The smartest NBA plays of November

This video breaks down some of the smartest plays of the 2022 season thus far. Dunks often dominate the top plays, but Steph Curry, Trae Young, Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Tyler Herro, Gary Payton II and more highlight this breakdown of brilliant basketball plays of the month.
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 Nemesis
#ThinkingBasketball

[@dbk663]

If this is a new thinking basketball video series I am over the moon excited for it.

[@Megg028]

So much this!

[@Sam-eo2ky]

Yes! Smartest plays of the month maybe?

[@michaelcho6484]

hunted for comments like this. this was so fun to watch

[@johnlouiscaga8565]

same

[@100Xsprinkles]

This is espn detail on steroids

[@LambNRice]

That Rubio play breakdown was incredible. Marcus Smart made the correct call to try and get the switch, which was correct to do, but Rubio's instant recognition was being two moves ahead. What looked like a defensive breakdown was just Rubio being that much further ahead on the chess board.

[@Jabbersac]

I feel that Rubio sometimes doesn't get the recognition he deserves for his passing and court awareness. Unfortunately, he just doesn't have the shooting and volume scoring ability to become an All-Star!

[@walieburns2372]

I agree Rubio makes reads like this all the time and can do it in traffic .His iq is crazy

[@musicandmagic909]

Rubio been underrated forever tho

[@kyscojastar]

@@musicandmagic909 probably because he was hella overrated when he was getting drafted

[@LambNRice]

@@kyscojastar he was so overrated that he became underrated

[@benblack7330]

That Bucks play to give Giannis a head of steam, open the paint, and have a potential 3 perimeter shots is so perfect for their lineup.

[@libraalibaba]

That was an amazing play.

[@rudinah8547]

Visually it was my favorite

[@ritsuboii2130]

bro im so stupid with all these subtle nba plays but the moment i saw the middle was open yeah i already knew its giannis time

[@csanadhorvath]

Its incredible what a few months can do for Budenholzer, everyone was calling for his head, now almost everyone is convinced he is a genius :D

[@waltdoggentertainment5612]

It's scary!

[@lukaslambs5780]

The play with curry making melo run into his own man as a screen was just something I could watch all day.

[@coledorillo6685]

That Rubio pass was fuckign deadly and I would never even caught the brilliance in that pass

[@zekedeblaay4211]

The Cleveland play was outstanding. Amazing that Washington adjusted and could have been beaten by a layup - what they adjusted for. And they still got beat a different way. Clevelands cool with me.

[@ThinkingBasketball]

This is a Cavs channel now.

[@zekedeblaay4211]

@@ThinkingBasketball works for me :)

[@jamesjohnson944]

That Rubio Marcus Smart clip was like watching Death Note in real time.

[@juandiegobernal8473]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@hf3969]

"Well, Ricky, looks like I win." - Marcus Smart, probably

[@zachrayy288]

@@hf3969 together we surpass boston! -Ricky Rubio

[@shanethompson9891]

Scottie Barnes was so hard to evaluate in the draft on offense but his defense is so nuanced he deserved his spot in the draft.

[@JeffMcLeodStyle]

Speaking of Scottie's nuance, he has the most suttle fakes on offence that lead to huge payoffs. Look at the fakes that lead to buckets at 0:02, 0:18, 0:50 and 3:30 of his highlight package here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/q5CyYYeZaLZsl7M

[@saeednaser7700]

Trae jumbs everytime after the loop to simulate dunking is one of the underrated smart iq plays

[@DaveChappeleIsGod]

+1 chemistry every time lol

[@jeroen6275]

I watched that Giannis game winner before but didn't notice exactly how everything that came before lead up to that moment. This is why I watch.

[@alexwhite3830]

I don't know, 3 clear steps, travelling

[@paquinraino8180]

@@alexwhite3830 Watch all the guards and you'll see that they make the exact same things, especially during their step backs but hey, when it's for shooting 3's it's cool, ain't it? Anyway that's a gather step and you can even argue that the first step was still during the dribble. Also watch the Demar Derozan clip he uses the gather step on his euro step too

[@recoil53]

@@alexwhite3830 Everybody gets that call. Everybody. But Giannis is the size of a center and has huge steps. Years ago Brad Stevens thought it was a dribble too - until he watched the video.

[@alexwhite3830]

@@paquinraino8180 gather step, catching the ball step, cannot handle the ball step. Soon basketball would turn into handball where they just run around with a ball

[@alexwhite3830]

@@recoil53 I understand that travelling is part of NBA now, but still adding such moments to top plays' list and especially choosing it over real beauties (e.g the one that Rubio did) is a bit ... wrong?

[@haydenfraser1543]

i have to say, whenever you post. it feels like an early christmas present

[@reidb6327]

Yep

[@septemberwanka8893]

This is the feeling ive been trying to say through words

[@BFCNick]

if he posts in the 6 months proceeding christmas it's belated...

[@gordont1767]

Dump

[@Matheus-vs3qt]

That Rubio play Its just amazing for me on how these guys can notice all these things at real time at the court, with everything happening so fast, they really live in another dimension, my favorite play yet a bad defensive call by Boston.

[@Desi365]

Repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition. You know what's coming, you can "feel" it. I mean, some of them, like Rubio, do. And then, be creative.

[@walieburns2372]

Like a qb reads the field a great point guard or passing big(joker) can read the defence and tell when they are out of position. 🔥

[@ThinkingBasketball]

The speed of the NBA game is astounding.

[@recoil53]

@@walieburns2372 QBs surprise me more, since 300lb men want to run full tilt into them. There is no way I could calmly survey the field play after play.

[@sebu1301]

Rubio is a basketball savant

[@Ihraell]

Curry putting Melo into Plumlee screen was hilarious but he got enough of my votes already. I was going with Rubio pass but than realised that all that could have been avoided if Langford would just get back to Garland and Schroder picked Rubio. So I'm giving my vote to Derozan because I don't recall ever seeing it before.

[@Antixxx-wm6hy]

This segment is fantastic! please let this be a regular series on this channel

[@TheNatcon1]

This is a genius idea for a video series. Ben Taylor the GOAT

[@hsimah5921]

LOVED this format. Really enjoying seeing high level court vision

[@t-mofisher8922]

loved that play design from the Bucks to get Giannis a free runway!

[@walieburns2372]

Those assistant coaches are amazing.

[@SeanGrady90]

Love this idea!!! I hope we get one of these every month. It’s like the opposite of “Shaqtin A Fool” - what should we call it: “I’ve Ben Thinking” maybe?

[@demhipyoungsters]

That Scottie Barnes highlight was hilarious! I watched the game and didnt even pick up on that lmao

[@wanderlustwarrior]

2:56 That Cleveland play really was CRAZY. I audibly reacted when I realized what just happened.

[@hinglemccringleberry9257]

That last play design by the Bucks was amazing, it clears the paint for Giannis but does it deceptively so that Charlotte doesn't have time to react. Amazing finish by Giannis as well.

[@55JoshCraig]

Absolutely love this new style of analysis always love seeing the intricacies of these plays. Nobody puts out videos this well researched, Thinking basketball is the GOAT

[@vishalanjutgi3157]

Favorite play hands down was the rubio lob to allen. He and smart were playing chess right before our eyes! So insightful to get a small glimpse into the mental aspect of playing basketball at the highest level. Thank you for posting this, the entire video was so fun to watch!

[@godfrey6133]

The Curry offball play and making opponents set screen for him was amazing

[@yohaha]

I never get tired of the Trae's backboard pass. Absolutely masterpiece.

[@fsm3582]

Honeeeey, honeeey TB just posted!

[@sihyuanwu5492]

Love this kind of formatting Ben! Also, I’ve got to mention that Trae also did the off-the-board pass to Collins during his playoffs series with the bucks as well, that kid’s got balls lol

[@mackenziekerridge5858]

Curry using Plumlee as a pick on Lamelo actually made me laugh out loud. That's just brilliant stuff.

[@access87665]

I love this. A great balance of highlight and context with analysis that enhances the beauty.

[@kezron88]

Love these videos, cant wait for more of them! Scottie being Scottie was amazing to see

[@TheAxolotl1]

This is great! love the insight and passion... LOVED IT.. make it a series...

[@lgm_nyk]

The quality of this channel is incredible. As a Knicks fan I was amazed by that Derozan finish when I first saw it. Keep up the great work

[@sirdumhuveniii359]

BRILLIANT VIDEO!! Please keep these coming, love your breakdowns of the “unnoticed” sides of the game!

[@BoolatGuzairov]

Actually enjoy it more than the breakdowns dedicated to particular players. Curious sets & quality explanations is the combo pretty hard to find on KZbin. Nice!

[@twanvanderlinden745]

Just want to drop in to say that I think this format suits your style of analysis perfectly. Your player profiles work very well due to this same in depth scouting of specific plays, and I am pretty confident in my guess that this would be a great way to showcase coaching trends in the future

[@wells235]

Loved this Ben, hope for more videos like this.

[@demaszstyo9644]

Seeing other teams run High IQ plays as a Celtics fan. That hits me right where it hurts

[@benmacgillivray8042]

Love this kind of video, Scottie Barnes calling for the ball takes the cake this month by far!

[@Toad22484]

Anything Steph does is so entertaining I swear haha. Love the format as well, thanks so much for the amazing content!

[@thermitebanana]

Loved this one. Thanks for clearly explaining all the clever stuff these guys are doing, I think it's severely under appreciated (at least by me)

[@chrisdoherty9466]

Appreciate this. Helps me understand better what I'm seeing. Love Payton II, Larry Bird, Rubio.

[@MykBlauuw]

this was great - really enjoyed being able to see these things broken down with the visual.

[@lilrayallen13]

I'm lovin the daily/monthly breakdown type videos man, keep up the good work.

[@yuppy02]

i absolutely love these videos. thanks so much for these!!!

[@inordirection_]

Great video! I hope you make these a monthly thing this season. These type of highlights give me a new appreciation for what's going on in the league right now.

[@crazychase443]

LOVED this format. And your commentary, voice, video editing was all great. Would love to see more

[@Tillipillihousu]

This was great!! Please more of this stuff!

[@noname-jd2vo]

I loved this format! DO MORE OF THESE

[@lucasedmonds5120]

Love the format. Basically everything you put out is extremely high quality and this is no different. Keep up the outstanding work!

[@EDVRTS]

I love this format! Not just the regular fix of highlights, but some context and basketball jargon mumbo jumbo as a topping!

[@niyioguntona7747]

Definitely would like more videos like this. keep up the great work!!

[@toukaK]

great content! thx for making and sharing

[@SakariyaMustaf]

I like these videos and your channel a lot. I lack the ability to analyze offense/defence so having videos like these is really helpful in learning what to watch for in games

[@Sandthatsparksstars]

Made my day watching this, Ben! Keep up the good work

[@futurehofer1564]

I love that you are back to posting more frequently!

[@flopadrop111]

This is beautiful: slo-mo replays and just enough explanation. You've earned a like and subscribe, sir.

[@tahina2286]

All that tactical breakdown, I love it ! Could watch hours of content like this !

[@jianxiongji7604]

this series is absolutely awesome. please make it at least a monthly series. Absolutely love it

[@skippyopolous]

Yes please, more of this. I love these breakdowns!

[@tmr512]

This was brilliant!!! As someone just recently started getting into basketball, it really helped me to appreciate the game a lot more

[@misterburns103]

I love this! Excellent analysis of the more nuanced and multifaceted aspects of the game. So much better than Sportscenter dunk highlights.

[@suto5704]

Great video. I would love to see this become a series

[@neil2962]

This was the best video you've put out yet. Love the Zach Lowe-esque analysis here

[@calebkennedy_]

Keep making these!! Love this as a series idea

[@dennisrossonero]

Awesome format. Would love more monthly videos like this!

[@arp_909]

Great video!! The Rubio no look lob was my fav, so good

[@NateBranson]

This was sick, well made and informative. I subbed, keep it up

[@JYNaRa2fly]

YESS a new break down video by thinking basketball!! Your content is the best!!

[@lorenzoligresti8910]

Great format Ben! One of those videos every month from now on please!

[@oliverscanlon3610]

I never get tired of the spectacular ball movement in Golden State and the Heat there, man! Awesome, love it. I'll take more of that any day! Great video format!

[@emill2119]

Love you for this content brother. Should do a best of monthly vid on the 1st of every month. Keep it up bro!

[@playmaker011]

Love the highlights with insights

[@dereklimwaikit6286]

omg please do more of this series!

[@Blank100k]

curry using the other teams players for a pick and roll was fucking amazing, im going to try and do that at some point

[@HarikeshRaoRanganath]

Thank you for the amazing video! More like these please!

[@jasonmorden2226]

Great video. I would love to see more like this!

[@diablejambe3460]

this was super fun to watch. i love basketball but will never claim to understand it like crazy. a video like this was so insightful and educational for someone like me. thnx man

[@SeanGrady90]

The first five seconds of this vid is such a fun tip of the cap to your pal Nate Duncan and I love it!

[@palashsharma147]

Briliant format. Would love to see more of this

[@_adonisk]

this format is amazing, I could watch these daily

[@antoinericquebourg3131]

Awesome video, thank you for the great content!

[@nurcirino]

More, more! The voice, the analysis, the smooth transitions, the play choice, alles ist gut, man!

[@jazzjalapeno]

I love this format and will watch every single one of these videos. This is my ideal basketball video

[@crapgazm]

Format is brilliant. Every video is absolute fire.

[@jakecurtis9398]

Great video! My favourite of yours so far. I love this as a video type

[@parkerwhitton9499]

I adored this format! Well done and I can't wait for more.

[@ewanchip]

Love your videos dude! Been watching them for ages and it never fails to excite me when i see them on the homepage :) Keep up the g work

[@Natan-jd4ii]

I love this sort of video. Do more of these please!!

[@geloooooo]

absolutely love this new format, keep up the good work! love from brazil

[@mateorp_31]

I'm loving this new format, keep it up dude your videos are amazing

[@grantlease2058]

Love this format! Would love to see more.

[@Max-kv8uw]

Really enjoyed the video. I had not seen most of these yet these plays surely deserve recognition.

[@erwinverberkmoes3645]

At every play I wanted to like the video again and again Love this channel

[@goldmamba2843]

Thank ou for these breakdowns. Been thinking through plays a lot more these days so def true your name ‘thinking basketball’ 😉😎

[@shifty220]

Soo on brand for Thinking Basketball to have a video on smartest NBA plays of last month - love it 🙌

[@mazajee]

this was an amazing video. it’s not like ur usual videos, but it’s so fun

[@Links2077]

Beautiful work & a brilliant idea for content. Would love to see some cp3 plays

[@josephleong3714]

good vid really open my mind to find more creative play

[@baliksupper6043]

Love the format,great video!keep going.🇬🇧🇬🇧

[@Iloveyorkencole]

When I saw that Rubio play in the clutch I knew it was crazy and from when you’ve put it in this that confirms it 👌🏾