Here is some video from Boozer with Utah. I learned so damn much about the PNR in these videos and in writing this post. There are a few VERY key things that stood out to me.
The first is where the pick is happening. In almost all of these videos of Utah, the pick is being set at free throw line depth; this KILLS the defense. Boozer in these videos accepts the pass in a spot where his quickness and agility negates rotations. Second, Boozer isn't coming to Deron to set a pick at the three point line hoping for a roll; Deron is bringing his man to Boozer to pick him off when he starts from outside the three point line. This allows Boozer to see where his man is going and adjust on the fly without worrying about setting the pick; neither Boozer's defender or help has any chance to stop him on the roll. In almost every video I have posted on Boozer, he is setting the pick for Rose out at the three point line.
The most significant upgrade Rose and Boozer can make if the play is for Boozer to get the ball on a roll is setting the pick off the ball at free throw line depth and letting Rose run his man into the picks from the three point line; you can't negate a screen when you have no clue a screen is being set. To make a football analogy, Hester runs would be tacklers into blocks at a GOAT level on kick returns. There is a problem with basketball IQ I see with Rose in this that I will get to after I show examples. Here are all the most common pick and roll scenarios:
First off, the key part to every single pick and roll where the roll man has a chance to score is a double team on the ball handler. This double team must exist for the roll man to truly get a wide open shot. A lot of times, Rose gets the double by breathing and touching the ball while Williams gets it through movement in critical areas of the floor.
Scenario 1) When you bring the pick out to the three point line, you can bait the double team on the ball handler and leave the roll man wide open for a pop without fail. Scenarios 1 and 2 are the kindergarten version of the pick and roll being super easy to set up. Here is an example of scenario 1 performed on the Bulls to perfection:
Scenario 2) When you bring the pick to the ball handler at the three point line, you could roll instead of pop (opposite of scenario 1). This is the most difficult pick and roll to execute to get the roll man a shot opportunity at the rim for a layup. This play is designed to give the ball handler a scoring opportunity; we do these for Rose to attack mostly on the Bulls. This play is not designed for the roll man to score because he has to travel the length of a three point shot to score giving the help defense all day to respond. Consequently, this is the one we run the most. In order for this to work for the roll man to score, there must be spacing. Here is an example of a successful attempt with spacing and an unsuccessful attempt without spacing from the Bulls:
Scenario 3) This scenario is when you bring the pick to the free throw line depth and let the ball handler run his man into the pick from the three point line. This is successful because the defender cannot avoid the pick. This scenario still needs spacing, but the look the roll man gets is improved from scenario 2. I have one example from Chicago where the end result was not successful, but it worked very well followed by a Utah example of this. This is the medium difficulty pick and roll play to set up in my opinion; it requires very high ball handling skill and quick decisions from the point guard. Either way, this is the pick and roll you will see most used by advanced pick and roll teams.
Scenario 4) When you bring the ball handler to the pick when BOTH start at free throw line depth. This will MURDER defenses as it frees both ball handler and roll man This pick and roll is completely unstoppable.
Scenario 5) Lastly, you can bring the pick to the ball handler when BOTH start at free throw line depth. This play requires some trickeration in order to surprise the defense, and can destroy just as much as scenario 4. In order to take advantage of his uncanny ability to draw double teams, Rose could use his post up threat inside the three point line to run highly successful pick and rolls for Boozer. Both scenarios 4 and 5 are the most difficult to set up, but Deron Williams on Utah was a MASTER of setting them up. scenarios 4 and 5 are the Olympics version of the pick and roll.
In all of the videos I watch on the Bulls, Boozer gets MUCH better looks at the rim when the ball is brought to the pick as opposed to the pick to the ball. If you are going to bring the pick to the ball hoping for a roll, both the pick and roll partners must start inside the three point line for the best looks.
Now I get to where Rose and Thibs need work. When Rose calls for scenario 2 with Boozer, he is technically calling for either a pick and pop or a scoring opportunity for himself. The problem is, no team cares if Boozer shoots jump shots and will mega blitz Rose over and over. Instead of continuing to call this broken PNR where the only option is a wide open pop, rose needs to set Boozer close to the basket for picks in order to make both of them more dangerous. The closer the pick and roll is to the basket, the easier the roll gets. The closer to the three point line the pick and roll is, the easier the pop gets.
We don't run pick and rolls very often for Boozer to even be successful with; we are ham stringing him and forcing him into a pick and pop game by bringing the pick to the outside. The Bulls team is making spacing a problem because only scenario 2 relies on spacing from the center position in the success or failure of the pick and roll. Boozer is fine out there, we need Thibs and Rose to set picks closer to the basket for our pick and roll to work for Boozer scoring.
Finally, a timid rose running scenarios 1 and 2 is not going to work ever if he wants anything other than a pop jump shot. He can only be a passive passer like he wants to be if the pick and roll is run at free throw line depth where the roll man becomes as dangerous as Rose can be. Trying to get a roll on scenario 2 is kind of stupid to be honest. It's almost as bad as calling for a clear out isolation looking to pass without attacking first.
So basically if they bring the ball to the pick, instead of bringing the pick to the ball, and run the PnR from the free throw line, instead of the 3 point line, then they all of sudden have a devastating play.
