2017-18 RaptorsPlaybook Season Preview

Over at the Raptors Playbook YouTube channel (@RaptorsPlaybook on Twitter), I am breaking down the X’s & O’s of the Toronto Raptors. To prepare for the upcoming season, I have compiled ~30 seconds of each play broken down from the 2016-17 season. Watch the video embedded below alongside the summary written, and if any plays catches your attention and you wish to get a more in-depth breakdown, click through to that breakdown from the hyperlink provided below. Additionally, several of the plays I plan on covering during the 2017-18 season are featured briefly towards the end of the video. Lastly, remember to follow and subscribe to never miss out on a video.

Off-Ball Screens

Bench Flow

“This play allows the team’s best shooters […], to come off screens in a fluid manner which also allows for open shots.”

Read breakdown here.

Flex Series

“In most cases, teams run “Flex” because it allows for continuous ball and player movement movement while players interchange positions, eventually forcing the opposition to bend and break as a defensive unit.“

Read breakdown here.

Iverson Series + Counters

“The counters that the Toronto Raptors use out of their Iverson Series evidently stem from an Iverson cut. For the uninitiated, this is when a player, most likely DeMar DeRozan, starts out on one wing and cuts across the free throw line to the other side of the court while using two screens.”

Read breakdown here.

Elbow Side/Corner Offense

“It’s a great read-and-react set that has great versatility for their personnel. Traditionally, only big men operate at the elbows as passers in this type of set, but Casey has already tinkered with using Lowry in those spots.”

Read breakdown here.

Pick and Roll

Chin Pick & Roll

“This pet play, used with regularity by the Toronto Raptors, comes out of the Princeton offense. At its core, the play is a pick and roll with proper perimeter spacing and just enough movement to keep all off-ball defenders occupied”

Read breakdown here.

Drag Screen

“Drag screens, a pick and roll used in transition, is one of the commonly used actions in the NBA. It should be no surprise that the Toronto Raptors, a team that depends heavily on high-usage guards to penetrate and create for others, would be consistent with such a trend.”

Read breakdown here.

Ram Pick & Roll + Counters

“In its basic form, the “Ram” is a screen-the-screener that’s designed to put the player defending the primary screener at a disadvantage.“

– Blake Murphy

Read breakdown here.

Swing Fist

“The first was a Weave Pick and Roll, which the Raptors refer to as Swing Fist. […] Its simplicity is also what makes it effective, as it forces eventual on-ball defenders into trailing the pick and roll.“

Read breakdown here.

Wedge Pick & Roll + Counters

“This action forces and/or encourages a defense to switch on the guard-guard screen, only to find itself caught switching on the guard-big screen immediately thereafter. Toronto’s ball handlers relentlessly attack these mismatches.”

Read breakdown here.

Post DHO

“The big-man who is not tasked with screening the ball handler will cut across the paint sharply, carving out space in the mid post to present himself as a target for the ball handler. When timed correctly, they will quickly receive the pass and instantly transfer into a dribble handoff with the wing in the corner.”

Read breakdown here.

Horns

Horns Triple

“The wing player will proceed to use that screen to make their way to the perimeter, while also utilizing a combination of a DHO (dribble handoff) and a screen from the bigs at the elbows.”

Read breakdown here.

Horns Reverse

“The ball handler will then engage in a superfluous side pick and roll with one of the big men rolling to the rim while the other pops. The perimeter big will receive a ball reversal while the wing player, who had previously been stationed in the corner, lifts to trigger a dribble handoff (DHO).”

Read breakdown here.

Post Up

Rip Punch & Counters

“Generally, this sequence is used to isolate DeMar DeRozan’s advantageous mismatch by attacking through the post against a traditionally smaller defender who is uncomfortable defending on the low block.”

Read breakdown here.

Thumbs Up

“This isolates one post player on the left block to attack the potential mismatch. Occasionally, the Raptors have experimented with split cuts above this post up, as well as innovative (and most likely illegal) brush screens on the post player’s defender that somewhat resemble a Snug ball screen.”

Read breakdown here.

Out of Bounds

BLOB Iverson Stagger – “2”

“This play has become one my favourites for the Raptors because of how much it bends and shifts the defense. Not only does it move them side-to-side, a functional goal of all NBA offenses, but it also tugs defenders between the paint and the three-point line.”

Read breakdown here.

Zipper Pick & Roll

“Upon the completion of the entry pass, the point guard will turn into a screen set by the weak side big-man in the middle of the floor. Since the primary defender has had to recover from the zipper cut, they will likely pressure the ball handler tightly and force themselves into trailing over-the-top of the screen.”

Read breakdown here.