How Duke plans to open the floor for Cooper Flagg

Are we seeing something new with Duke's 5-out series?

It’s unwise to draw too many conclusions from an exhibition game, but Duke’s 107-56 win over Lincoln provided some insight into an important scheme update. Let’s dive in with a detailed, (likely) way-too-early look at Duke’s “Slot 5” concept of 5-out offense.

Slot 5

As I’ve written previously, Duke played a lot of 5-out offense during the 2023-24 season. Given the personnel, starting with a 7-foot playmaking hub in Kyle Filipowski, this approach made sense: spread the defense and look to create advantages with different handoff actions and high-post passing reads.

When Duke went 5-out, most of those sets started with Filipowski initiating action in the middle third of the floor, surrounded by shooters and ball handlers — two on the wings, two in the corners.

Across all levels of basketball, this is the primary setup for 5-out (“Delay” or “Open”) offense: the possession starts with the center at the top of the key and the other four players (two on each side) spaced to the outer thirds of the floor.

Throughout the 2023-24 season, the Blue Devils dealt with a variety of junk coverages as opponents played off Mark Mitchell, which made it tough to fully optimize their 5-out blend. Often, opponents would stash their best rim protector on Mitchell — occasionally cross-matching at the 4 and 5, with Mitchell drawing the 5. In these scenarios, the opposing rim protector could sit in the paint and close off the basket — whether Mitchell was in the corner or in the dunker spot.

This strategy allowed the defense to assign a more athletic 4 to Flip, thus reducing his speed advantage along the perimeter, while also switching screens and handoff exchanges with greater comfort.

Jon Scheyer and his staff problem-solved and turned Mitchell into a high-volume screener and cutter, often working in tandem with Jared McCain. In the end, Duke produced a Top 10 offense, one that finished Top 55 nationally in a variety of metrics, though it felt like it never quite hit its top gear.

Back at it again, Duke is ready to run a lot of 5-out action this season, albeit with a twist. To help space the floor and open up different screening options, the Blue Devils are being intentional with where they place their center. Instead of initiating 5-out with Khaman Maluach or Maliq Brown in the middle of the floor, Duke has moved the center to the left or right wing/slot areas and operated with Cooper Flagg — the de facto 4-man — atop the key.

This “Slot 5” approach gained traction in the NBA, which JJ Redick discussed on his podcast last season. During the 2023-24 campaign, Quin Snyder and the Atlanta Hawks used this tactic to run 5-out with Jalen Johnson as a playmaking 4 in the middle third and a center spaced to the wing. The Boston Celtics will do this, too, especially in moments without stretch-5 Kristaps Porzingis, and play through Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown in the middle, while Jrue Holiday — the point guard — gets going as a screener.

More recently, the Charlotte Hornets and new coach Charles Lee, who arrived after serving as Boston’s top assistant last season, have also used “Slot 5” during the preseason. The Hornets, however, are still often stashing their 4 in the corner while using the “Slot 5” spacing to open drives and playmaking opportunities for their top two creators: LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller.

With this adjustment, Duke accomplishes a few different things. For starters, it opens the floor up for Flagg as a primary initiator. (I wouldn’t be surprised to see Duke try this next season, too, with Cameron Boozer as a playmaking 4.) By placing Brown and Maluach on the wing, instead of down low in the dunker spot, or spaced to the corner where it’s easier for their defender to sag off them in natural low-man help position, thus cluttering the lane, Duke creates more horizontal spacing in the half court.

This offensive positioning engages the defensive big as a horizontal helper, making it harder to rotate smoothly when the ball is passed around, while also keeping a smaller defender as the low-man back-line helper.

Scheyer noted after the Lincoln game that he’s empowered his centers to shoot 3s. However, even if Malauch and Brown aren’t threatening the defense as shooters from the wing, it’s harder to play off of them and be in good help position — as opposed to when they’re spaced to the corner or in the dunker spot.

Moreover, Duke can use this to its advantage in a variety of ways, including letting those guys crash the offensive glass with a running start and also turning them into screeners: if the opposing center is sagging down in the paint, those screens turn into open real estate along the perimeter. Plus, this setup also creates different pick-and-roll combinations, including inverted actions.

Let’s see it in action

4-5 Pick-and-roll

One of the first things Duke can do out of this look is to have it launch early 4-5 pick-and-roll with a step-up screen from Maluach or Brown for Flagg. Different types of big-to-big pick-and-rolls have been a staple of Duke’s offense for years now: Zion Williamson-Marques Bolden, Jalen Johnson-Matthew Hurt, Hurt-Vernon Carey Jr., Paolo Banchero-Mark Williams, Flip-Dereck Lively.

Here, Kon Knueppel passes to Flagg and Maluach quickly sets a ball screen — with his body parallel to the sideline. This forces the defense’s 4 and 5 to navigate a ball screen, which can be tricky in a few different directions. If the defense switches, all of a sudden it leaves the opposing 5 out an island, tasked with guarding the No. 1 pick in space. Flagg gets to cook.

It’s a similar setup here: Foster passes to Flagg and Maluach lifts from the left wing to set another 4-5 ball screen, again with his body parallel to the sideline. This time, Lincoln’s defense gets caught between a hedge and a full switch, which forces the low-man help defender to come off the corner and tag Maluach on the diver. There’s a cost to this rotation, though: Knueppel is now open in the corner. Flagg hits him with a skip pass for a 3 — despite a quality contest from Lincoln coach Julius Hodge.

In total, Knueppel made six 3-pointers against Lincoln — five of which were assisted by Flagg.

If Duke plays with pace and pushes into this half-court series, the offense will have opportunities to attack a scrambled defense. One pass, one screen and it’s an open look.

On this possession, Tyrese Proctor races it up and finds Flagg as Lincoln’s defense tries to get matched up. As Brown lifts to set a quick ball screen for Flagg, his defender is back in the paint and no one finds Knueppel in transition, which results in another triple.

Here’s a look at the Hornets running a similar ball screen action from the center. With Memphis center Zach Edey in drop coverage, Miller gets to dribble into an open, walk-up 3.

Delay Flare

The initial 4-5 screen exchange doesn’t have to necessarily be a ball screen. The Blue Devils can utilize a flare screen concept, too, with Brown setting an off-ball screen for Flagg — moving away from the ball. Flagg can look to shoot off the catch, or go to his second progression: a re-screen pick-and-roll with Brown, which draws a switch.

Brown does an excellent job attacking the switch with a powerful post-up, clearing space in the lane. Knueppel builds the advantage by shaking up and using a nice first step to attack off the catch, which puts the defense into rotation and creates a kick-out 3 for Flagg.

Delay Under

Once the defense starts to anticipate that 4-5 screen, Duke can counter. Here’s what I refer to as “Delay Under” from Duke’s “Slot 5” setup. Proctor passes to Flagg and Maluach takes off as if he plans to set another screen for Flagg.

Instead, Maluach slips under the on-ball defender, and Flagg leverages this for a downhill drive — kicking out to an open Knueppel. Maluach snags the offensive board and then hits Knueppel for one of the plays of the game.

Delay Slot-5 Zoom

When Duke gets to this “Slot-5” look, the Blue Devils can also play through the center at the elbow extended area and turn Flagg into a screener. This is how Duke can open up “Zoom” action: a pindown screen into a dribble-handoff (DHO).

Foster starts the possession by passing to Flagg, who swings the ball to Maluach on the left wing. Flagg quickly sets a pindown for Foster, who sprints into a DHO with Maluach. With the screen defender in drop coverage, Foster comes off the handoff with an open look from deep. He misses, but Sion James is there to clean it up.

Thumbs Down / Delay Pindown

Duke can also launch its vintage “Thumbs Down” action, which is a simple down screen for a guard/wing coming out of the corner, from this 5-out Delay set. With the 5 already on the wing, the Blue Devils can flow into the pindown screen with 5-out spacing around the floor.

Brown sets the pindown here for Knueppel, who draws a foul trying to curl into the teeth of the defense.

Back to the Hornets: here’s that 5-out “Delay Pindown” look for Brandon Miller. He doesn’t have the shot off the catch, but he’s able to get a ghost screen and turn the corner on TJ Warren for a lefty layup.

If Knueppel is able to draw two defenders on the ball when he comes off the pindown, it’s going to open up Brown (or Maluach) on the dive to the rim. Brown is very dangerous as a rim-runner; he shot 74.5 percent at the rim last season (53 dunks) and scored 1.23 points per possession when he rolled or slipped to the rim out of the pick-and-roll, according to Synergy Sports.

ATO Specials

For instance, Duke runs a fun after-timeout (ATO) play call here from this “Slot-5” series — a staggered screen look for Knueppel. Proctor passes to Flagg in the middle as Knueppel starts the possession in the right corner. Mason Gillis, a quality shooter and screener, runs over and sets a cross screen for Knueppel, who runs off that and then a second screen from Brown. Knueppel’s gravity pulls in two defenders, leaving Brown open on the empty-corner dive. Brown jumps for the lob and draws a foul.

The key here is Knueppel’s ability to get two defenders on the ball. With the chase defender behind the play, the screen defender must step up on Knueppel. Similar to McCain last season, Knueppel’s movement will be a real weapon for Duke’s offense.

Here’s another “Slot-5” ATO from the first half. There’s a lot of shooting on the floor, including Darren Harris in the right corner, and Proctor starts the action in the middle, with Maluach on the left wing. Proctor cuts down the lane and sets a Flex screen for Gillis coming out of the left corner. Instead of this turning into screen-the-screener Flex action — with Proctor screening for Gillis and then coming off a pindown from Maluach — Proctor sets a “Rip” screen for Maluach, hoping to create a lob opportunity. The defense compresses, which takes denies the lob to Maluach, but Proctor pops out and is open on the next progression.

Flagg really did a little bit of everything in his preseason debut: isolation scoring, pick-and-roll initiation, post-up game, catch-and-go and transition. Early on, Duke has also shown a willingness to get Flagg looks off movement.

On this ATO play, Duke doesn’t start things by entering the ball to Flagg. Instead, Proctor dribbles into a 1-4 pick-and-pop look — with Flagg “ghosting” the screen and slipping out to the right wing. Maluach trails Flagg underneath the screen. When you freeze the film at 9:09, it looks like Duke is set up to run Knueppel off staggered screens. Flagg’s defender even gets caught looking over his left shoulder in the direction of Knueppel in the right corner.

As soon as the defender turns his head, though, Flagg snaps back in the other direction — running off a throwback pindown screen from Maluach. This is great process here from Duke, despite the miss: it’s an open 3-point attempt for a good shooter. Gillis does a nice job corner crashing to keep the possession alive, too.

Beilein action

Even with this adjustment, Duke will still run some of the same 5-out sets it went to last season. In fact, here’s Flagg being utilized in the exact same way as Flip — flowing from 5-out initiation into a post-up.

This is the first play of the second half vs. Lincoln: “Beilein” action from the 5-out set. Foster passes to Flagg in the middle, which triggers James coming out of the left corner and off a down screen from Brown — possibly to look for a catch off the pindown or to flow into “Zoom” action. This is misdirection, though. Flagg pivots, spins back to his right and hits Knueppel lifting up the right wing. As this happens, Foster sets a back screen to slice Flagg down to the block.

Timing is important. If you hit this quickly, Flagg may get a cut layup. Despite the miss, it’s still a good look 1-on-1 in the paint.

Here’s the same play from the 2023-24 season with Filipowski scoring at the rim vs. Virginia Tech. Foster passes to Flip. Mitchell and Proctor comes together for a split exchange on the left side of the floor. Flip looks left and spins back right. McCain lifts up to the right wing. Foster sets the back screen which results in a Flip layup.

Pin In

This “5-Slot” technique can also create movement 3-point opportunities for the trailing middle/4-man. One of the ways to do this is with a quick “pin-in” screen from the center.

Flagg isn’t in the game for this possession, but Duke gets to show off more of its lineup versatility with James as the de facto 4. As James crosses half court, Foster and Brown spot the read. With the defense back, Brown smacks the off-ball defender with a “pin-in” screen, flipping his shoulders to be squared with the baseline. James catches in and is able to get a one-dribble rhythm 3.

Brown is such an industrious two-way player. His defensive ability gets plenty of deserved recognition, but his ability to work as a screener is super important. He’s going to really help guys like Flagg, Knueppel, Proctor and Foster get open looks.

Play out of the play

Flagg is a clever passer who sees and maps the floor with precision. Put him in position to initiate with a spread floor and he’ll pick out cutters and shooters, which pairs well with Knueppel’s off-ball movement and Proctor’s pacey feel for the game.

This is a defensive breakdown from Lincoln, but as Knueppel cuts along the baseline to get to the left corner, Flagg hits him with a pass. This isn’t a play call. That’s just two talented guys making a play.

There’s so much basketball left to be played; Duke’s offense will surely shift and evolve as the year goes along. That said, this is a potentially significant adjustment, one that puts a premium on spacing and sets the table for Cooper Flagg, the nation’s No. 1 draft prospect.