After previously taking a look at the offensive actions Dwane Casey and staff used in the Detroit Pistons’ final preseason game, I thought it was now time to take a look at what we were seeing so far in the regular season. We probably still are not seeing the full playbook of Casey and his staff, of course, but with a minor roster overhaul and a major coaching shakeup, we can get an idea of Casey’s approach and intentions for his team.
There are many reasons to anticipate what we are seeing now is not what we will be seeing one month or maybe even one week from now. One, we have only seen Cade Cunningham and how he would be used in a single game, and he played just 19 minutes. Two, the team has used five different starting lineups in six games, which obviously messes with chemistry, continuity and lineups. We have seen actions carried over from that preseason breakdown and expanded upon from last season. With all of that said, I could not help myself but take a look at the film and break these actions into three categories: actions I LOVE, actions I LIKE but would really like to see executed better, and actions I am NOT necessarily a fan of.
Actions I Love
As you can imagine, these actions share some similarities and themes. First and foremost, I love actions that have multiple options. Cade post up, followed by a Bey flex screen, followed by Cade pin down … yes, please!! The next thing I look for is actions that move the ball from one side of the floor to the other. The more you can make the defense move, the better chance you have to create an advantage.
Finally, any action that has an immediate counteraction, ie. screen into re-screen, is something I am here for. One thing you might also notice with these is some “fake” weakside action holding defenders’ attention.
Actions I Like But Need Better Execution
In this section, I breakdown some actions from Casey and staff that I actually like, but feel like could be better executed. One thing I really dislike is wasted movement. If the action calls for a back screen, let’s set that back screen and run off of it and use it as a possible scoring option .. even if it may only hit 1 out of 25 times. Another area I feel like this team must improve on is in dribble hand-off situations. I love them. I like seeing how much we use them. BUT so does every other team in the Association. The backdoor element/option has to start being included either by emphasis from the coach or a read by the player.
Actions I Am NOT a Fan Of
This is the section of the breakdown that makes me a little uncomfortable. I want to preface this by saying that I am very aware that Casey (and every member of his staff) have forgotten more basketball than I know. This breakdown is admittedly more about personal preference and where and how I would like to see the Pistons personnel being used and the spacing of the actions.
I very much look forward to continuing doing these breakdowns of Casey’s Actions throughout the season and seeing how they morph and change, especially when Cade starts playing full-time. I also can not wait for a few games to be close late and seeing what we get ATO in those situations, whose hands the ball is in and who the action is set up for getting the shots.
I am always looking for ideas of aspects of the game to highlight and breakdown so if you have any specific you would like to see me take a look at please leave them in the comments or hit me up on twitter @MotorCityHoops.