Finding water in the desert: How Duke's offense got buckets at Arizona

More on the process and play sequencing of Duke's half-court offense, led by Cooper Flagg

Over the weekend, I wrote about Duke’s defensive effort in the win at Arizona. While the Blue Devils led with their defense, holding the Wildcats to 55 points (0.81 points per possession), but the half-court offense delivered, too.

In a hostile environment against a quality defense, Duke scored 1.01 points per possession, shot 36 percent from beyond the arc, rebounded 35.1 percent of its own misses and assisted on 15 of 26 field goals — an assist rate of 57.7 percent. That’s not some insanely efficient offensive performance, especially with the turnovers (14) weighing down the overall efficiency. However, the process was good as the Blue Devils crafted sets fit to their personnel and effectively sequenced their organized offense.

Here’s how Duke broke down Arizona’s defense.

Hit them in the gut

During the preseason, Duke started to run a variety of sets that featured Kon Knueppel running off of staggered screens, which I wrote about after the Arizona State exhibition game.

From the win over Wofford: Knueppel comes off of screens from Cooper Flagg and Maliq Brown. When Knueppel (40.6 3P%) curls Brown’s screen, two Wofford defenders — worried about allowing an open jumper for an excellent shooter — leap out in his direction, which leaves leaves Brown open in space on the short roll. Brown is an excellent short-roll passer; when the defense rotates over to help at the nail, he quickly redirects the ball out for an open Tyrese Proctor corner 3.

These sets starts with Knuppel starting in one of the corners and running up the middle — the “Gut” — or the lane off of two off-ball screens: one from Flagg around the block and the second from the center around the foul line. Knueppel’s off-ball pattern looks like a big “L.” Duke opened the Arizona game with this design.

Instead of throwing the ball to Knueppl of the staggered screens, though, Caleb Foster hits Flagg, who ducked in on his defender after the Knueppel screen, for a post-up opportunity. After Flagg catches in the post, Khaman Maluach sets two more screens: a “Rip” (back) screen for Knueppel and then a flare screen for Foster. Arizona covers Knueppel on the back cut, but Foster is open off of the flare and Flagg hits him with a perfect pass.

When Knueppel comes off the staggered “L” screens, he usually receives a catch and then Duke will flow into “Chase” pick-and-roll action — with the center immediately following Knueppel to set a ball screen.

Arizona, especially early on, had its centers hedging ball screens — coming a step above the pick to push the ball handler out away from the rim. When this happens, the coverage forces the defense to rotate on the back side; it leaves two defenders to guard three players: the roller and two spot-up shooters. Knueppel comes off the staggered screens from Flagg and Brown. As Knueppel receives the pass from Sion James, Brown lifts to set the Chase ball screen and Flagg spaces out to the weak-side corner. Motiejus Krivas hedges out on Knueppel, which leaves two defender to handle Brown (the roller), James and Flagg.

Knueppel swings to James, who swings it to Flagg for an open corner 3-point attempts. Flagg misses the shot, but this is good offensive process.

Here’s an after-timeout (ATO) play call in the second half with Duke adding a wrinkle to the Chase ball-screen setup. Flagg doesn’t duck in or space to the corner on the same side of the floor; instead, as Maluach sets the down screen and ball screen for Knueppel, Flagg runs to the left corner off an “Exit” screen from Proctor. Knueppel dribbles left — in the direction of Flagg — and Maluach dives to the rim. Arizona is in drop coverage, but Tobe Awaka is close enough to Knueppel that it leaves an open lane to the rim for Maluach. Knueppel and Maluach can’t quite connect on the lob, but this is beautiful design — a meshing of different, complementary skill sets — and process from Duke. Bookmark this play.

An Exit screen is a pin-in screen along the baseline that’s set for a player to come off and look for a catch-and-shoot 3 in the corner. In recent years, this design has become increasingly popular as a way to occupy back-line help defenders and open the lane for the roll man. On this play, notice how Trey Townsend leaves the paint to communicate the switch on Proctor’s Exit screen for Flagg with Caleb Love.

Duke can also use this set to feed the high post and get into its off-ball motion game. The Blue Devils can use their split action and play off the gravity of Knueppel.

Brown is known for his defense, but he’s an excellent high-post passer, too. On this ATO play, Knueppel comes off the staggered screens from Mason Gillis (which Arizona switches) and Brown. Proctor to Brown at the left elbow and James lifts out as if he plans to set a flare screen for Knueppel. Right before James makes contact on a screen for Knueppel, he split cuts for a dunk — off of a great find from Brown.

The split cut is a great way to counter aggressive off-ball coverages, especially if defenses want to switch those actions. When defenses are expecting a screen, the split creates a lot of confusion and can lead to openings all over the court. That’s made even more powerful when Knueppel — a dangerous shooter who draws a great deal of defensive attention — is involved.

No, you aren’t seeing double. However, yes, here’s Duke scoring later in the first half on the exact same read: Gut Stagger into Elbow Split action. Arizona switches Flagg’s screen for Knueppel. Brown catches in the high post. James looks like he’ll set a flare screen but, once again, slips to the rim and beats Love for a dunk.

Now in the second half, Duke tries that Elbow Split move again off the double staggered screens for Knueppel. Love sticks with Proctor, who cuts through to the right corner. Brown passes to Knueppel, who has Townsend, Arizona’s de factor 4-man, switched on him. For the play’s next progression, Brown comes over to set an empty-corner ball screen for Knueppel — with center Henri Veesaar in drop coverage. Townsend plays Knueppel for the drive, but Knueppel keeps the ball in triple threat position. Instead of driving right, Knueppel uses his quick release to take and make a no-dribble 3-ball

With the threat of the split cut established, Duke can look to have that corner player actually set the flare screen for Knueppel. Watch this play from the second half. Knueppel comes off the staggered action and Brown receives the pass at the top of the key. Proctor comes out of the corner to set the flare screen for Knueppel. As that happens, though, Love — who was beat with the James split cut in the first half — takes a step toward the paint, not the screening action. This time, Proctor doesn’t slip the screen and instead smacks KJ Lewis with the flare screen

Finally, one last build of this series. Here’s an ATO, end-of-game play call from Duke. Once again, the ball lands in the hands of Brown in the high post. Proctor lifts in the direction of Knueppel, but instead of splitting in or setting the flare screen, the Aussie runs to the other side of Knueppel. It looks like Proctor is ready to set a down screen for Knueppel, who could then flow into Zoom action with Brown. Before he sets the pindown, though, Proctor slips backdoor and Brown hits him with a terrific pass.

Proctor misses the layup, but all of this is a demonstration in excellent play sequencing from Jon Scheyer: show the defense similar looking play designs with different reads and progressions. Disguise and attack the misdirection. Each play builds off of the previous action. Go back through all of these different reads off of the Gut Stagger: everything is a catch-and-shoot 3 or a finish at the rim — the best two shots an offense can generate in the half court.

One eye open, like CBS

As much fun as it’s been to chart some of the new things Scheyer and his staff worked in this season, it was almost reassuring to see Duke — in its first true road test of the season — go to its old school continuity ball screen (CBS) offense. This side-to-side ball screen action is a staple of Duke’s half-court offense, going back to the Coach K era. More specifically, it’s a continuous series of empty-corner ball screens with the ball alternating sides of the floor through the slots.

Here, the possession starts with Foster passing to Flagg in the right slot and cutting through to the left corner. Flagg then passes to Proctor on the right wing and the two engage in the empty-side action. As Proctor dribbles left, Maluach lifts up the floor and receives a pass in the left slot, which triggers a 45-degree cut off the wing from Knueppel. Now, the left side is open for Foster-Maluach empty-corner pick-and-roll. Arizona hedges and recovers, and Foster is forced to pass it back to Flagg in the right slot. Once again, it’s another empty-corner action for Flagg and Proctor. Love, who has long struggled with his ability to navigate screens, goes under Flagg’s pick and Proctor gets a wide-open, one-dribble pull-up 3.

During the 2023-24 season, Duke would — on occasion — run some CBS offense that would break out of the endless ball screen action and flow into a pindown for McCain.

Here’s the first play of the game vs. Charlotte last season, with Duke starting in a 1-4 High setup and flowing into continuity ball screen. First, it’s Jeremy Roach and Kyle Filipowski. Next, it’s Foster and Mark Mitchell. On this play, though, after McCain cuts off the left right, he remains under the basket. When Flip swings the ball to Mitchell, he drops down and sets a Gut pindown for McCain, who runs up the middle of the lane as Foster drives left off of Mitchell’s screen, creating an open catch-and-shoot 3.

Adding to the McCain/Knueppel similarities in terms of usage, Duke ran movement sets for Knueppel out of CBS at Arizona.

This play starts with Proctor-Flagg empty-corner action, which flows into a reversal with Brown in the left slot. As Brown receives the pass from Proctor, Knueppel cuts off the left wing — stopping underneath the basket, like McCain. After Brown screens for James, he veers out and sets a pindown for Knueppel. James throws the ball back to Knueppel, who curls hard off the screen and draws a crowd — with four Arizona defenders digging in. Knueppel is forced to kick the ball out, but Duke now has Arizona in rotation. The Wildcats do a good job scrambling around, but the Blue Devils move the ball well — with James and Flagging playing out of the play. Eventually, the ball swings back to Knueppel for an open 3-point look.

A Ghost Town out in the desert

With his double-big lineups, Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd likes to put length and size on the inbound passer when the Wildcats are defending under their own basket. Early on this season, Duke primarily used James, Proctor and Foster to be the trigger guy on these baseline-out-of-bounds (BLOB) plays, which allowed Knueppel to be a target or a decoy running off screens.

Well, Duke changed things up in Tucson. Knueppel became the inbound passer on some of these plays as the Blue Devils looked to take advantage of the matchup: a 7-footer asked to chase a powerful movement shooter like Knueppel around the floor once the ball is back in play.

On this BLOB play, Veesaar starts on Knueppel, who passes the ball to Brown. Knueppel cuts to the left corner and the ball swings to Flagg. The left side of the floor is cleared out. With a guard (Jaden Bradley) on Flagg and a 7-foot center on Knueppel, Duke runs inverted “Ghost” action. Knueppel sprints in the direction of Flagg, and it looks like he will set a ball screen, but instead he ghosts out — slipping the screen and running towards the top of the key. This forces Veesaar and Bradley to awkwardly navigate the non-screen. Veesaar wants to switch, but he’s too slow for Flagg, who turns the corner and draws the foul.

According to CBB Analytics, Flagg has drawn 2.6 shooting fouls per 40 minutes so far this season, which ranks in the 80th percentile nationally and is tops on Duke’s roster. (James is second with 1.8 shooting fouls drawn per 40 minutes.)

From earlier in the second half: it’s the same BLOB setup. Veesaar sticks with Knueppel this time, which means Bradley must check Flagg 1-on-1 in space — playing off the threat of the screen. Once more, Flagg turns the corner and scores at the rim.

Here’s the same action — now with the 6-foot-8, 250-pound Awaka trying to stay with Knueppel in space. Knueppel ghosts the empty-side look with Flagg, which creates a closeout for Arizona’s center. Awaka closes out under control, but a shot fake from Knueppel creates an opportunity: Awaka’s balance shifts and Knueppel attacks his top foot. This creates a driving lane. As Knueppel dribbles left, Townsend must help down and Flagg relocates to the left corner, opening up for the kick-out 3-ball.

Flagg leads Duke in assist rate (22.4 percent), and already has three or more assists to five different teammates. According to CBB Analytics, though, Knueppel to Flagg is the No. 1 assister-scorer combo on the roster, thus far, with Knueppel assisting six Flagg field goals.

Plant a Flagg in the paint

Similar to other Duke matchup beaters of the last decade — Jayson Tatum, Wendell Carter Jr., Zion Williamson, Jalen Johnson, Paolo Banchero, Filipowski — Flagg is an excellent target at both the nail (around the foul line and elbows) and in the mid-post.

I wrote about this a few weeks ago, during the preseason, but as Duke orients its 5-out offense around Flagg, the Blue Devils can leverage that spacing and Flagg’s talents to screen him down into the post.

These “Beilein” actions involve a slice/back screen from one of the guards for Flagg as he looks one away, pivots back, passes out and then cuts down off of the guard screen. From the Kentucky game: Foster passes to Flagg, Flagg looks left at Brown, spins back, passes to Knueppel lifting up for the right corner, and cuts down off Foster’s screen, drawing a foul in the post.

Here’s the same setup vs. Arizona. This time, though, the defense switches the Beilein screen from Foster, creating a switch in the post — with Love on Flagg. Love gambles to steal Proctor’s entry pass, but he misses and Flagg is able to catch, spin and show off his touch on the finish.

As I’ve mentioned previously, Duke ran this exact action for Filipowski a lot last season, too. Flip looks left, passes back to the lifting McCain and cuts off the screen from Foster.