With eight minutes and 51 seconds left in the third quarter of the Golden State Warriors’ scintillating upset victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, the NBC Sports Bay Area broadcast fortuitously panned over to Steve Kerr, in the process of calling a play during a stoppage situation. It could not be any more clear what Kerr was gesturing with his hand, while calling out the name of the play and who should be involved in that play.
Kerr very clearly calls out “thumb up,” along with an accompanying thumbs-up gesture. On the third time he yells out the play, he adds that it should be “QP” — referring to Quinten Post — who should be involved in the play. Soon after, “thumb up” would turn out to be a high ball screen with a spread floor, with Post’s involvement in the play being the screener for the ball handler (Pat Spencer).
The Cavs opt to switch the ball screen, with Evan Mobley taking Spencer around the screen. Buddy Hield attempts to make himself available via a short lift, but the initial switch allows his defender — and the entire Cavs defense — to stay home and out of rotation. As a result, Hield’s shot is contested and promptly clanks off back iron.
More than just the result of the possession above is the nature of the possession. Kerr is known for being reticent to call out spread pick-and-roll sets in the half court, let alone center his offense around the pick-and-roll play type. Less than one percent of all their offensive possessions this season have been finished by the ball handler in the pick-and-roll or the roll man setting the ball screen, dead last in the NBA, per Synergy tracking. Suffice to say, the play type that has become the bread and butter of the league throughout the last decade (albeit, the frequency of it being depended upon has seen a league-wide decline over the past few years) is virtually a non-factor in Kerr and the Warriors’ offensive philosophy.
In their first 22 games of the season, the Warriors averaged roughly 28 pick-and-roll possessions per game, all of which were finished either by the ball handler, the screener, or a third teammate (in this case, a finished possession would be considered a made field goal, a missed field goal rebounded by the opponent, a foul resulting in free throws, or a turnover). For reference, the team that has the highest frequency of pick-and-roll possessions this season (Charlotte Hornets) average roughly 44 pick-and-roll possessions per game.
Over the last three games against the Philadelphia 76ers, the Cavs, and the Chicago Bulls, the Warriors’ pick-and-rolls per game has seen a drastic increase: 41 possessions per game.
It’s clear that, in this period sans the services of Steph Curry and, for the first two games of the road trip, Jimmy Butler, Kerr has pivoted from a mostly off-ball-screen/handoff-heavy offense toward one that has mixed in a healthy dose of high ball-screens — with “thumb up” being his play call for a spread pick-and-roll. Part of Kerr being comfortable with running a sudden infusion of a play type that he has previously been hesitant to depend on was confidence in the abilities of Spencer to run a pick-and-roll offense.
“It’s the pick-and-roll threat that he brings,” Kerr told reporters after their win against the Cavs. “Just takes care of the ball. One turnover in 30 minutes tonight, and seven assists. He just gets us into a really good offensive rhythm and gets guys shots. Just creates really good possessions. Even when we don’t score, the possessions feel good when he’s out there.”
Indeed, Spencer — in his capacity as the Warriors’ break-glass-in-case-of-emergency point guard and lead ball handler in the absences of Curry and Draymond Green and the relegation of Brandin Podziemski to the bench amid his struggles — exudes a level of calm and steadiness with his handling of the rock and a sufficient level of feel, as evidenced by his thought process and decision making in pick-and-roll situations.
It allows him to stay even keeled in the face of a defense that has tilted his way after breaking the paint. He is aware of where his teammates are (and will be) at any given moment, as evidenced by this possession in which he senses Hield relocating to the top of the arc and promptly punishes the Bulls’ defense:
An important ingredient in the make of a good pick-and-roll playmaker is seeing where help is coming from and reacting accordingly. Such advanced read-making ability is something that Spencer has shown in flashes. When Kerr once again calls for “thumb up” for another spread pick-and-roll possession, the Warriors make a small change in terms of personnel:
As the ball is inbounded to Spencer, he makes sure to clarify the possession further with a “thumb up Jimmy” call, signifying that Butler is to be the screen setter. Butler and Hield also communicate to Post that instead of acting as the screener, he will space the floor in the left corner in order to put pressure on the Bulls’ low-man defender.
This configuration pays off soon after, with Butler slipping the screen, drawing the low man (Nikola Vučević) away from the corner in order to tag Butler, and Spencer spraying the pass to Post in the corner:
Spencer’s wiggle and craft in terms of the littlest of details when it comes to pick-and-roll offense has been an intriguing and, admittedly, very entertaining development to watch.
Save for Curry, Green, and Butler, Spencer seems the most adept, adequate, and seasoned player running the offense with the ball in his hands, which has fueled an attack that’s been just enough to power the team through a 2-1 road trip, and one that worked in tandem with the Warriors’ fourth-ranked defense (garbage time eliminated).
When Kerr once again calls for “thumb up” in the possession below while Podziemski mistakenly thinks the possession to be “5 Out” (the team’s term for a low-post split action), Spencer takes control and clarifies the situation by telling Podziemski where he should be:
Trayce Jackson-Davis then comes over to set the ball screen, with Spencer “snaking” the pick-and-roll and puppeteering Josh Giddey on his hip — a term often called “putting your defender in jail,” or “hostage dribbling.” This maneuver creates enough time for Jackson-Davis to virtually seal off his own man (called a “Gortat”screen) in order to create a clear path for Spencer to saunter through:
The increase in pick-and-roll usage has translated into an increase in pick-and-roll efficiency: 1.008 points per possession that ends in either the ball handler, the screener, or a third party scoring, missing a shot, getting fouled for free throws, or turning the ball over, an improvement over the 0.967 PPP mark in the first 22 games. With Kerr giving the thumbs up on the Warriors running more pick-and-roll by literally putting his thumb up, the team finds itself with a renewed lease on life, with a long rest and reinforcements soon to come their way.