How OKC is modernizing the pick-and-roll

Mike De La Rosa looks at OKC's unique and creative steps to take the pick-and-roll game into the future, from inverting screens, to changing angles, adding speed, and playing with the positioning of big men and guards.
Support at Patreon: / thinkingbasketball
Book: www.amazon.com/Thinking-Baske...
Podcast: player.fm/series/thinking-bas... or at www.stitcher.com/podcast/ben-...
Website: www.backpicks.com
Twitter: @elgee35
Ben Taylor is the author of Thinking Basketball, a Nylon Calculus contributor, creator of the Backpicks Top 40 series & host of the Thinking Basketball podcast.
Stats courtesy:
www.pbpstats.com @bballport
www.basketball-reference.com
stats.nba.com
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Footage in this video is owned by the NBA and its partners. It is intended for critique and education.
Music by hair (fairlight)
#ThinkingBasketball

[@MDLR]

Also think Chet Holmgren should be able to seamlessly fit into this structure. If he can reliably hit the 3 ball, Thunder will be cooking with gas. He also gives them an extra vertical spacing option for lobs

[@QuaiChandler-nn5du]

He is already an underrated cutter too. Can't wait to see SGA screen for him and for the defense to choose between a bunch of bad decisions.

[@alandpost]

I just hope he doesn't jump too much. Gotta preserve the knees and feet.

[@KorEditing]

chet is gonna bust man calling it now

[@ryantristani5091]

@@KorEditingAyo? 🤨

[@thparadox21]

Chet can point guard this too. Great passer

[@hahayoungster4629]

"this defender" *me laughing cuz I'm realizing it's freaking KWAHI LEONARD

[@sstavo_]

Shoutout to coach Mark Daignealt for always experimenting with offense but prioritizing defense first he’s an amazing coach maybe the best Okc has had so far and he works with his players and pushes all of them to not be one dimensional players glad he’s coaching these young guys

[@aoldatabase548]

where else has he coached?

[@sstavo_]

@@aoldatabase548 only okc gleauge and now the main team and before that only assistant to college teams

[@aoldatabase548]

@@sstavo_ cool thanks for letting me kn0w!

[@obnoxiouslakerfan]

I'm still recovering from how amazing the Ginobili videos and then Mike drops this banger... this channel is on another level

[@SenorAzazel]

Yo this young squad is going to be scary good, they've got a PG in Shai who can get you 31pts on any given night/then add Giddey someone who can get their own 16+ pts with 8 trb an 6ast... Oh also let me not forget they got a lethal big man in Chet who in of it's self is a cheat code this team is going to be lovely to watch.

[@joshs6535]

Not to mention JDub the future all star. (Bonus: Lu Dort, the Dorture Chamber)

[@bender4183]

Chet’s spacing will be a blessing for this team given there style. Great fit for him.

[@kubaszymkowiak]

​@@bender4183Chet vs. Wemby is going to be a great rivalry. Shame that they don't play in the same division as we should get as much of it as possible.

[@lukejustus4337]

@@kubaszymkowiakwe’ve got them in the in season tournament tho

[@shade_steppa]

@@joshs6535 Everytime I see OKC practices, JDubb is torching everybody. Defensive clamps potential too. He's an all-star in the making I see it

[@chesscomposer_]

Great work, Mike! Would love to see you do more videos!

[@badger297]

I like that Ben is letting other people shine. I've grown quite accustomed to Ben's breakdowns, but I liked this too. If you're ever on here again, tryst yourself. I can almost hear the nervousness in your voice. You got this homie. You did great 👍

[@ziggle5000]

It's exciting how many young teams there are that are able to competently implement offensive concepts. Stuff like this shows how much the average game knowledge of players entering the league has improved imo. And obviously probably coaching improvements at all levels of basketball as well. Futures bright for the league.

[@augustosarmentodeoliveira3023]

for sure

[@KermRiv]

Definitely the most interesting part of any sport to me. It's an evolution that we can actually watch in our lifetimes.

[@orhanmadiassani]

That team just shows how versatile young and upcoming players are as well as the shift in the nba from the 5 positions games to a center + 2 backcourt and 2 frontcourt versatile players.

[@bender4183]

This video was great, I love the analysis But personally, I prefer Ben’s delivery of information more. He can make basketball Xs and Os feel even more exiting with his audible excitement and the great combination of his visual/audio flair. Hopefully Mike can find his own style in those departments and thrive like Ben has, I can tell he has the bball IQ to do so. With that said, I appreciate anything that will help get us more quality thinking basketball content and would watch as many of these videos as possible.

[@garrettwill1220]

100% agree analysis was good. This guy could be good he just needs to work on his presentation.

[@vishred]

Idk I actually really liked his delivery.

[@bender4183]

@@vishred I didn’t hate it, it just felt more like a normal KZbinr to me than Ben’s brilliance If you think it’s on Ben’s level, could you explain why? I would like to know to appreciate him more

[@MrSyco07]

​@@bender4183 Ben has a lot more experience with his instrument which allows his personality to come through more. This creates a warm and genuine engagement, even when he's working through a less interesting bridging section from point to point. He's excellent at portraying his passion and excitement, which has the effect of making him feel likable and authoritative. Mike's voice has slightly less character than Ben's but it's not fatal. He should work on smiling when he really likes the content he's talking about, but not all the time. This will help build some dynamism into the presentation. I always tell people doing voiceovers to pretend they are reading a child a book. You naturally try to capture the child's attention with dramatic pausing and emphasis, different modes of voice (high and low, loud and soft, etc), connection to the content and facial/hand expressions. Then pull it back a little for an adult audience so it doesn't feel like a pantomime, but still fun to listen to. I record voiceovers and train presenters for a living.

[@TimSasago]

@@vishred same, there is absolutely nothing wrong with just explaining it clearly and straight up like this. the "enthusiasm" can be found in the clarity and the content itself. people are just infected by a belief that all "content" has to be "entertaining"

[@Masoch1st]

good job mike. okc is definitely one of my favorite up n coming teams and i'm thrilled to have a new budding superstar coming out of NA. This team has all the talent and draft capital in the world. Sky is the limit.

[@russp1212]

Man that play at 4:45 is fascinating to watch. Seems like OKC always gives the ballhandler 2-3 options per play, up to them to make the right read though. Also noticed that the ballhandler for any play seems to prey on hesitation - if the helpside defender hesitates for even a second, OKC takes advantage of that. Insanely well-coached, insanely talented, they will win a chip one day

[@trumpies]

Much respect on OKC head coach, he is a great offensive coach getting these young guys to buy in and involved like this.

[@kramsemaj7869]

Make that half a second or quarter second, 1 second is like an eternity and these guys are attacking on a very slight head turn of the defender.

[@mxtpo]

Go Mike do your thing we all ears

[@liekegerritsen1620]

OKC did such a good job of targeting multiple ball handlers in the previous drafts. Perhaps an open door but if they can shoot at least league average from 3 (they were 17th last year, Shai, Giddey and Dort were below average) there should be a ton of space for the ball handlers to operate.

[@dz_ssbm]

mike's content is great. give us more plz 🙌

[@atomsk1972]

I like Mike and I like Ben. This analysis was great - clear and understandable. It amazes me how quickly the whole team can adjust to a defender glancing one way and providing that split second of exploitation.

[@Bula-Bula]

Great video! More Mike, please!

[@derekshin9284]

Thank you for such an awesome video! Highlighting multiple details in the same play by rolling it back and re-watching it was super helpful!

[@subete71studio]

Both yall are awesome!! Loved the past work, looking forward to the future content, and really appreciate the effort of presentation and information.

[@cfbaddict7284]

Thanks Mike! Great insight, would definitely love to hear more of his thoughts. I love guard-guard screens and wish more teams used them, but that was more because of short roll play making, I never thought of the increased pace in the half court offense. I also never realized what starting a shooter in the paint and having him relocate did to weak side help and that feels really eye opening for me. Your videos always help me appreciate the intricacies of the game more, thank you!

[@L1tgawd]

I like Mike's analysis.

[@EduardoOliveira-lq2tg]

Great video as always! Good to see more people of the team doing the videos, gives me hope that we gonna have more content, Win win!

[@GOATiology]

This was great! Thanks for sharing! I’m already a fan of Mike. Great debut.

[@bro_1337]

Mike did a great job, thanks for the video. This is my favorite basketball channel to watch too. Looking forward to more videos.

[@TheNamesDitto]

Been doing this for years in 2k and I'm happy it's finally getting some light on this channel

[@BigBoyDanny123]

This was super insightful. Loved it and hope for more

[@Natethegreat4]

It’s always cool to see modern NBA offenses and how they’ve evolved from the common NBA offenses of the past. Makes me confused on why they say defense in todays era is non existent. It’s hard to guard these offenses in this era. Just have to pick your poison. Thanks for the breakdown.

[@ozymandias2630]

Cause old heads don't actually watch modern basketball

[@stopitsims2519]

Mike did such a good job!! More of him please

[@nightshifthoops]

Mike did an awesome job looking forward to seeing more of his analysis and perspective in the future

[@joshelliott6873]

I’m interested in more of these… loved the analysis of how they mesh their innovative play style with unique personnel. Really got me excited about what the young team could turn into if they are able to keep this group together and implement Chet well

[@dysxxvii]

Amazing content, more Mike and more OKC content please!

[@H2Mass1]

How Thinking Basketball is modernizing Monday mornings after a week of bad seafood and the tumultuous turds that come with it

[@SsjRedneck]

😂😂 great comment my guy

[@MIILKEYS]

Not tumultuous turds 😢

[@AssessTheThreat]

nothing like watching this on the shitter 🫡🫡

[@wyattfriend7360]

@@SsjRedneckjust an excellent comment

[@rippybuckets]

Facts

[@bornballin3404]

Yes! More please! This was great! Their offense is going to be the start of positionless basketball fr

[@osamaounallahkhamis2077]

Amazing breakdown. Would love more of this

[@Sparkz0032]

This warms my soul...Shit is beautiful to watch and the way you explained it was perfect.

[@farronevans7850]

Yes Please - Awesome insight about the adjustments with the adjustments as well.

[@Podsedneck]

Absolutely, more Mike. Awesome video

[@partysnax1984]

I thought this was refreshing! It took me a second to realize I wasn’t listening to Ben, and then I listened closer and he had some really good basketball analysis. Great video, I’ll be looking forward to more!

[@user-pz7kv2rg4f]

Great analysis Mike! Excited to see more from you

[@davidevans8523]

Loved Mike! Great work

[@mikaanuba659]

Definitely interested to see more vids like this!

[@lefteristassis7155]

This is brilliant guys, thank you so much, keep it up!!!

[@matheusbarbalho5760]

Really nice video. Good pace and quality 🎉🎉

[@yayamoygeneral]

Nice analysis Mike, keep it up, enjoyed ur delivery and the topic u chose, super interesting to listen and u provided perfect footage to get ur point across, go do more videos bro!!

[@JahalaAndala]

Great video, as always. Keep grinding 🤙🏾🤙🏾

[@MsJohnks]

Amazing work. Please give us more videos like this

[@goldeninja]

Ben sounds a little different 😂

[@Grievous_]

Cuz it ain’t him, check the description

[@goldeninja]

@@Grievous_ it's a joke 🤣

[@zerocal76]

​@@Grievous_it was a yolk bro

[@CHP.Spinna]

I was thinking who tf is this guy

[@loulyn3]

Awesome analysis, love learning these detailed strategies

[@tdhharris]

Great analysis - thanks for this

[@auds6764]

Great work Mike!!

[@yourRockinwithth]

That was awesome pleaseeee more❤❤❤❤❤.. You are fans and defense and even off while plays

[@MFEChaudronnerie]

Yes we want more of that type of content 😊

[@cameronno6039]

I REALLY wish moving screens were still a thing. Offenses had way too much control. I'm very interested in more content like this though. This is a greatly informative/ entertaining channel.

[@shorewall]

Call moving screens and crack down on flopping for a start. Allow defenders to at least have their arms up or out, not having to worry about rip throughs and such. And then think about getting rid of Off/Def 3 seconds and goal tending. They are not needed with the way they league is going, and might help inject some balance into the League.

[@cameronno6039]

Agreed with the exception of goaltending. What would you change about it and why?@@shorewall

[@joshbone9600]

Great video! I'd love to see more of Mike

[@tylerhatch8962]

Keep em coming, let's go Mike!

[@markroze]

Great analysis! Thanks for the content 🏀

[@TheoneandonlyRAH]

loved this. more please!

[@benrinehart7776]

Great work as always!

[@injusticeanywherethreatens4810]

Thanks Mike!

[@also3254]

This is absolutely great!!

[@kushboysmartee99]

This was great 👍🏾 Please make more like this

[@yuppy02]

great breakdown. thanks mike!

[@phomo561]

Great video - keep the content coming!!!

[@vidz7226]

Love it Mike! Keep it coming

[@hectorfthethird]

great stuff, i like it. keep them coming.

[@impqct7150]

this was really interesting, great insight mike!

[@mikemoran1966]

I like Mike, he’s a great addition to Ben. There’s a lot to cover with todays talented young and upcoming teams. Go Pistons!

[@kwamekehoe5992]

Great job, Mike

[@partysover4324]

Amazing video keep them coming please

[@Kystifyable]

Great video, completely forgot it was a different host by the end. Well done.

[@0401412740]

Excellent analysis.... Pure basketball teamwork and IQ. There's a segment of fans than enjoy this rather than pure highlights

[@guillervz]

That's just fantastic coaching!

[@AJHDC]

yeah these are good - keep em coming

[@219sciguy]

More Mike please! This is excellent content.

[@meljay337]

You see this strat used in pickup ball a lot to keep the big from camping the paint but honestly with small ball and all these stretch bigs in the nba this might become a new norm. Dope assessment btw, I'll be watching for this more this season.

[@alexboche1349]

Solid analysis!

[@Bshue123]

I can't get enough of Mike. WOOOO.

[@crowman279]

Super interesting analysis!

[@joeyboikly]

I’m convinced this channel is for people who’ve never played basketball, and therefore don’t understand the game, but like thinking about it.

[@asafgr]

thanks for a great video

[@jamalturay470]

Amazing video!!

[@5nizza]

Very cool. Thanks a lot

[@Traveler42069]

Seeing Fancy crack up like that was gold. And seeing Bobby react to the shock collar like that also comedy gold 😂👌

[@infixno13]

Great video!!!

[@ryanandrewbaker]

Love it from Mike

[@Posesso]

Very cool, the content, the guy and the editing.

[@aqueelkadri8371]

Loved this

[@AlexanderJaySports]

I am so, so excited to watch this offense this year. The addition of Chet is like the cherry on a sublime dessert cake

[@waff6ix]

NEED MORE MIKE VIDS💯

[@RickyLaFlor]

Is there a hockey equivalent to this channel. I’m enamored with this content

[@JuLiusAviL11]

More of this please

[@otaviorangel1398]

Very useful video.

[@epicvicroyepic6725]

Very interested in as much thinking basketball content as possible

[@chriswesley2989]

Good stuff Mike

[@latindark]

Good video, Mike.

[@felipegregorio4915]

Great vídeo!

[@dimelo58]

Great breakdown

[@tajinderuppal8103]

Amazing!

[@AlexW-wv4nt]

With the guy on the baseline popping out it’s almost like a spain pnr without actually setting the backscreen. Very interesting, i like mike’s point about okc taking advantage of their personnel- all three are threats driving and either finishing or passing as the lead ballhandler.

[@lovethick]

Great Video 👍