Playbook: Wake Forest vs Drake

Ok, so I know no one is happy about the way things are going for the basketball team right now, and I know it’s Saturday and I should be focusing on the football game. But I’ve wanted to do this for a while now so I’m just going to go for it. At the very least, it will give you guys a new comment section to vent your frustrations. Plus, I know many of you didn’t get to see the game as it was behind a questionable $30 pay wall. Playbook is just going to be a really quick look at a play or 2 that the Deacs or their opponents used multiple times to get open looks and score easy points. Hopefully I’ll be able to do this for most of the games.

Anyways, Drake went 15-30 from downtown yesterday, and part of the reason was because a lot of their looks were wide open shots. Wake’s inability to defend down screens was one of the causes.

This play starts with Reed Timmer (12) setting a screen for Ore Arogundade (23), who cuts across the lane. Timmer then turns around and curls off a down screen from Casey Schlatter (22) and ends up with a wide open shot, which he knocks down. This play is effective because the cutter and his man are almost like a second screen, clogging up the lane and making it difficult for the defender, in this case Wilbekin, to make it back out to his man. Timmer scored 29 points and shot 6-8 from beyond the arc, and plays similar to this one are one of the reasons why.

Here’s another similar action. Timmer screens for Graham Woodward (3), who runs off the screen and just turns around to screen for Timmer. Timmer curls off the screens from Woodward and Nick McGlynn (35) and has another wide open 3. This kind of guard screening is something you see a lot in the NBA, especially from teams like the Warriors. Drake runs the same play again later, and the Deacs are again unable to defend it.

Moore steps out on Timmer to keep him from hitting another 3, which leaves Schlatter open at the free throw line. Wilbekin stays in the lane to keep Schlatter from having an easy layup, which leaves Woodward open on the wing. I think Wilbekin should have followed Woodward out and Woods should have moved into the lane to play help defense, as he is 2 passes away from the ball — but that’s just my 2 cents as an armchair point guard (whats the basketball equivalent of an arm chair quarterback?) Woodward finished the game with 20 points and shot 5-9 from downtown.

As you can see, Drake was able to get guys open for easy looks from beyond the arc, which helped them heat up from deep. That’s it for the first installment of Playbook. Hopefully the next time around we can feature a play the Deacs ran to pick up a W.