The impossible task of defending a Love-LeBron pick-and-roll
How do you defend a pick-and-roll involving LeBron James and Kevin Love?
The Miami Heat didn't have the answer. James and Love finished with a combined 32 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in 47 minutes, good for +31 when they shared the floor during Saturday's win over Miami.
There are only so many ways to defend a pick-and-roll. The on-ball defender can go over or under the screen, and the big can trap or sag back to defend the roll. Or, they could switch. Anything more, and help defenders would need to enter the picture.
Most times, there's a right defense to employ, dependent on the limitations of the players involved.
If a big can't shoot, it makes sense to trap and recover. If the big is a threat to roll, it makes sense to have the big sag defend the roll. Similarly, if the guard is a threat to pull-up, it makes sense to pressure, or to switch. If he likes to drive, cheat and go under the screen.
But James and Love are uniquely talented players. LeBron is a threat to both shoot and drive. Love can shoot or roll. There is no right answer.
Try trapping James, for example. James is a gifted passer, and Love can easily pop behind the three-point line for an open three pointer. Love connected on 39.9 percent of catch-and-shoot threes last season, good for an effective field goal percentage (eFG) of 57 percent. By comparison, the Heat had the best offense in the league last season with an eFG of 55.4 percent.
The play looks something like this:
The other option is to have bigs stick close to Love, but that leaves James a lane to the basket. Last season, James shot 63.1 percent on drives to the basket, easily besting an eFG of 55.4.
In the play below, Love's defender sticks close to him. However, James ignores the screen and drives to the basket, thus forcing the Heat to foul (at the 3:08 mark).
Defenses run into a similar problem if they opt for the big to sag. Taking away James' path to the basket comes again at the expense of leaving Love open to spot-up. One simple pocket pass, and Love has an open shot.
Switching is also an option, but that introduces mismatches. Love is a tremendous scorer in the post, and James has a quickness advantage against most power forwards.
One way or another, defenses will have to commit a third defender to cover their bases. Trapping LeBron and sending a third defender to defend Love's shot takes away both the drive and the shot. Similarly, staying attached to Love and rotating a player into the paint also takes away the shot and the drive.
Sending help, however, leaves players open elsewhere.
Take the first option of rotating over to Love. Help would presumably come from a wing player in the near corner, which is exactly why the Cavaliers have sharpshooters like Mike Miller and Dion Waiters waiting to capitalize. Miller sunk 46.7 percent of his tries from the right corner last season, Waiters sunk 50 percent from the left corner. Giving up an open corner three is just as deadly as one from Love.
Conversely, rotating over a big to shade LeBron's drive leaves an open big on the interior. Given James' passing ability, that leaves a big - like Anderson Varejao or Tristan Thompson - open near the basket. Anderson and Thompson shot a combined 55.4 percent in the restricted area last season.
Another help defender could conceivably rotate, but from where? Love's man is on the perimeter, James' draws two defenders and there are three-point shooters everywhere.
So what's the answer to a James-Love pick-and-roll? There is no answer.