It would behoove the Golden State Warriors to use D’Angelo Russell in a spot-up shooter role next season to open up the floor for the rest of the team
There is a prevailing notion in society that a person can’t accomplish a goal without having a plan. Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is about to realize this next season as he told Monte Poole of The Warriors Insider Podcast in July that the team was going to run more pick and roll with the addition of D’Angelo Russell:
"“I’m anxious to get started with him and see how he’s going to play with Steph,” Kerr said. “We’ll probably run more pick-and-roll than we have in the past, given our change in personnel. But, I’m really excited to have him on board and can’t wait to coach him.”"
At first glance, his goal to run more pick and roll seems like a good idea as D’Angelo ranked fifth in points scored out of the pick and roll last season as he averaged 10.1 points per game on 11.4 possessions. The pick and roll accounted for 47.87 percent of his total points as he averaged 21.1 per game.
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Unfortunately, Golden State Warriors GM Bob Myers didn’t assemble the right roster that would allow Steve Kerr to put a proper plan in place to accomplish his goal. To increase the chances of running a successful pick and roll, Steve would need to put multiple shooters alongside D’Angelo Russell.
Having multiple shooters on the floor during a pick and roll lessens the likelihood of a double team and preserves floor spacing because teams are worried about surrendering an open 3.
One example of this was in the first game of Brooklyn Nets‘ playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers when head coach Kenny Atkinson started two above-average shooters (over 35.6 percent) alongside D’Angelo in Joe Harris ( 42.7 percent) and DeMarre Carroll ( 36 percent). Atkinson’s decision paid off right away as Russell rejected a screen from Jarrett Allen, a 1:18 seconds into the game to begin driving towards the basket.
A couple of steps into the drive, D’Angelo Russell saw that Ben Simmons left his defensive assignment, Joe Harris open to paid attention to the basketball. Consequently, D’Angelo passed the ball to Joe, who made the wide-open 3.
Sadly, the Golden State Warriors will only have one above-average shooter on the roster to start the season in Stephen Curry ( 43.6 percent). The lack of shooting gives opposing teams multiple options when developing a defensive game plan for the Warriors. Opposing teams can put three players in the paint and the other two players on Steph, forcing D’Angelo to choose between two less than ideal options kicking it out to the perimeter for an open 3 or take a shot.
If he kicks it out, it’ll be a low percentage shot for the organization because mostly non-shooters surround him. Throughout the season, he’ll realize this problem and be more hesitant to pass the ball. As a consequence, D’Angelo will begin to take more heavily contested shots.
On the other hand, opposing teams can choose to put one defender on D’Angelo Russell because he has difficulty getting away from defenders. One example of D’Angelo’s inability to get separation was when he managed to isolate former Minnesota Timberwolves forward Taj Gibson last season. Russell started the isolation with a couple in between the leg dribble moves as he tried to get Taj off balance. After a few seconds, he decided to go to the left to start his drive towards the basket.
Unfortunately, the dribble moves did not affect Taj, meaning he was in a position to defend D’Angelo’s drive to the basket. As Russell drove left to the basket, Gibson would move his feet to the right to keep his chest in front D’Angelo’s body. This sequence continued until Russell took a heavily contested floater that would end up missing.
The inability to get separation was in part due to D’Angelo’s lack of speed as his average speed over the past four seasons has been 4.65 miles per hour. The 4.65 miles per hour has put him where between the 3rd and 14th fastest player on his team over a four-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers and Nets.
When Steve Kerr realizes that the pick and roll are ineffective, he will revert to the Warriors previous offense. Steve Kerr likes to run a version of the triangle offense where the guards are in constant motion. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson have come off a screen 3.95 and 6.5 times per game respectively over the last four seasons.
Not only that but Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson have cut to the basket 1.22 and 1.62 times per game respectively over the last four seasons. Unfortunately, D’Angelo isn’t accustomed to being in constant motion as he came off a screen 0.8 times per game and cut to the basket 0.4 times per game during this span.
Therefore, D’Angelo would get winded much quicker if he were asked to continually be on the move because he won’t be used to the role. Consequently, Steve Kerr should use D’Angelo as a spot-up shooter because he has a career shooting percentage of 37.2 percent on catch and shoot 3’s.
The spot-up shooter role would open up the floor for Golden State as opponents would’ve to guard Draymond Green because he becomes the primary ball-handler. Consequently, Alfonzo McKinnie will be the only player in the starting lineup who can be left open due to his slightly below average 3-point percentage ( 35.4 percent).
Therefore, the opposing team can only use one player as a help defender on D’Angelo Russell or Stephen Curry instead of two or three players.