Andrew McNeill, writing at HoopChalk, discusses how the Nets can facilitate their offense in the post — but not through Brook Lopez.
Through video and text, McNeill shows off how the Nets utilized starting backcourt Joe Johnson & Deron Williams on the low blocks, and how that setup leads to additional opportunities for the Nets. While none of the plays show Williams & Johnson scoring in the block, McNeill notes that the mere post threat that each possesses forces defenses to re-align, leading to multiple open opportunities for the entire offense:
According to Synergy Sports, Joe Johnson produced 1.01 points per possession (PPP) in the post last season. Deron Williams had .82 PPP. These numbers don’t take into account assists or whether or not each player’s team scored on the play, just the end result for the individual. If you factored in how often each player’s team scored on the play when they initiated the offense out of the low block, I’m sure the PPP would be much higher.
You can see in the following play how much attention Williams draws in the post. Even after kicking the ball back out to Keith Bogans at the top of the arc, Bogans’ defender is still concerned about the ball getting back into Williams on the block. After some deliberation, Bogans ends up with an open 3. In related news, the Nets are playing the Wizards.
Read more: Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, Brooklyn, and the low block — HoopChalk
