Raptors Playbook: “62 Flip”
Over at the Raptors Playbook YouTube channel (@RaptorsPlaybook on Twitter), I am breaking down the X’s & O’s of the Toronto Raptors. This week, we’ll focus on their “62 Flip” – a play that disguises itself as a typical off-ball action but is really a ball-screen play. Watch the video embedded below alongside the summary written, and remember to follow and subscribe to never miss out on a video.
Option 1: Flip Ball Screen – Starting at 0:48
The play starts with both Bigs setting a “staggered” screen for an off-ball player on the weak side wing. This wing player will be freed for a pass from the ball handler after utilizing these screens, but will not use this opportunity to score.
Rather, they will continue to use their momentum to carry them towards the initial passer and hand the ball back to them with a DHO (dribble hand-off).
The player that initiated the play is once again in possession of the ball, and will use their momentum to carry them towards the sideline. They will proceed to utilize one of the Bigs as a ball-screener after they flipped their orientation around to face the opposite baseline.
From this point, all of the traditional reads out of a pick and roll have are available. If the on-ball defender trails over the top of the screen and the screen defender does not adequately assist their teammate in slowing down the offensive player, the ball handler can proceed to score the ball.
If the screen defender overcompensates by helping their on-ball teammate, the ball handler can make a simple pass to the unguarded screener rolling to the rim. In the event a tertiary defender rotates over to the roller, they can make a short roll/4-on-3 pass to the weak side of the floor.
Option 2: Re-Screen – Starting at 3:35
A very sparsely used option out of this set is the re-screen wrinkle. Nick Nurse has experimented with this re-screen action out of a variety of sets (Snap series, Double Drag Continuity series, etc…) and this one follows suit.
The player that originally utilized the off-ball staggered screen and then proceeds to hand the ball back to the original passer will this time be re-screened for coming towards the sideline. It’s a somewhat untraditional action that was utilized with some regularity in Kyle Korver’s time with the Atlanta Hawks and is an interesting wrinkle Nurse has experimented with this season.
The call for this play (in general, not the re-screen option) appears to be “62 Flip”.
