In the New York Times article from November 19th, the author Jonathan Abrams analyzes some data from Synergy and extrapolates interesting facts about the usage and value of the old-school “pick and roll” offensive strategy.

Yes, the old-fashioned pick-and-roll is becoming more and more popular offensive strategy to win games. As is well known to anybody who ever played a serious basketball game, it involves two players, with one player dribbling the ball and another screening his defender (setting the pick). The player with the ball then has an option to attack the hoop, shoot, pass to the rolling or “popping” teammate, or to pass to a third teammate, typically waiting behind the three-point line. This play, although very simple, in the hands of great players becomes an almost indefensible offensive set.

Here are excerpts from the NYT article:

Use of the pick-and-roll rose to 18.6 percent of the league’s total plays last season from 15.6 percent in 2004-5, when Synergy began tracking it.

But over all, the Synergy numbers confirm what many in the N.B.A. have witnessed. Offenses now spread defenses thin with mobile big men, quick point guards and long-distance shooters. The pick-and-roll is the orchestrator of all that.

The defender guarding the ball handler can squeeze past the player setting the pick to stay with the ball handler (known as going over the pick). He can also try to avoid the pick by running behind the pick and then resume guarding the ball handler once he moves past the screen (known as going under the pick).

The two defenders can also switch whom they are guarding, with the taller defender momentarily defending the smaller ball handler and trying to hinder his vision before hurrying back to the player who set the pick. Or the defender guarding the ball handler can try to direct him away from the pick before it can take place.

The Synergy analysis showed that defenses were most effective when the on-ball defender went under the pick, temporarily abandoning the ball handler and then picking him up again.

With effective teams, the defensive strategies are limited. There are just too many options with the pick-and-roll, too many height and quickness mismatches for the offense to take advantage of. The defensive thought process turns simple, if futile. Sometimes, it just hopes that the team running the pick-and-roll misses whatever shot it chooses to take.