Coaches Corner: Rick Carlisle Playbook

After discussing the Pacers with Caitlin Cooper, let's dive into Carlisle's playbook

Throw out the last three years with Luka Doncic for a second. Rick Carlisle’s first isolation-driven superstar radically changed the way his teams ran plays on offense, dropping a playbook built around endless counters and variety for a Doncic-driven approach.

Earlier this week, we sat down to speak with Caitlin Cooper of Indy Cornrows on our first ever Box and One Podcast. Caitlin brought up the experience of Carlisle with playbooks centered around two bigs (Dirk Nowitzki and a center) over the last decade and how that should be a solid fit with the Indiana Pacers. Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner fitting into a system curated by Carlisle is a logical fit.

Carlisle’s offensive acumen is well known. He’s run a lot of ball screens in the past, which would mesh well for a Pacers team that features several ball handlers. On their top unit, Malcolm Brogdon and Caris LeVert are both above-average creators from the guard spots, and backup point guard TJ McConnell is one of the best drive-and-kick options in the league. Carlisle had success combining pre-screen motion with exquisite floor spacing in Dallas during the pre-Luka days:

A pick-and-pop big like Dirk was the centerpiece of many single high screens, a role that one of Myles Turner (14-31 on pick & pops last year) can be maximized in. Imagining TJ Warren in the Harrison Barnes role as a smaller mismatch 4 fits nicely into the ball screen sets as well (more on Warren as feaux Barnes later).

The tight Horns ball screen in the video above is a fantastic look for a guy like Brogdon, a solid scorer who is patient in the mid-range and a strong decision-maker. We already saw how Brogdon operated in Double Drag sets last year under Nate Bjorkgren, an area where his game took off to the next level:

Sabonis is an All-Star and LeVert has a great deal of potential, but Brogdon is still their most reliable creator. Brogdon was one of 25 players to attempt 375 shots or more out of the pick-and-roll. Among that group, his 9.6% turnover rate was second-best (Kemba Walker barely bested him at 9.5%). Don’t be surprised to see Brogdon put up efficient, high-volume numbers under his new coach.

While those middle pick-and-pops take place, weak-side action to occupy defense is necessary. Carlisle is a master there. The Mavericks would get everyone staring at the high pick-and-roll, then run a cross screen down low. Two options would emerge: a post-up for a mismatch or a throwback to the screener.

We refer to this as an option series for a few reasons: the handler has the option to throw to the post-up or the reversal, and the man coming off the cross screen has the option to use it or zip up the key off the other big.

If Turner is in the pick-and-pop spot, Sabonis has the mismatch post-up ability to come off the cross screen. Last year, Domantas had the fourth-most post-up possessions in the NBA, trailing only Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic and Julius Randle. Using a shooter (LeVert, Justin Holiday, Chris Duarte) to set the cross screen helps him establish low post position.

Even Warren fits in well when the Pacers go smaller. He’s long been a mismatch post-up option and converted on 63% of his rim attempts in 2019-20. Place him close to the rim off catch-and-finish actions and he could pop as the Pacers third option.

Playing two bigs requires manufacturing spacing. No part of Carlisle’s playbook is deeper or more impressive than his Philly (Iverson) series. Caitlin and I discussed this in length on the podcast, mentioning how many ball screen looks are apparent and how placing both Turner and Sabonis on the elbows give them utility. Sabonis, as a high post creator, would be weaponized as he develops a feel for the offense:

Multiple handlers like LeVert and Brogdon, McConnell and Duarte make this pop. A great slasher or baseline cutter like Warren (as Caitlin expertly pointed out) is the ideal fifth option for mismatch post-ups, sneaky backdoors or designed cuts. We particularly love the pitch counter at 2:16 in the video above — a fantastic way to get easy dribble penetration.

Any time an offense is built around size, creating quality looks at the basket becomes paramount. It may seem tacky and outdated, but Carlisle continues to utilize a Flex attack to see if he can get quick layups. Guards wheel around as screeners and bigs come off for layups, and the pace with which it’s run can cause real havoc for defenses:

Playing two bigs means creating false movement. Think of the two of them as working in a tandem like a pulley: one comes up, one goes down. One is left, the other has to be right. The floor balance that is achieved from keeping them on opposite sides is vital for dribble penetration.

There’s no offense with more clearly delineated roles on floor spacing for two bigs than a “Circle” motion, also known as Mover-Blocker. Former Carlisle assistant Terry Stotts built an entire multi-year offensive system on this concept during his time in Portland.

As Caitlin mentioned on our podcast, the flare-to-ball screen combination is awfully hard to guard. Sabonis, a physical screener when he wants to be, meshes really well with this concept. The multiple-handler approach is important to making this work, and there’s a long library of wrinkles that Carlisle can count on, including re-screens and break-off post-ups, to keep a defense on its toes. I’d bank on seeing some Circle run this year in Indianapolis.

One cheap quick-hitter to get some movement into a high pick-and-roll is their “Rip PNR” set, featuring a back screen and pop from the point guard. We’ve run this on teams I’ve coached in the past and it is very effective:

Now the fun part begins. Blending each of these actions and formations together to keep the defense off balance. This play below, Zipper Fist Exit, is the combination of a Zipper PNR action similar to Rip PNR above, keeps both bigs on opposite sides, has the cross-screen (or “Exit”) on the baseline and features a nice counter with a Veer screen.

Caitlin mentioned so many great wrinkles that come from Veer screens from non-shooting bigs and is a great way to weaponize the shooting threat of a young player like Duarte or a role player like Holiday.

Over the last few seasons, Carlisle has become one of the best at using the Spain pick-and-roll action. The Pacers may not have the most elite 3-point attack in the game, but a guy like Duarte could become huge here. It’s a staple of the league nowadays.

While the Mavericks would walk up into their Spain sets, they also weaved into it naturally out of the flow of offense. That disguising made it awfully hard to guard:

If Bubble TJ Warren ever shows up again, the Pacers have a unique weapon to play through. An almost copy-and-paste of the Harrison Barnes pages from Carlisle’s playbook would be ideal for Warren. Whether it’s a pick-and-pop to force a point guard switch followed by a baseline stagger, or other concepts to get him the ball on the move, Carlisle has the experience to get the most out of him. Barnes achieved career-highs during his time in Dallas. In those three years, he averaged 18.7 points per game.

We all know Rick Carlisle can coach, and he wouldn’t have joined the Pacers if they were in rebuilding mode. This is a team that wants to be good, wants to compete and is driven to win now. Carlisle can maximize their output, even with two bigs at the fulcrum of their attack. He’s done it before, and his playbook is proof that he can do it again.