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Warriors film analysis: How the Dubs use creativity to solve a classic Andrew Wiggins problem
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Warriors film analysis: How the Dubs use creativity to solve a classic Andrew Wiggins problem

There have been many nights where the Golden State Warriors called to press the rim and attack the paint. For a team that doesn’t rely on traditional or conventional sources of rim pressure – the unconventional method is the outside-in approach, powered by the likes of Steph Curry and Buddy Hield (and Klay Thompson in previous years) – finding creative ways to solving a deficit problem (i.e. generating rim pressure) while staying true to their overarching offensive principles has always been their modus operandi.

This creativity in attack can take many forms: a certain formation, certain movements, certain personnel, certain screen types, etc. Typically, the Warriors, with their offensive movements, have preferred to spread the floor and “invert”, with their big top handling the ball instead of parking themselves in the low post and/or the paint. That requires their big players to be adept at making decisions with the ball, knowing how to deliver the ball properly and knowing what to do once they have given up the ball.

It also places certain demands on the four other players on the floor: knowing what to do if and when the ball comes their way, reading the defense and making decisions based on what defenders decide to do, and – perhaps the most important – the ability to pressure the edge and make split-second decisions as defenders crash their way. For obvious reasons, Curry is the poster boy for all of the above, especially when he comes off one or more screens. But while he can touch the paint and draw defenders on his runs, he is somewhat limited by his lack of length and micro-decrease in speed and burst.

If it wasn’t Curry, it was mainly other motion shooters like Buddy Hield, De’Anthony Melton (before being ruled out for the season due to ACL surgery), Lindy Waters III, Moses Moody and to a lesser extent Brandin Podziemski who are the receivers of off-ball screens in inverted floor formations. But curiously – albeit not to the same extent or volume as the aforementioned players – Andrew Wiggins has also been getting some of these reps.

Across all these iterations, a common theme has emerged, perhaps born from a need to simplify on-the-go decision making for a player not exactly known for making advanced reads and high-difficulty deliveries. Note this possession during the first regular season game of the season against the Portland Trail Blazers, with the Warriors off their ‘Delay’ play (an inverted floor layout with 5 outs and their play call being ‘Open’). Curry drives to the corner to set up an away screen for Wiggins, followed by Wiggins receiving the ball on a handoff and driving downhill (the so-called “Chicago” or “Zoom” action):

While the most advanced and best-of-the-best when it comes to pick-and-roll passing anticipate the help coming from their “blind” side (or the side of the floor they dribble away from), such as illustrated by this pass from Luka Dončić to Klay Thompson in the weak corner once Moses Moody (the low man) commits to squeezing in early:

Wiggins made the pass in the first clip to where he could immediately see where the help came from:

That pattern — along with another commonality — continues on several other Wiggins possessions in adjacent pick-and-roll and pick-and-roll plays, where he comes off a screen with the ball in his hands and a defender in his immediate vicinity. field of vision, and passes it on to the open man:

The open man in each example above happened to be Draymond Green, a common target in opposing scouting reports. There won’t be any changes to how Green is guarded at the perimeter for the foreseeable future, despite shooting 43% on 3.5 attempts from beyond the arc. Perhaps it’s no coincidence that Green is the target for most of Wiggins’ assists. Given that Green’s defender is expected to leave him alone to assist on drives, the Warriors have purposefully made sure Wiggins finds Green on most of his drives to simplify his actions. processing en route.

By giving Wiggins his fair share of touches and decision-making responsibilities, he can perform better on offense and be used equally well as a defender – which was certainly the case against the Atlanta Hawks. Games like the one below have been common for him, a return to his championship-winning form in 2022…

… and partly caused by a greater confidence in the attacking role after a season of instability, even if Wiggins does not record a remarkable points average (16.2). However, he is posting decent shooting percentages (52.2% on twos, 39.3% on threes, 72.3% on free throws, 58.2% True Shooting), boosted by his 27-point performance against the Hawks. Steve Kerr finds ways for Wiggins to be engaged and involved, and Wiggins has rewarded him with dynamic two-way play.

On the inverted floor setups outside of the “Delay” action, Wiggins gets a chance to pressure the edge with another transfer action in front of him – this time with an empty corner. He receives the dribble handoff from Trayce Jackson-Davis and waits for Clint Capela to commit to his descent before feeding Jackson-Davis into the roll:

These “Zoom” plays are a creative solution to a simple problem (i.e. Wiggins’ shaky handle that prevents him from being a reliable, linear isolation attacker). It bypasses the need for him to pound the ball, slow down possession in the half court and face a set defense that doesn’t have to move or scramble:

Because Wiggins can score consistently in the above manner, he will receive more attention from defenses, especially as a pick-and-roll ballhandler. While it’s usually Curry who gets the majority of reps for ‘Angle’ pick-and-roll possessions (simply because they’re positioned at an angle in the slot or wing area), Wiggins gets more of them called for him. With Kyle Anderson in the corner and Lindy Waters III on the wing in the possession below, Wiggins dances to the rhythm of Jackson-Davis’ constant screening and re-screening. Anderson moves to the other side of the floor to make room for Waters’ sink towards the corner. As the next defender, Bogdan Bogdanović is attracted by Wiggins’ drive, a maneuver well within Wiggins’ direct line of sight. Therefore, the reading he makes is simple and clear:

Having a big man partner to act as a screener, re-screener and transfer hub circumvents Wiggins’ shortcomings and transforms him into a round peg for the round hole that is the Warriors’ offense, elevating parts of his game level that would otherwise remain buried and latent:

“Latent” is an appropriate term for Wiggins’ recent seasons, no doubt caused in large part by family issues off the field, something that has been woefully underrated as a reason for his struggles on the field. But he has entered this season with seemingly renewed purpose and vigor, fully engaged and committed to the mission before him. The last time that happened, the Warriors won a championship, with Wiggins making a solid case to be the second-best player in their playoff run. While his start to this season isn’t a cast-iron guarantee that history will repeat itself, it certainly doesn’t detract from the chances that it is indeed déjà vu.