Howl It Happened: Screening Success Against Atlanta
Dissecting how the Timberwolves opened up Atlanta's defense with a newfound
From the very first possession against the Atlanta Hawks, there was a tangible difference in Minnesota’s offense. Instead of the same free-flowing motion offense that has been a consistent slab of cement drying around their ankles and keeping them as a bottom-10 offense in the wake of Karl-Anthony Towns’ long and seemingly never-ending absence, the Wolves were actively seeking more structured play with the ball in their hands.
We won’t know right now whether this was a real change that was implemented over the numerous two-day breaks — allowing them to get some legitimate practice time in — since coming back from the All-Star break or whether it was just a dagger forged specifically for the heart of the Hawks, but it worked. The Wolves scored 126.9 points per 100 possessions on Monday evening, their 12th highest offensive rating of the season. It worked, and that’s a warm sea change from the mountain of things that haven’t worked for the Wolves’ offense this season.
Even Chris Finch and his playground-esque offensive randomness offensive philosophy will come out of the gates with a specific play call in the chamber, but throughout the season it has been always cut from the same cloth. There will be a player on the elbow, a bunch of movement from the wings, and a dribble handoff or two involved. There was always structure bubbling within the chaos, but it was never steeped in rigidity. Players moved, the ball moved, and the results invariably varied.
In their latest win, however, the plan was more unyielding. This was a set play through and through — something completely new to crack open a game.
After swiping up the opening tip, Mike Conley swings the ball to Kyle Anderson before plunging into the paint to join Rudy Gobert in setting ‘Elevator’ screens for Anthony Edwards. Just like elevator doors, the two former Utah Jazz stalwarts set side-by-side screens that allow a small gap in-between for Edwards to theoretically squeeze through. Immediately, DeAndre Hunter tries to cheat his way through those elevator doors and Edwards is able to massage him into the crushing wall that is Gobert, rejecting the screens and springing free for an open look.
The shot clanks. That result wasn’t a setback, though, it was a sign of intent from Finch and his players. Perhaps, optimistically, an admission that more organization within the randomness will lead to better results. No team will run set plays for an entire game, it’s not feasible and it’s not smart even if it was, but the Wolves have erred on the side of volatile fluidity a little too much this season.
Minnesota still had plans to bury Trae Young under an avalanche of pressure from whoever he was guarding and they still want to find easy buckets in transition. Throw in a steady dose of pick-and-rolls with Gobert in mind and their usual helping of Edwards isolation forays and it’s easy for intricate play-calling to be minimized. But there are a lot of possessions in a game of basketball and this was the first game of the season where the Wolves seemed determined to use those bogged-down halfcourt possessions as a chance to pummel their opposition with off-ball screening actions.
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