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here's a quick thread on scram switching in the NBA
how small ball defenses like the celtics, warriors, and rockets negate mismatches in the post and make things more difficult for opposing half-court offenses
how small ball defenses like the celtics, warriors, and rockets negate mismatches in the post and make things more difficult for opposing half-court offenses
from game 1 of the sixers-celtics first-round series
with just over a minute left in the fourth quarter in a 6-point game, boston pulled out a beautiful double switch to prevent a joel embiid post-up:
with just over a minute left in the fourth quarter in a 6-point game, boston pulled out a beautiful double switch to prevent a joel embiid post-up:
they started with smart on embiid, tatum on richardson, and theis on thybulle
philly began their set with a richardson-embiid pick-and-roll that's designed to usually get a small (richardson's man) on embiid
philly began their set with a richardson-embiid pick-and-roll that's designed to usually get a small (richardson's man) on embiid
embiid took tatum down to the low post, but theis scram switched with tatum on the swing pass to the corner to get boston's biggest/best post defender back on joel with nine seconds left on the shot clock
since this came off of a made free throw with no hesitation, i think it's possible that this whole sequence was scouted - boston knew the action from philly was likely coming - and set it up to scram theis onto embiid
if that's truly the case, that's next-level chess right there
if that's truly the case, that's next-level chess right there
the celtics have been one of the best scram switching teams for a few years now
scram switching is all about timing; typically, the best time to do it is on a pass while the ball is in the air, either on a ball swing to get in position for a post entry pass...
scram switching is all about timing; typically, the best time to do it is on a pass while the ball is in the air, either on a ball swing to get in position for a post entry pass...
...or on the post entry pass itself:
the first team to use the scram switch a lot (that i remember, anyway) was the 16-17 warriors
i'm not even sure that they were coached to do it; sometimes it looked like draymond was just instructing his teammates to switch while off-the-ball - he's such an instinctive defender
i'm not even sure that they were coached to do it; sometimes it looked like draymond was just instructing his teammates to switch while off-the-ball - he's such an instinctive defender
much was made of the houston rockets' "super small ball" lineups after trading capela for covington
"how will they guard bigs?"
the answer: having special personnel (tucker, roco, harden are all incredible post defenders for their size) + scram switching
"how will they guard bigs?"
the answer: having special personnel (tucker, roco, harden are all incredible post defenders for their size) + scram switching
so much of offensive basketball is moving a defense until a mismatch is created, then attacking the mismatch
but getting a favorable switch takes time
you'll need to at least swing the ball around, set a pick or two, or penetrate to get the defense to collapse and rotate
but getting a favorable switch takes time
you'll need to at least swing the ball around, set a pick or two, or penetrate to get the defense to collapse and rotate
teams that can scram switch consistently and effectively can not only negate mismatches, but also force opponents into possessions where they're trying to create something out of nothing with limited time on the shot clock
it's a huge advantage
it's a huge advantage
thanks for reading
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