“Corner Offense”
Term: Corner Offense
Definition: a read-and-react offense known for its high-post playmaking and off-ball split-cut action, typically initiated by passing to the big at the Elbow
Synonyms: Sacramento (or just “SAC”), C
See Also:
- Spanoulis: a backscreen+DHO combination sometimes known as “Peja” because the Kings’ Corner Offense ran it for Peja Stojakovic
- Chicago: a down screen+DHO combination that is one of many possibilities in Corner
How It Works:
Corner has three players on the strong side: the ballhandler in the wing, another perimeter player in the corner, and a skilled big at the Elbow (originally Chris Webber or Vlade Divac when Rick Adelman refined Corner as coach of the Sacramento Kings; Nikola Jokic with the Denver Nuggets, more recently).
Corner often begins with a pass to the big at the Elbow, followed by split-cut action of some sort. In the diagram above, 1 sets a down screen for 2 in the corner, which 2 curls. A core principle of split cuts is regardless of who screens for whom, one player always dives to the hoop, while the other pops out to the perimeter. In this instance, 2 curls the screen and cuts toward the hoop, so 1 reads him and pops out, either for a pass or a handoff.
Corner borrows elements from Triangle and Princeton, but it’s not as complex as either, which also means it’s quicker to learn than those two (but still longer to learn than some other NBA offenses). Corner requires playmaking bigs and smart off-ball cutters with great feel and chemistry, since it eschews set plays (and isolation) in favor of improvisation.
Alignment, Then and Now:
With three players on the strong side, the other big and guard space the floor on the weak side. Originally, the other big was stationed at the weakside Elbow, and the other guard in the weakside wing or slot:
This alignment cleared out the lane and let the big at the weakside Elbow (4) set a flare screen (sometimes a backscreen) for the weakside guard/wing to occupy the help defenders. Oftentimes, the player who set the flare/backscreen would then get a handoff:
In more recent years, the Corner Offense has adjusted by putting the other big in the weakside slot and the other guard in the far corner:
The original alignment still persists on occasion, most typically in specific set plays that require players to be in those positions, but modern practitioners of Corner—most notably, the Denver Nuggets—tend to run it from a 4-out alignment with Jokic at the Elbow. The clips used in this post, which focuses on the offense rather than the slignment, are taken to demonstrate the essential actions or sets of Corner. All of them, however, involve at big at the Elbow and the strongside corner filled, two essential principles of Corner.
Four Options: Low, High, Corner, and Swing
The four main options of Corner are determined by the initial pass and/or the ballhandler’s movement after he passes (in the case of Low and High):
- Low: pass to Elbow + down screen in corner
- High: pass to Elbow + high cross screen for weakside slot
- Corner: pass to corner + dive (the below example has the dive turn into a backscreen for the big)
- Swing: swing to far side + slice & motion strong staggered screen
Because Corner is a read-and-react offense, the exact movements after the initial pass are always different. The above diagrams are representative descriptions of the most common examples, not exact prescriptions. An exhaustive breakdown of Corner is perhaps impossible, but that is by design. Rick Adelman wanted an offense that was hard to scout/predict, according to Mike D’Antoni: “What it stemmed from is everyone does such a good job of scouting,” said D’Antoni, who borrowed from Corner to create his Elbow series for Boris Diaw in Phoenix. “So when a coach stands up and yells ‘FOUR!’ the other bench starts screaming, ‘Watch it here, he’s going to set a backdoor screen.’ Everyone knows what’s coming.”
“Low” Option: Elbow Feed + Corner Down Screen
Corner most often begins with the ballhandler feeding the Elbow, and then running split-cut action with his teammate in the strongside corner (known internally as “low”). The cutter can has four main options depending upon how his defender plays the screen: curl, reject, fade, or cut straight (possibly for a DHO/Chicago action):
The screener does the opposite of the cutter. If the cutter dives (from curling or rejecting the screen), the screener pops out to the perimeter, usually for a pass (that pass is often followed by a ballscreen, aka “throw and chase”) or a DHO:
Conversely, if the cutter accepts the screen and pops out, the screener can roll or slip the screen and dive to the basket.
If the big doesn’t feed the diver, he respaces the floor. Some teams have him curl back to his original corner, while others have him continue through the lane to the far side.
Corner Low doesn’t have to look exactly like the previous diagrams. The ballhandler can cut hard off the big’s hip for a DHO (aka “pistol action”):
The big at the Elbow also has the option to ignore the strongside corner action and turn to the weak side. The Kings in particular liked to run a down screen for Peja Stojakovic in the far corner, something that the Brooklyn Nets continue to run for Kevin Durant:
Another play the Kings ran for Stojakovic is is most commonly known as Spanoulis: a shooter on the weakside sets a backscreen and then receives a DHO. Rick Carlise, who stole this play from the Kings, called it “Peja”:
Corner Low: UCLA Entry
Many teams that run Low have the ballhandler and the player in the corner exchange roles: The corner player lifts to the wing for a pass, and the original ballhandler cuts to the corner, receiving a half-hearted UCLA screen from the Elbow big along the way. Although the entry is different, the offense ends up in Corner alignment:
Clip Examples: Corner Low
(When the player in the corner is a big instead of a guard, the down screen for him is occasionally called a “thunder screen,” especially when it’s for Anthony Davis.)
Corner Low Decoy: 45 PnR
“High” Option: Elbow Feed + High Cross Screen
The second development of Corner is for the ballhandler to feed the Elbow and then engage in split-cut action with his teammate in the weakside slot. Once again, the cutter can accept the screen, or he can reject or curl it:
You might notice a similarity between Corner High and Horns Out, in which a cross screen out of a Horns alignment puts the offense into a nearly identical version of the modern 4-out Corner alignment. When the ballhandler doesn’t (or can’t) pass to the cutter, he often feeds the Elbow for split-cut action:
Corner High: Accept + DHO:
Corner High: Accept + DHO (wing handoff entry)
“Corner” Option: Corner Feed + Dive
The confusingly named “Corner” option of the Corner offense begins with a pass to the strongside corner. The original ballhandler then makes a basket cut, which often turns into a wedge/backscreen for the big (after which he would pop out to the perimeter), or he simply clears out to the far corner:
If the point guard clears out to the far corner, the 2 guard and the 5 usually run a 2-man game, such as a corner PnR or a throw-and-get (aka “chase DHO”):
If the point guard sets the wedge/backscreen, the 5 can cut off it for a post feed or set a ram ballscreen in the corner, or the 2 can pass back to the 1, who receives a ballscreen from the 4 (in that case, the 5 might short the PnR to give 4 more room to roll and/or create a passing release valve for the ballhandler):
“Swing” Option: Ball Reversal
The fourth and (for our purposes at least) final option of the Corner Offense is known as “Swing,” in which the point guard makes what the Triangle calls a “lag pass” to the weak side slot. The initial lag pass might be followed by another pass to the far side, which often sets up the slice/stagger combination (an element from the Shuffle offense that many teams use):
Or, more simply, Swing may simply have just the initial lag pass, which might set up a staggered screen:
The Swing option of Corner is nearly identical to Horns Out when the ballhandler passes to the original cutter. For example, the diagram below of Horns Out Strong begins with a different alignment (Horns vs Corner), but the second panel of the following diagram and the previous one are almost identical:
Because Swing doesn’t ask the big to make plays with the ball from the Elbow, it’s the element of Corner borrowed most heavily by teams who lack skilled centers like Jokic. Although Corner is best known for Elbow playmaking by a big, the Utah Jazz, from their alignments, their 0.5 ball movement principles, and their off-ball screening actions, have taken seemingly every other element of Corner to fit their roster, especially Rudy Gobert.
Horns Out Chin Pin vs Corner Swing Chin Pin:
For example, the following clip is from a Horns alignment, not Corner, but after the initial cross screen, it is, once again, nearly identical to Corner Swing:
Utah’s Corner hybrid ignores the elements from Corner that don’t translate to their roster—most notably, the need for Gobert to handle the ball and make plays for his teammates—but retains those that do make sense for the Jazz, including a 4-out Elbow alignment that creates plenty of room for cutters, playmaking from players other than their point guard (albeit not the center), and off-ball screening and movement:
Second-Side Action: Throw & Chase or Empty Ram
If the initial 3-person split-cut action doesn’t provide a scoring opportunity, Corner typically flows into a 2-man game (such as the throw and chase below), with everybody else on the weakside of the floor. If the PnR can’t create an advantage, the ballhandler often passes to the top of the key:
The pass to the top of the key triggers a 45 cut from the weakside wing (3), who continues through to the weakside corner, and then 2 lifts up to the wing and receives a pass:
From here, the Corner Offense, at least has it’s practiced by the Denver Nuggets, has two main options, which are commonly seen in the San Antonio Spurs play Motion Weak. Either 4 follows his pass to set a ballscreen (“throw and chase”), or 4 face cuts and then sets a cross screen for 5, who can cut off the screen for a post-up or go set an empty Ram ballscreen (blue):
