watching video this play would be the one I take out of the playbook. B/c it results in stoppages mid clock, end clock, turnovers, double, triple and sometimes quadruple coverage. That window to make a play is too tight especially wit the wingspan of who guards these positions, which is normally a big PG or SF or C.

Then there are the mental zone outs. Here's one wit Quincy Acy as he forgets to set a screen and coach had to scream at him to get in position.


Dinwiddie is so good to be working in those conditions. He's an allstar next year, the guy has one fault, being too passive.

Look for Part 2 of these sets later. We actually make good to excellent plays at times, I'll post them when I get back home.

Fantastic breakdown on what both players need to clean up. With Russell it's a 100% a matter of maturity, I will wager we see a much better player overall next season. Spencer I'm not concerned about at all.

[Roy Tarpley]

Excellent work.

[Prokorov]

Russell relies too much on his dominant hand... thats less of a problem for lefties but he still needs to get alot better with his right hand dribbling and finishing.

he also needs to shoot it alot better from deep

[Roy Tarpley]

he also needs to shoot it alot better from deep

Yeah, this is a bit strange since he's a consistent 35% 3PT for his career.

[LKIRNets]

he also needs to shoot it alot better from deep

Yeah, this is a bit strange since he's a consistent 35% 3PT for his career.

not strange when the majority of them are contested.



When they are not

[Roy Tarpley]

he also needs to shoot it alot better from deep

Yeah, this is a bit strange since he's a consistent 35% 3PT for his career.

not strange when the majority of them are contested.



When they are not

There must be some stats to corroborate your claim that most of Dlo's 3s this year are contested, relative to his two years on the Lakers.

[Prokorov]

he also needs to shoot it alot better from deep

Yeah, this is a bit strange since he's a consistent 35% 3PT for his career.

not strange when the majority of them are contested.



When they are not

his shot selection in LA was poor too... alot off the dribble and contested. id had hoped that would improve here and he'd shoot closer to 40%

[MGrand15]

His percentages when open have been pretty bad this year. And they weren't really much better in LA last year. It doesn't appear to just be shot selection but I think he'll improve.

[KlicKlac]

Incredible write-up. Starting to expect this from you, LKIRNets. I'm also excited for Crabbe to dominate up post all-star break

[LOUiS-D]

Yeah, this is a bit strange since he's a consistent 35% 3PT for his career.

not strange when the majority of them are contested.



When they are not

There must be some stats to corroborate your claim that most of Dlo's 3s this year are contested, relative to his two years on the Lakers.

Places like basketball ref don't have contested as a parameter in their shooting splits. You'd probably need something like a synergy sports nba deep dives subscription or equivalent to pull that kind of data.

I personally wouldn't want to get a sub, but I'd be happy to contribute towards LKIRNets getting a sub if he's doing this kind of work.

EDIT:

Actually that's not true. The NBA website's advanced stat section has contested shooting splits.

https://stats.nba.com/player/1626156/shots-dash/

Interestingly enough his lowest shooting split is when defended from 4-6 ft (open). 31% of his shots, 4.3 attempts per game at 36.3%.

[MrDollarBills]

yeah that's bad. he needs to chill with the pull up threes with a hand in his face.

LKIR fam you put a lot of work into these breakdowns, you ever think about doing something more with this stuff?

[LKIRNets]

yeah that's bad. he needs to chill with the pull up threes with a hand in his face.

LKIR fam you put a lot of work into these breakdowns, you ever think about doing something more with this stuff?

It's time consuming.

[MrDollarBills]

yeah that's bad. he needs to chill with the pull up threes with a hand in his face.

LKIR fam you put a lot of work into these breakdowns, you ever think about doing something more with this stuff?

It's time consuming.

i can imagine. but i meant like running your own blog or becoming a contributor to a blog? you're a legit basketball junkie, you may want to see how you can monetize your craft.

[shakendfries]

yeah that's bad. he needs to chill with the pull up threes with a hand in his face.

LKIR fam you put a lot of work into these breakdowns, you ever think about doing something more with this stuff?

It's time consuming.

i can imagine. but i meant like running your own blog or becoming a contributor to a blog? you're a legit basketball junkie, you may want to see how you can monetize your craft.

[kamaze]

Great work bruh