How can Woody fix his "offense"?

[coachx]

Easy. Get players who fit into a offensive system first of all. Hence his comments of Horford improving his post game and finding a shooter.

1. Marvin either needs to develop a 3 point shot to properly space the floor as a SF for passing lanes or he needs to hit the road so we can get a SF who can hit a 3.

2. Horford or Smith need to develop a respectable post game to run offense through.

Remember this:

After JJ went for 20 in the 4th quarter vs. Boston many people were calling Doc Rivers the worst coach in the playoffs b/c he hever made the adustment to double team JJ and the playoffs are all about adjustments.

Now:

After the 24 point come back vs. the Lakers at Staples Center some are calling it the greatest coaching performance in Finals history after his hald time adjustments. Doc's response: " My philosophy has alwayse been it the players that make the shots. No matter what a coach calls the player has to knock down the shot and make the big play." BTW I LOVE that response.

I take that same philosophy with the Hawks.

1. We had not true post presence on offense.

2. No outside shooter to compliment JJ until over 1/2 way through the season in Bibby

3. No SF who can properly space the floor (unless we play Bibby at SG and JJ at SF which I hope we do more of).

4. We start a 3 guys between 21-23 who had alot to learn entering last year and still do.

The coach is as good as his players and Woody's players are just young guys who are still polishing their half court offensive games and we still wound up in the playoffs !

[Diesel]

We need to develop AL as a low post scorer or we need to get a shooter to work with JJ and Bibby.

Here's two option B's...

1. Raja Bell via Marvin for Bell/#15.

2. Mike Miller via... a three way through PTL Marvin to PTL, Frye/Zaza/Webster to Memphis, Miller to ATL...

If we could line the field up with Bibs, Bell, JJ... regardless of our size disadvantage up top, we would blow teams out of the game.

[Chris18]

Woody can fix his offense by

1. Keeping the offense up-tempo

2. Allowing Acie to take control of the 2nd unit

3. Playing the bench consistently

[Dsinner]

Quote:

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Quote:

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Before Bibby,

we won games

mainly because of stellar defense.

After Bibby, we were

able to win games

with efficient offense.

What are these "games" you speak of?

You should add the word "some" in front of "games".

[Peoriabird]

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Well, I have a few thoughts on this. Generalities mostly-I'm not claiming to know anything about designing and drawing up offensive sets, and how to react to certain defensive looks, so take this for what it is.

Firstly, let's just hope some players do what they need to do during the off-season. I'd liek to see Marvin work on his ball-handling so he doesn't lose control on most of his dribble penetration moves, and I'd liek to see him extend the range on his jumpshot by one step so he can start knocking down threes. I'd like to see Josh Smith work on his ball-handling as well, and his jumpshot also, but NOT at the expense of keeping his post game solid. Acie also should work on his jumpshooting.

In the half-court offense, Woody should use a lot of sets that put Horford in the high post and Smith in the low post. Josh Smith can score on a lot of the guys who would be defending him in the low post because of his strength, quickness, and jumping ability, and he's got good touch on lay ups and on his hook shot. Al Horford goes in the high post because, on occasion, your high post man pops out to the perimeter to take a pass, and whenever Josh Smith catches passes on the outside he's looking to shoot. Keep him down low where he can make fewer decisions that are detrimental to the offense. Horford is a contrast in that he makes a lot of good decisions on offense.

He also needs to stress Atlanta's floor spacing, which is terrible at times. I'm talking about the half court offense, not the spacing in the transition game, because our players actually have the transition game down pretty well. We play fairly good transition defense-having Josh Smith able to come from behind to block layups helps a lot-and we seldom screw up 3-on-2s or 2-on-1s. But in the half court game, the spacing is fairly poor. Marvin needs to work harder to get open without the ball, he's one of the biggest culprits of standing around watching too often.

As a basic offensive set, we need use Horford to set screens for JJ. By the way, Al needs to work on setting too many moving screens-that's one of the few things he does that really hurt. But Al is big enough that most of the people guarding JJ won't be able to fight through him, and you end up with big defenders like Haywood or Curry trying to guard Joe...it ain't happening. If you've got Josh on the low post and Bibby on the left wing, Joe has three options. Either the help comes from the perimeter where he can pass out to Bibby, or it comes from underneath so he can swing it under to Smith, or it doesn't come (or comes too late) and he just goes to the hole.

This is different from our basic offensive set, which generally involves Marvin, Josh, and Horford bunching up underneath to isolate Joe in a one-on-one situation. And, in fact, this is fine, if you use it occasionally, but not ALL THE TIME. Woody needs to flip this idea over, and work on isolating Smith in the low post. David Andersen may be a great help in this endeavor, if we sign him, because he'll pull a big man out of the paint to attempt to guard him on the perimeter. But we can still set screens to create those passing lanes which allow Smith to go to work on the low block, where he's fairly effective-and getting the ball to the interior causes defenses to collapse, opening up your shooters.

Excellent post!