“Roll/Replace”
Term: Roll/Replace
Definition: A pick-and-roll action in which the screener rolls from the perimeter to the paint while a second off-ball player moves from the paint to the perimeter.
Synonyms: N/A
Explanation: Playing with two bigs requires intelligent spacing. In earlier eras of basketball, this meant planting one big on the block with the ball and the other big in the opposite dunker spot. If the posting up player made a move toward the middle, his teammate slid along the baseline; if the post move went baseline, the other big circled up toward the outline of the restricted area.
As pick-and-roll basketball took over the NBA, planting the non-involved big in the dunker spot became untenable. If the ball-handler sliced down one side of the lane while the roller followed suit on the other, this third player — the second big —would get in the way. Unable to roam the paint or dunker spots, the logical solution meant relocating him farther up the floor.
In practice, this resulted in an action known as “roll/replace,” a 1–5 pick-and-roll in which the 5 rolls to the rim while the 4, who starts below the free-throw line (ideally in one of the dunker spots), replaces him at the top of the key.
The beauty of this action is its simplicity. One paint-to-perimeter movement solves the two-big spacing dynamic, gives the ball-handler an extra option, and exacts a great deal of pressure on x4 (the 4’s defender) by making him choose between the 4 and the 5. As long as the 4 replaces to his shooting range, x4 cannot abandon his man to stick with the 5.
Conceptually, the roll/replace mirrors the shake in that it is designed to stress the tagger. The main difference, however, is that the roll/replace is a north-south movement, whereas the shake follows the arc of the three-point line. Furthermore, the roll/replace is usually a play drawn up by coaches, whereas the shake is a natural response to every pick-and-roll.
Of course, two-big basketball has largely disappeared. While today’s starting power forwards and centers might have the same size as their older counterparts, it is rare to find a modern pairing composed of two non-shooters. Therefore, the need to manufacture spacing is not nearly as relevant. Still, the roll/replace action is as useful as ever. In today’s game, teams frequently swap out their 4s for guards and wings, whose replace to the three-point line can cause great panic. An even more devastating evolution has been the back-screen pick-and-roll, in which the replacer back-screens x5 before heading to the perimeter. This added elements brings further chaos to an already compromised defense.
How To Roll/Replace
A proper roll/replace requires three things:
- Deep corner spacing.
- Replacing opposite the ball and outside the roller.
- Replacing later rather than earlier.
When the 4 replaces to the top of the key, he can be wide open if the tagger, x4, chooses to stick with the rolling 5. A good defense will help out x4 with a stunt, hoping to buy time for his recovery by momentarily guarding the 4. This is less effective, however, if the other offensive players are not optimally spaced to the deep corners. Every inch they creep out of the corner is an inch taken off the length of a stunt. What should be a stunt of an impossible distance could be, by virtue of suboptimal corner spacing, within the realm of possibility.
The path of the replace is another crucial element. At all times, teams strive to have their low big (typically residing in the dunker spot) opposite the ball. This gives the ball-handler more room to operate, as the dunker spot player’s defender cannot step up into the path of the ball-handler without leaving his man open.
In roll/replace pick-and-roll, this same principle applies. If a ball-screen is set to the ball-handler’s right, the replacer must replace on the left side of the floor. Although he is still circling toward the top of the key, this will prevent him from running into the downhill ball-handler.
Staying opposite the ball, however, is not enough. The replacer must also stay outside of the roller’s path, because otherwise he is dragging both himself and his defender right into the chaos of the pick-and-roll — and into the potential window for a pocket pass. Getting too wide, however, has its own set of problems: not only can this lengthen a potential pass from the ball-handler to the replacer, but it does not directly confront x4 with the tagging decision. If he stays tight to but outside of the roller, the replacer can run x4 right into the the rolling 5.
Finally, the timing of the replace can be icing on the cake. The best tags are higher up the floor, because this more easily allows for a quick closeout to the three-point line. Given that a replace starts close to the baseline, a savvy replacer who waits a beat can create a lower tag. Every moment that he waits on his replace allows for the roll to get deeper, and therefore delays tagging confrontation. Of course, he can’t wait too long — he wants to get out to the three-point and be an option for his ball-handler.
Here’s an example that combines all of these elements. As Milos Teodosic and Willie Reed of the Los Angeles Clippers run a middle pick-and-roll, Sam Dekker, in the left dunker spot, readies to replace. Notice how Dekker’s path (as outlined by the green arrow) is both opposite the ball-handler, Teodosic, and outside of the rolling Reed. This forces his man, Rudy Gay (x4), to become the tagger. But Gay is dealing with two competing interests: while Reed rumbles south to the rim, his man, Dekker, is sprinting north to the three-point line. These directionally opposite cuts stretch Gay’s two responsibilities as far from each other as possible.
As the play develops, Gay is forced into a decision. Does he tag Reed with force and momentarily leave Dekker or does he follow Dekker to the three-point line and ignore the tag? Pau Gasol, Reed’s original man, is stuck containing the ball. Gay, therefore, has no help. He is further inconvenienced by Juwan Evans, who is properly spaced to the corner. This pushes Bryn Forbes, his man, closer to the baseline, lengthening his potential stunt to Dekker on the kickout.
This freeze frame also shows the real value of keeping a replace path tight to the roller. Instead of approaching Reed somewhat from the side, Gay hits him straight on. While this allows him to tag Reed with some physicality, it also naturally pins him, as if he’s being hit with a middle pindown. This completely frees Dekker on the perimeter. If Dekker had followed a wider route, Gay would have been able to hit Reed from the side without getting trapped underneath. Furthermore, notice how Dekker waits before replacing. This makes Gay’s tag pretty deep in the paint, which creates further separation from Dekker and Gay when Dekker completes his replace.
Caught in a difficult position, Gay releases his tag too quickly. Teodosic finds Reed, and the result is an easy dunk.
Roll/Replace Evolution Part I
The foundation of any roll/replace action is the vertical stretching of the tagger. Although it was initially developed to properly space bigs in the pick-and-roll, teams have zeroed in on this manufactured tension by taking it to its logical extreme — making the replacer a dangerous shooter.
On many teams, the 4 can fulfill this role admirably. But there is no reason why it can’t be a 1, 2 or 3 as well — which, by the way, makes the tagger a smaller player and in a more difficult position to stop a rolling big.
Here’s an example of this involving the Philadelphia 76ers, who dress up a roll/replace action by having J.J. Redick, the replacer, initially peel off his teammate and the screener, Joel Embiid, toward the baseline. As the play unfolds, we can actually see Embiid slow down on his roll to physically set a middle pindown on Devin Robinson of the Washington Wizards, who is guarding Redick. This little action tricks Robinson into thinking that this is the focus of the play, and he completely abandons his tag to lock in on Redick. This means that Embiid is wide open for a drop-off pass from the ball-handler, Ben Simmons.
This is the power of involving a great shooter in the roll/replace. In the earlier example, Gay had to choose between an open Dekker three-point shot and a rolling Reed. But this isn’t a completely 50/50 decision: Dekker isn’t a great marksman, so it makes sense that Gay initially prioritized Reed. Robinson, however, wasn’t afforded the same luxury. If he abandoned Redick, he was giving one of the league’s best shooters a lot of daylight. If he left Embiid, he could potentially allow a dunk.
Roll/Replace Evolution Part II (Back-Screen Pick-and-Roll)
The latest evolution in the roll/replace series has been the increasingly popular back-screen pick-and-roll. In this action, the replacer back-screens the dropping big who is mirroring the ball in the initial ball-screen. Not only can this free the ball-handler for a layup, but it adds further confusion and tension to this already difficult defensive process. The jumble of bodies can make it unclear as to who’s tagging, who’s taking the roller, and who’s taking the ball. Amidst this chaos, an offensive player usually pops free. Here, we can see Rodney Hood of the Utah Jazz finds an open three-point shot.
This idea of exerting pressure on the pick-and-roll tagger is common to many NBA actions. Many of the league’s most successful plays rely on this concept of attacking the structural weakness of a defense. Although the roll/replace is basic in execution, it presents a consistently uncomfortable defensive problem.
Film Study: “Roll/Replace”
Below is a video compilation of various examples of NBA offense running roll/replace actions. Pay particular attention to the decisions of the taggers, and how the width, angle and timing of the replace impacts defensive decision-making. Also take note of how the roll/replace is integrated into a variety of sets. Although teams may dress it up differently, they’re ultimately reyling on the same skeleton action.
