How the Magic use Terrence Ross & Evan Fournier Off Screens.
The Magic are one of the best teams in the NBA in scoring in the Off Screen play type. They use a combination of creative sets, concepts, and two elite shooters. The two main players that they utilize in coming off screens are Terrence Ross & Evan Fournier. Both players can shoot the 3 coming off the pindown as well as penetrate the defense on a curl cut. Between those two they add up to over 80% of the shots in this play type for the team.
Shooting off screens is all about building space for the shooter. The most elite guys in the NBA only need 1-2 steps to get a shot off. Through a combination of angle, set-up, or tactic the offensive player is trying to get those 1-2 step advantage for shot. The cutter must be able to read how he is being played, how the hedge defender is playing, and where the ball is to find a spot to get to space.
Like in ball screens, the screener must read the cutter and the cutters defender to determine the type of screen. If the cutter has built up a couple of steps, then the screener just needs to screen an area. If the cutter and defender are neutral then the screener must hunt the defender to help free the cutter.
Early screens
One of the ways that the Magic get points off screens is in transition. They sprint the court but Ross has great timing and plays with deception. One of the keys to being able to get the necessary space to shoot off screens is by setting it up. Davidson coach Bob Mckillop calls this “having an act”. Basketball is a deception game and Ross thrives in lulling the defender to sleep and then sprinting off the screen. Being able to go 0 mph to 100 mph is a major skill for this situation.
In this away screen, Ross gets to the wing and explodes as Bamba screens the area. Ross makes a great read on the play and when his defender cheats underneath, he stops his cut and creates space behind the screen.
Ross jogs up and explodes off his outside foot. Patty Mills is not in position to defend it initially. Reading the cut and the defender, Mo Bamba gets wide to screen the area and Ross finds just enough space to get his shot off.
Ross has a great feel for his defender relaxing or losing focus. Here the magic are in a early offense situation and when he sees #0 Russell turn his head, he sprints off a Vucevic screen. The Wolves try to switch but Ross uses his footwork to get the shot up before it can be contested.
Fournier is less explosive and dynamic than Ross. A lot of his pin downs will turn into dribble attacks like this one if he cannot get to his shot. Fournier leaves early and Vucevic stops to screen the area. This opens up the drive and attack from Fournier to get to the rim.
Here Fournier gets an early offense pin down. He waits to set it up and then changes speeds to get separation. When he reads the defender going under he stops his cut and gets back behind the screen to get a 3. Vucevic does a great job of turning his screen to get the defender.
While the Away screen is the way that Ross gets this early shot most of the times, it can also come off a simple pin down.
Elite off-screen players are great at “leaving early” before the screener is set. This is important because this can take their defender by surprise. If they wait till the screen is happening, their defender will get into the coverage and make it harder to get open. In this situation Gary Clark must read this and that forces him to stop to screen earlier.
Tight Curls & Rim Attacks
Ross does a great job of attacking space on his cuts. If he is unable to build early advantage he will tight curl to the rim. When you pair these hard cuts with bigs like Vucevic who can shoot it puts a ton of pressure on the defense.
Whether its a ballscreen or an offball screen, the screeners defender has to get back to his own matchup at some point. Putting defenders into the moment of indecision is a great way to stress the defense. Ross continues past this point, which allows him to get shots at the rim.
Building on the transition look from above, Ross comes off the stagger and although he doesn’t get it initially. He continues his cut and Augustine hits with the late pass for a layup. You can see that Olynyk knows he has to help, but also knows he has to get back.
The angle on this away screen is a great teaching point. Ross doesn’t even try to get a 3, he is just cutting hard at the rim. Augustine throws a great late bounce pass to get the layup.
A great example of going 0-100 on speed. Ross lulls his defender to sleep with his initial posture and then sprints off the screen. With no hedge and a step advantage, Ross curls it hard for the dunk.
The Magic get a ton of good looks out of their double high look. Ross waits on the wide pin down from Bamba and Bamba sets a great screen to open him up. The result is a ridiculous dunk.
Rescreen
The rescreen is a great way to punish an aggressive defense because it is hard to defend two actions in a row. Part of good offense is being able to take advantage of the defenders natural tendencies. An example of this is that if a defender beats a screen they will relax, so rescreening is a great way to get a shooter open if the initial action is defended.
Ross comes off the initial screens and when he reads that he is being guarded tight he changes speeds to come back out on the single.
The Magic like to get looks for Fournier off this flare action. However, when the defense jumps it hard, Fournier and Vucevic work to rescreen back to the ball.
Punish the Top-Lock
When you have players like Ross & Fournier coming off pindowns like the Magic do, defenses will try to take them away by using the Top-Lock. Coach Steve Clifford has put some effective counters to combat the coverage. We will look at three things they do against it.
The Nets are in a top-lock coverage against Fournier, and when Fournier reads it he forces the defender up above the screen. This allows him to sneak underneath and get the ball in the middle of the floor.
Same coverage as above, but now the Magic go at it with a stagger look. The screeners split and Ross gets under the screen for an easy paint shot.
Another way to punish the Top-Lock is to leverage the cutter as a screener. In this example Fournier cuts hard knowing that his defender is trying to keep him from cutting off the screen. Fournier uses that to help set a flare in for Vucevic. This play works well because, they set so many of these wide pin downs that its an easy counter to get to.