Two-man actions rule the NBA. We pay very close attention to the intricate works that some coaches draw up – maybe a wide-open layup comes out of some of them – but when you get down to brass tacks, actions are decided 2 v 2, and the other 3 players on both sides come into play in the latter half. You want to win that 2-man game first.
The pick n’ roll is the ultimate 2-man game, of course, but the DHO is a classic among classics. We’ve seen this kind of interchange in more sports than basketball as well. Read-option offenses in the NFL hinge upon placing decision makers in positions where they observe and decide based on defensive response. The advantage gained is typically in fractions of seconds, but that’s all a player needs. When it comes to Scottie Barnes, the ‘keeper’ DHO is a perfect way to leverage his court vision and at-rim finishing against defenses.
How do you stop the read-option in the NFL? Let’s lean on a legend’s expertise:
“Every guy I’ve talked to is going to go after the quarterback, that’s going to be their answer. If you watch what they did last year, a lot of guys played the quarterback. If he pitches, get off him. If he keeps it, tackle him. Now, they’re just going to go after him whether he pitches or not.”
– John Madden
What makes the DHO in the NBA more impervious to scheming is the fact that no one is going to be brutalized out of doing it. You don’t have to protect a quarterback, and there’s certainly no illegal receivers out there. Barnes can sling a pass to whomever he so chooses.
When he’s paired with a shooter – preferably the caliber of a Fred VanVleet or Gary Trent Jr. – there’s going to be a significant uptick in opportunities to turn the corner. If the defender is in that trail position, a lot of bigs that aren’t what we consider plodding, try to smother the play. Most teams won’t simply surrender a drop out of these looks, so the margin for error gets slimmer. In that margin for error exists a DPOY hopeful in Jaren Jackson Jr., among other less remarkable defenders. Kyle Kuzma, Jackson Jr., Duarte, they all throw their arms flippantly to say: “what the hell just happened?”. For Luka Doncic, an accepting fist shake that communicates: “Ahh, I got got.”
Bigs who can reliably handle and make reads above the break are the rarely-talked-about lifeblood of so many offenses. Transporting the team from set to set, freeing up stars, and making over-eager teams pay. Teams can try a lot of things – jump it, jam it, show, switch – but Barnes’ combination of size and skills means he finds the counters. And the most interesting one? Keeping it.
Have a blessed day.
