“Change The Angle”
Term: Change The Angle
Definition: A technique in which the screener in a pick-and-roll alters the directionality of his screen right before contact is made.
Synonyms: Flip The Pick
Explanation: Pick-and-roll basketball is a sequence of continuous defensive and offensive counterpunches. Defenses match their schemes to the strengths of opposing personnel, choosing between an ice, weak, show, drop, over, under or under-two. Offenses analyze coverages thrown their way and undermine them accordingly. Against an under, for instance, an offense might re-screen to push the on-ball defender deeper into the paint and force an over on the second ball-screen.
Against an ice or weak, the most common offensive response is changing the angle of the screen. In some ways this is very similar to the re-screen, in that the screen-setter alters his directionality. But changing the angle, unlike a re-screen, is preemptive. In a re-screen, the ball-handler’s failure to capitalize on the first ball-screen precipitates an immediate and second pick-and-roll on the other side of the on-ball defender. When a screener changes the angle, he does it late in his approach but before any contact could occur.
Changing the angle benefits the offense because it opens up the floor for the ball-handler. A well-executed ice or weak funnels the ball-handler away from screening contact, using the screener’s defender to corral penetration as the on-ball defender remains forcefully attached to the ball. A screener who changes his angle, however, can loosen this connection by hitting the on-ball defender with contact and creating separation. This mimics the intention of the ball-screen in the first place.
How To Change The Angle
In most cases, a screener will initially move across the floor horizontally for a regular ball-screen or transition drag. In an effort to keep the ball pinned to a specific side, a defense typically responds by icing or weaking the action. This naturally involves the on-ball defender putting his back to the screener and making it difficult for the ball-handler to use the screen. A savvy screener will either anticipate or recognize this change the angle by quickly flipping into a step-up. With the natural momentum of the on-ball defender carrying him in one direction (given that he expects the ball-handler to cede to what the defense wants), the screener simply plants himself in that predicted path. Therefore, when the ball-handler seemingly attacks in the direction dictated by the defense, he is actually slamming his defender right into the screen.
A screener’s ability to keep an intended angle change hidden is crucial to success. Until he flips into a step-up, the man guarding the screener cannot fully commit to a side. If the on-ball defender cannot keep the ball-handler from using the screen, the screener’s defender must be there just in case. Therefore, a screener who can change the angle at the last second gives his ball-handler a greater advantage — the screener’s defender will be moving toward the ball-handler’s anticipated path to greet the him instead of being already planted and waiting. Of course, the screener must be careful not to set an illegal screen by continuing to shift near the point of the screen. Some of this responsibility, however, also falls on the ball-handler, as his patience to wait for his screening teammate’s feet to be set can help to alleviate the burden.
Here’s an example involving Steven Adams of the Oklahoma City Thunder, one of the best screener’s in the NBA. As his teammate and the ball-handler, Russell Westbrook, brings the ball up the right side of the floor in transition, Adams veers over toward Westbrook for what looks to be a potential drag. At this point in the play, Adams is intending to do just that — with Westbrook attacking middle off the ball-screen — should everything remain the same. Derrick Favors of the Utah Jazz, who is guarding Adams, is positioned closer to the middle of the floor and not in position to ice the ball-screen. Ricky Rubio, who is guarding Westbrook, is still playing things straight up instead of pushing the ball toward the sideline.
But Adams is thinking a few steps ahead here, as he’s just slightly below the horizontal axis which Rubio occupies. This is his attempt to hedge his bets: while he might not be optimally positioned to set a drag, he is making it easier on himself to set a potential step-up. He can do this because he knows that Utah likes to ice side ball-screens. In anticipation of this coverage call from Favors and Rubio subsequently forcing Westbrook to the sideline, he readies himself to change his screening angle.
When the Favors-Rubio duo finally moves into an ice coverage, Adams is well on his way to flipping into a step-up without actually showing his cards. This is an important detail because of how close it allows him to get to an unsuspecting Rubio. Fully committed to his ice, Rubio has no choice but to keep Westbrook on the sideline and follow him down toward the corner. Adams recognizes this and plants himself right in Rubio’s path.
Even more imortantly, Adams’ late angle change lengthens Favors’ shift to the sideline — he canoot abandon the middle of the floor until Rubio has successfully funneled the ball. But Rubio’s chances of funneling success are less apparent when Adams might still set a drag and spring Westbrook free toward the middle. In short, the way in which Adams changes his angle late holds Favors momentarily in place.
Although this might seem inconsequential, it ends up mattering as Westbrook moves through the point of the screen. While Adams makes solid contact with Rubio and prevents Utah from forcing a screen rejection, Westbrook has more room to step into a rhythm pull-up. Favors, who was held in place by Adams, is a few too many steps away from Westbrook to even contest. Adams’ technique, therefore, is the difference between a contested or wide open pull-up — and in this case, potentially two points.
Changing The Angle On Middle Ball-Screens
Ninety percent of the time, screen angle changes occur in reponse to defense icing or weaking pick-and-rolls. Particularly clever screeners, however, will use this last-second angle change technique against other ball-screen defense to get their defenders caught on the wrong side. Sometimes referred to as a “quick” action, this can be particularly effective against aggressive pick-and-roll defenses when the screener’s defender has to declare a side more emphatically and earlier in the play’s development.
Here’s an example involving Kristaps Porzingis of the New York Knicks, who fools Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers into committing the wrong way. As Porzingis approaches the screen, he is coming from the right side of the floor without deviating from his path. Griffin, in order to give his on-ball teammate Austin Rivers time to react to the coverage call, appears to get into a show pick-and-roll defense. This type of aggressive coverage forces Griffin to get above the screen, meaning he will only be able to defend on one side of the screen.
At the last second, Porzingis shifts from screening on Rivers’ left side to his right. Griffin, who cannot abandon his coverage call once he makes it, is caught on Rivers’ left. When the ball-handler, Tim Hardaway Jr., uses Porzingis’ screen, Rivers gets clipped and there’s no help behind him.
This complete breakdown of the Clippers’ pick-and-roll coverages gives Hardaway an easy pull-up, which he knocks down.
Sometimes changing the angle is even more subtle, with the screener using multiple body feints to trick his defender. Look at how Amir Johnson of the Philadelphia 76ers does just that below: he first sets up in a drag before beginning to shift into a step-up. Then, as Patrick Patterson of the Oklahoma City Thunder reacts, Johnson slides back into the drag. Patterson gets wrong-footed and Johnson’s teammate, Ben Simmons, has a much clearer path to the rim.
Film Study: “Change The Angle”
Below is a video compilation of various examples of NBA screeners changing the angle in ball-screen situations. Take note how how late the angle change occurs and how it impacts both the contact in the screening action and the screening defender’s positioning.
