Running a 3-Out, 2-In Pick & Roll Offense in NBA 2K16

Feature Article

Submitted on: 01/21/2016 by Jayson Young

Traditional power forwards like Carlos Boozer, who love to patrol the mid-range area and post up outside the paint, haven't gone completely extinct, but they're becoming increasingly rare in today's NBA as executives continue to draft and sign power forwards who can stretch out defenses with the threat of their 3-point shot.

However, big men like Boozer, whose shooting is only reliable from mid-range and close-range, can still be effective offensive weapons in NBA 2K16, so long as you match them with an appropriate playbook and freelance offense.

So let's travel back to 65,000,000 B.C. and see how a power forward with Boozer's skills can be utilized in a three-out, two-in pick-and-roll offense orchestrated by John Stockton and spaced out with some 1998 Utah Jazz sets:

The two plays on display are "98 Fist 14 Spread" and "Fist 1-4," both of which you can call by pressing the left bumper, then hitting the A button, then flicking the appropriate joystick motion on the first page of the '98 Jazz's playbook.

In coach Jerry Sloan's system, the center sits just outside the paint, on the opposite side of the floor, unless he's setting the on-ball screen. The shooting guard and small forward will also stay out of the way and spot up for 3-point shots, giving the point guard and power forward plenty of room to operate their two-man game.

Karl Malone and John Stockton's pick and rolls took Utah all the way to the NBA Finals (twice), and your team can make it just as far in NBA 2K16 without a modern-day stretch forward, so long as you simply know your players' roles.

NBA 2K16 Videos

Member Comments

# 1 Semipro91 @ 01/21/16 01:51 PM

Good read. You can also do similar things with pick and fades as long as you use the right big man. Parker/Aldridge combo is deadly.

# 2 The 24th Letter @ 01/21/16 02:10 PM

Great article, I usually use this when I'm centering my offense around LMA...he's too deadly in this game...

# 3 2kNerd @ 01/21/16 11:04 PM

Hmmm....this is cool. Might be a nice playbook to try with a Gasol brothers frontcourt....and maybe my TBT Calderon or Mark Price at PG....along with a couple Silver 3-and-D guys on the wings.

# 4 jyoung @ 01/22/16 08:06 PM

All you need to run these sets are:

1) Point guard who can make a pull up jumper
2) Power forward who can hit standing mid range and post up shots
3) Center who can set screens and finish close range baskets
4) Shooting guard and small forward who can make threes

Now that LaMarcus Aldridge's three point rating has dropped to a 50, this is a good set for him to run instead of a 4-out 1-in where he'd be stuck behind the three point line most of the time.

# 5 jyoung @ 01/28/16 03:18 PM

The '98 Jazz playbook is excellent for running pick and rolls from a 3-out, 2-in set, but it also has lots of great plays with cutters going to the basket and screeners trying to create open jump shots.

Quick 1 Dive works extremely well if you have a power forward who's a post-up threat and a point guard who has an acceleration/speed advantage over his matchup:

Option #1 -- Point guard runs a give & go with the small forward
Option #2 -- Power forward posts up on the nearside block
Option #3 -- Point guard comes off a screen for a jump shot
Option #4 -- Point guard goes into a pick & roll with the center if he can't shoot
Option #5 -- A double ball screen will come to the point guard if no passes are made

# 6 jyoung @ 01/29/16 02:49 PM

Quick 1-4 Swing ('98 Jazz playbook) sets up backdoor screens for the point guard and small forward while the power forward patrols the high post.

This play will destroy people who like to set their point of emphasis to "limit perimeter shots" or their off-ball defensive pressure to "deny" at the PG and SF positions, so it's great to use if you have perimeter shooting threats like Stephen Curry or Paul George playing those spots.

Option #1 -- Shooting guard takes the open wing three pointer
Option #2 -- Point guard runs a give & go with the shooting guard
Option #3 -- Power forward takes a mid-range jumper if the point guard isn't open
Option #4 -- Power forward works out of the high post if he can't shoot a jumper
Option #5 -- Small forward cuts backdoor for a layup opportunity
Option #6 -- Point guard comes off a down screen for a mid-range jumper

# 7 jyoung @ 01/30/16 12:11 PM

Another '98 Jazz play that will annihilate "limit perimeter shots" and "deny" defenses is Quick 14 Rip 1-4.

It creates a triangle of screens and cuts between the point guard, shooting guard, and center:

Option #1 -- Shooting guard runs a give & go with the point guard
Option #2 -- Point guard cuts backdoor off the shooting guard's screen
Option #3 -- Shooting guard pops out for a wing three pointer
Option #4 -- Shooting guard takes handoff from center and looks to shoot or drive
Option #5 -- Point guard looks to shoot off the center's down screen.
Option #6 -- Point guard goes into a pick & roll with the center if his shot isn't there.

# 8 jyoung @ 01/31/16 01:41 PM

The '98 Jazz playbook only has three plays that are specifically designed to create an open three point shot, but they are all highly effective, and you can call them for any player on the court who has shooting plays assigned to him:

'97 Quick 13

Quick 2 1-4

Quick 42 1-4

The more screeners you have with the "brick wall" badge, the more effective these plays will be.

They also don't include many secondary options, so if the first shot isn't open, then you'll probably want to manually call for a pick & roll, isolation, or post-up.

# 9 RyanFitzmagic @ 01/31/16 06:40 PM

What about when you have a wing player who can't stretch the floor out to the three-point line? I have this problem with Shaun Livingston when I bring my bench unit in. He's too valuable in other ways to take out of the rotation because he can't shoot threes, though.

# 10 jyoung @ 02/01/16 04:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RyanFitzmagic


	What about when you have a wing player who can't stretch the floor out to the three-point line? I have this problem with Shaun Livingston when I bring my bench unit in. He's too valuable in other ways to take out of the rotation because he can't shoot threes, though.

Shaun Livingston's long arms and 6'7" height make it easy for him to pass or shoot over smaller defenders in pick and roll situations. I would run the side pick and roll at the free throw line extended instead of the high pick and roll at the top of the key so that he'll end up in the mid-range area if he's open to shoot since he can hit those middies pretty reliably. If you can get into a close range jumper he's almost automatic at a 96 rating.

Livingston can also post-up smaller guards and get lots of easy points in the paint if the defense doesn't double team him.

More Links