Hardwood Highlight of the Night: Dual pick-and-roll sets Patterson up for floater
The Toronto Raptors may be forced into playing without All-Star offensive threat DeMar DeRozan, but that really hasn't slowed their offense much over the last few games.
As expected, the Raptors have opted to replace DeRozan's production in part by running more two-guard lineups, playing Greivis Vasquez and Lou Williams as de facto shooting guards alongside Kyle Lowry, or even playing them together. An extra point guard, even a high-scoring one, can't replicate DeRozan's impact, but an extra playmaker on the floor opens up some creative options in the offense.
Toronto runs a fair amount of two-guard sets even with DeRozan healthy, so head coach Dwane Casey's playbook is ready made to utilize the dual threat of multiple point men. That was evident in the second quarter against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday, with the Raptors effectively confusing the Jazz' defense with a dual pick-and-roll that opened up Patrick Patterson for an easy two.
The set begins with Williams bringing the ball up and Vasquez immediately flashing through a Tyler Hansbrough screen from the wing to the top of the 3-point line. The team can do a lot from here, but the general idea is to get the defense moving and making switch decisions early in the clock.
From there, Williams swings the ball to Vasquez and stays high, spreading the Jazz' defense north-south. Hansbrough sets a screen for Vasquez to initiate the next action, while Patterson is floating where he can pop outside the line, come set a pick, or head south to free up more space at the elbows.
Vasquez sends the ball back to Williams, and Patterson comes up to set a screen. Patterson's man now has his momentum going the wrong way if Williams comes around the pick fast, Rudy Gobert may be too far to Vasquez' side of the floor and Gordon Hayward is guarding two Raptors, one of whom is a 3-point threat.
All the confusion from multiple screens sees too many Jazz players focus on Williams, though, with the ball he does represent the biggest threat. The Raptors have a lot of time left on the clock, four defenders looking one way and almost no opposition if the ball can swing back to the weakside. Patterson has also been rendered wide open with the Jazz miscommunicating on that last screen.
The ball comes back to Patterson and two defenders scramble to recover, making them susceptible to a Patterson pump-fake and blow-by, after which Gobert is just a little slow to help.
The result here isn't even ideal for the Raptors, really. Patterson putting the ball on the floor for a floater isn't the desired outcome, and Williams and Terrence Ross were both open in the corners by the time Patterson shot with 10 seconds left on the shot clock. Still, at every action, they had multiple options, forced multiple decisions from Jazz defenders, and kept everybody - and the ball - moving. That's tough to defend.
(Courtesy: NBA, Sportsnet)