We’re back! Welcome to the five highest-IQ plays of the week!
Sure, we love the high-flying dunks and the deep, off-the-dribble step-back threes, but this is a place for the under-the-radar plays that might not get the credit they deserve. The plays that get the basketball sickos and nerds out of their chairs. The plays that even YOU could make in your weekly rec league game.
Each week, the plays will be ranked from five to one—one being the smartest—and will only be taken from games that occurred
within the past week. For this week, games from January 15th to January 21st are considered. The C’s went 3-1 this week, with wins over the Heat, Hawks and Pacers but a tough loss to the Pistons.
5. Catch high, keep high
Baylor Scheierman is just the latest NBA player to start taking some three-point shots without a dip in his release. You’ll hear lots of “shooting coaches” and “basketball trainers” talk about getting the ball into your shooting pocket in order to get as much power as you can, especially if you’re a young player who hasn’t reached full physical development. But the cold, hard truth is that NBA defenders are sometimes too big and athletic to spend all that time setting up your shot. Instead of finding a shooting pocket, Scheierman just catches it high, keeps it high, and knocks down the shot—he probably gets the ball out of his hands in half the time he would have if he listened to your local basketball trainer.
4. 3-man game
This beautiful offensive spacing is made possible by Payton Pritchard’s heady relocation and quick thinking. Players are taught to relocate—or find a spot on the three-point line—after they drive to the lane and kick out to shooters. But they’re often taught to do so on the weak side of the floor. Here, Pritchard’s decision to relocate right back to where he drove from seems odd at first, but then utterly genius after you realize that there are three Celtics players on that side of the floor as opposed to two Pistons. And since each of those three Boston players can make threes, they’re an impossible cover for only two defenders. Big time IQ, Pritch.
3. Two places at once
Okay, so I know I literally just said that it’s impossible to defend on one side of the floor when you’re a defender down, but I guess that doesn’t apply if your name is Jordan Walsh? On this play, Walsh closes out to Walker and simultaneously jumps to contest his three (which Walker quickly thinks better of) while forcing him to improve his passing angle to Sheppard in the corner. That gives Jordan Walsh—and probably only Jordan Walsh and like 15 other NBA players—enough time to get back and block the shot. He’s literally in two places at once.
2. Watching your defender’s eyes
When you’re a player like Jordan Walsh, the defense isn’t losing sleep over you on the offensive end. Your main offensive responsibilities as a role player include (but are not limited to) shooting and making open threes, cutting to the basket, and offensive rebounding. But what do smart cutters actually do to get open? Well, one thing they do is pay attention to their defender’s eyes, which is exactly what Jordan does here. He’s looking right at Norman Powell and knows that once Hauser drives baseline, Powell’s eyes will be on the ball. So as soon as Norm stares at the ball, Walsh cuts backdoor for an easy two. The timing is perfect.
1. Creative Spain action
I’ve talked at length about the Celtics’ use of Spain action (ball screener gets a back screen from a third player), but this is a really interesting way for Boston to get into the action. Instead of simply running down the floor and starting in the typical alignment (pick and roll with a third defender starting in the paint), the Celtics instead set up in a zoom alignment before Brown slips the play and gets himself into position to set a screen for Queta. This totally throws off Miami and is quite frankly a brilliant wrinkle for the C’s to get into their most common and effective offensive action. Special stuff, Joe and staff.
