how often do nba teams run set plays

johanliebert · Post #1 » by **johanliebert** » Tue Jun 30, 2020 12:27 am

just started playing 2k my league recently and want to run at an nba pace.

most people in this league run a set play everytime down but im not sure thats realistic. you got the option of running series from certain teams like the rockets 21 delay series or the celtics 14 series..theres also freelances which are similar and set plays.

like how many plays does an nba team run a qt?

Post #2 » by **KingDavid** » Tue Jun 30, 2020 9:39 am

Just about every play that isn't a fast break. There's almost always offball action going on. Screens, dives, cuts. Pick and roll, horns, that nightmare Boston runs, the other nightmare that the warriors run, whatever the hell LeBron feels like doing, tons of stuff.

It doesn't look seamless on 2k because the tech isn't there to do so and they have scripted animations. Not enough animations to be honest. That's a whole other discussion in regards to video games that I won't get into here.

chyau.00 · Post #3 » by **chyau.00** » Tue Jun 30, 2020 10:14 am

depends on the team. sometimes its just as simple as calling for a pick.

or if you are houston, you only run one play called "dribble the ball for 20 seconds"

johanliebert · Post #4 » by **johanliebert** » Sat Jul 4, 2020 3:26 am

mynameKIM · Post #5 » by **mynameKIM** » Sat Jul 4, 2020 4:18 am

chyau.00 wrote:depends on the team. sometimes its just as simple as calling for a pick.

or if you are houston, you only run one play called "dribble the ball for 20 seconds"

Thats not true. They have 2 plays that they routinely goes to.

PG isolation.
SG isolation.

ChettheJet · Post #6 » by **ChettheJet** » Sat Jul 4, 2020 1:54 pm

They all run a set play after the ball crosses the half court line until there's 10 seconds left on the shot clock then it's whoever gets the ball shoots

The_Hater · Post #7 » by **The_Hater** » Sat Jul 4, 2020 2:17 pm

Almost every half court set runs a play, but it isn’t usually a set play in the ‘run Johnny off 3 picks to get him a wide open 18 footer’ variety that you might see at the high school level or after a timeout. There’s a lot more read and react involved as NBA defenses have seen them all before. Especially come playoffs.

Curmudgeon · Post #8 » by **Curmudgeon** » Sat Jul 4, 2020 4:07 pm

The_Hater wrote:Almost every half court set runs a play, but it isn’t usually a set play in the ‘run Johnny off 3 picks to get him a wide open 18 footer’ variety that you might see at the high school level or after a timeout. There’s a lot more read and react involved as NBA defenses have seen them all before. Especially come playoffs.

Yes, they run "actions" with 3-4 options for each one depending on what the defense does. On good teams, the interesting stuff happens off the ball: down screens, back door cuts, etc.

JonFromVA · Post #9 » by **JonFromVA** » Sat Jul 4, 2020 5:00 pm

The Cavs with LeBron played a lot of "random".

Hugi Mancura · Post #10 » by **Hugi Mancura** » Sat Jul 4, 2020 8:43 pm

As KingDavid said every play that isn't fast break. Even the Rockets play where Harden dribbles the ball 20 secs and then attack is a set play. It is very simple one, but still it is a play that have been planned by coaching staff before the game start. 4 guys go stand in the corners and Harden dribbles the ball then attacks 1-vs-1.

But not all screen are set plays. Sometimes original set play just fails and then you need to do something. But I would say almost on every offensive turn there is a set play played somewhere in the court.

elchengue20 · Post #11 » by **elchengue20** » Sat Jul 4, 2020 9:43 pm

If isolation is a "set play", then i guess you could say fastbreaks are also setplays.

In a fastbreak there is places where the players are suposed to be, and they are trained in practice. No at all teams run the fastbreak the same way.

zonedefense · Post #12 » by **zonedefense** » Sat Jul 4, 2020 11:56 pm

https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/mavericks/2019/10/19/back-in-the-flow-why-luka-doncic-may-be-the-key-to-rekindling-mavs-coach-rick-carlisles-offensive-magic/

Breakdown of the Mavs offense in the last couple of years and how RCs flow/pace scheme changed the league. Leading to less rigid play calls and more freedom for the players.
I guess the mentioned term "Read and React" is a good description. Carlisle for example likes to call an initial action and it is up to the players to make the right decisions based on the defense reaction.

Lalouie · Post #13 » by **Lalouie** » Sun Jul 5, 2020 10:45 am

every play. but as bill russell said 60yrs ago, they ran ONLY 6 plays with over 11 variations each.

it is individuals within a team concept. that's why veterans matter
it's like jazzzzz, daddy.

hippesthippo · Post #14 » by **hippesthippo** » Sun Jul 5, 2020 1:08 pm

I disagree with this idea that every team calls a set play every time down the court. That simply isn't the case anymore. The game is too fast.

Larry Brown actually used to call a play every time down the court with the Pistons. You'd see Chauncey look over at him as he methodically brought the ball up the court, then relay it to the other players with a sign. That doesn't happen these days.

Most teams these days have several default actions they can quickly get into and improvise from there. To me, that is quite a bit different than a set play.