21 Jump Street: How Steph Curry and Chris Paul can put defenders in jail
On how two of the greatest point guards of all time can make magic with just a simple guard-guard action on the wing.
The most interesting part of the Golden State Warriors’ first day of training camp was what happened after the actual practice itself — which might’ve previewed a significant part of the Steph Curry-Chris Paul dynamic.
This clip from The Athletic’s Anthony Slater was relatively short — but the information gleaned from it could potentially be Xs-and-Os gold:
A macroscopic point of view of the interaction above is equally optimistic as the nitty-gritty details that lurk behind it. Curry and Paul are obviously attempting to develop two-man chemistry, not dissimilar to the dynamic that Curry and Draymond Green have developed over the years — to the point that it has become less verbal and darn near telepathic.
It remains to be seen whether the Curry and Paul partnership can develop to the point where instinct and mind melding eliminates the need for verbal communication. But for that to come to fruition, constructive words must be exchanged and reps on the practice court have to happen.
Shifting to a more microscopic point of view, Curry and Paul seem to be practicing different variations of what is called the “21” series, otherwise known as “Pistol” action. This is an offensive system introduced by Mike D’Antoni during his time with the Phoenix Suns, a form of quick-hitting early offense that caught defenses on their heels back in an era where Steve Nash quarterbacked a potent Suns offense.
Ever since D’Antoni introduced it, the “21” series has become ubiquitous in the league, with its variations used by almost every team in the NBA. Paul himself has loads of experience running “21,” especially during his time under D’Antoni with the Houston Rockets.
When Steve Kerr took over the Warriors in 2014, he drew inspiration from several teams and coaches in formulating his hybrid offense. During his time as the Suns’ general manager, Kerr had an up close and personal view of how D’Antoni ran “21” — and used variations of it with the likes of Curry and Klay Thompson.
There’s institutional knowledge from both Curry and Paul when it comes to running “21.” But this is arguably the first time that they’re running it with a partner who happens to be the most talented guard they’ve ever played with, which makes the action as dangerous for opposing defenses as it could possibly be.
(For clarification: “21” is called as such because the action involves the 2-guard and the 1-guard, which Curry and Paul will both be on the floor together, respectively — although, as we’ll get to later in this piece, both of them can exchange guard spots seamlessly.)
For an action as varied as “21,” the operative term behind it has always been “choice.” It forces defenders to have to choose. Do you take away the ball handler? Do you deny the screen or the handoff? Do you switch or stick to your assignment? Do you send two to the ball and trust your teammates to rotate behind it?
Curry has always made defenders choose their poison, while Paul forces them to ingest it. Combining both apporaches could make defenders’ lives as toxic and painful as it possible — and it may start by developing a potent partnership in “21.”
21 Dribble
The first action Curry and Paul practiced involved a screen by Paul for Curry to dribble toward the corner for a jumper:
The “screen” by Paul is an option whenever his defender is actively denying Curry the pass to Paul, which is the initiating action of “21.” It’s easy to imagine Paul then coming off a flare screen from the 5-man — Kevon Looney, Draymond Green, or Dario Šarić, for example — to make himself an option if defenses sit on Curry’s drift toward the corner.
This is called the “Dribble” option of “21.”
This is a concept the Warriors have used in the past. In Paul’s place, Klay Thompson was the screener who then used the flare screen to free himself up for an open look. Since the play was designed for Thompson to get open off of the attention Curry draws around the side screen, Thompson would often “ghost” (fake) the screen to shake off defenders and punish switches.
Paul shot a career-high 52.3% on catch-and-shoot threes last season, which makes him a viable substitute for Thompson in situations like the one above if and when Curry draws multiple defenders around the screen. Alternatively, Paul can also initiate empty-corner ball-screen action with the five-man after Curry clears toward the weak-side corner.
Curry and Paul are also interchangeable in this setup. Curry can screen for Paul dribbling toward the corner or his preferred sweet spot: the right elbow.
21 Chase
If the pass to the 2-guard is available, quickly handing the ball back to the initial ball handler — a maneuver referred to as “get” action — is often the first option in “21.”
Since Curry chases his pass to Paul and gets it back for a corner jumper, this option is appropriately called “Chase.”
The Warriors ran a highly similar action involving Curry and Jordan Poole last season. Curry flashed toward the elbow after receiving an initial screen to receive the pass from Poole, who would then chase his pass and receive the ball back from Curry on a handoff.
The quick-hitting nature of this early offense set — coupled with defenders not wanting to detach themselves from Curry — allowed Poole to get downhill easily:
“Chase” was also a favored option for Shaun Livingston back in the day. It often allowed Livingston — a master of the turnaround mid-range jump hook — to pick apart smaller defenders in the low post.
The theme of forcing defenders to pick their poison once again continues with this option. As Doris Burke famously stated in a broadcast, “The game begins once Curry gives up the ball.”
Will defenses let Curry chase his pass on the “get” action and potentially leave him open for a corner three? Will two defenders double him around the “get” and leave Paul open for a jumper or cut toward the basket?
What if they actively deny Curry from getting the ball back on the handoff? Paul and Curry seemingly have a counter in mind already:
The value of having a third pair of eyes to suggest further options is key in practice sessions like this one between Curry and Paul. Longtime Warriors assistant coach and Curry confidant Bruce Fraser suggests another counter if the flare option is also denied:
If the defender can’t deny the flare option but recovers on time to close out and crowd Curry’s space, Curry and Paul can flow into a guard-guard ball screen that Paul “ghosts,” which can counter defenders switching the screen — similar to what Curry and Thompson have done in the past.
Just like “Dribble,” this option can have Curry and Paul exchange places, with Curry as the 2-guard and Paul chasing his pass on the “get” action to get himself to his sweet spot in the midrange — or also flare out if his defender denies him from getting the ball back.
21 Down (Rip DHO)
While this option wasn’t part of Curry and Paul’s session, it’s still quite possible for them to incorporate this in their two-man action — except that this time, a third man (typically the 5) will be directly involved.
This is virtually similar to the “Dribble” option in that the 2-guard will set a screen for the 1-guard. The only difference is that the 1-guard will pass to the 5-man before running off the screen, after which the five can hit the cutter in motion.
This is an action the Warriors have used plenty of times in the past, mostly with Curry as the 2-guard setting the back screen (also known as a “rip” screen). Intelligent offenses make use of deadly shooters as screeners to free up other players and use defenses’ mindset — that is, their reluctance to detach off of said shooters — against them.
Which is why the “Down” option works brilliantly with Curry screening:
If the back-screen option isn’t available, the next option is for the 2-guard — Curry, for example — to run off a DHO with the 5-man.
Again, this preys on how defenses choose to defend the action. If the back screen is switched or defenders manage to stay attached, the DHO option doesn’t leave defenders any room for complacency by making them chase the 2-guard around a handoff. The 5-man’s defender is typically sagging off of his assignment, which gives the handoff recipient plenty of room to pull up around the screen.
The DHO/ball screen also plays a central part in the fourth and final main option of “21".
21 Keep
The “Keep” option is named as such because the 2-guard — after getting the pass from the 1-guard — keeps the ball instead of handing it back to the 1-guard in “get” action, after which he runs ball-screen action with the 5-man.
While Curry and Paul also didn’t practice this during their session together, it’s plausible for them to include this in the repertoire. I’d be interested to see an athletic above-the-rim threat such as Jonathan Kuminga or Trayce Jackson-Davis as the 5-man who can generate roll gravity and put additional pressure on defenses, with the 1-guard “shaking” (lifting) from the corner to discourage his defender from tagging the roll.
This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Curry-Paul dynamic, but it’s one heck of a sharp tip that defenses should take care not to get pierced by. They may not have a choice, however — on or off the ball, Curry forces defenses to bend and ultimately break; Paul can pick apart the tiniest chinks in the armor with his vision, command of the ball, manipulation chops, and intelligence.
Combine those two together and the Warriors may have the perfect point-guard tandem to make defenders’ lives a living hell.
I watched the raw practice footage and was encouraged; this analysis makes me anticipate their interaction even more. Thanks
If this pick hits for the Lakers im ready to crown them the best scouting/development FO of the last 30 years.
@jovanbuha
Anthony Davis mentioned Jalen Hood-Schifino as a player who stood out in camp: “He can really play. He’s shifty. He can shoot the basketball. He reads the floor well.”