Kon Knueppel and the use of staggered screens

Duke showcases a few different ways to get Knueppel going as an off-ball mover

It was an offensive clinic for Duke as the Blue Devils steamrolled Arizona State 103-47 in Sunday’s exhibition game. In total, Duke hit 17-of-34 3-point attempts, though the second half was especially electric: 66 points and 15-of-23 shooting from beyond the arc (65.2 3P%).

The leader of Duke’s shooting barrage was freshman guard Kon Knueppel, who drained four 3-pointers, dished out four assists and scored 19 points on 11 field goals. Knueppel has yet to play an official game at Duke, but he’s already staked his claim as the program’s next great 3-point bomber.

Duke’s roster features multiple players who can do damage while shooting off of hard movement, including Cooper Flagg and Darren Harris. However, Knueppel is in his own tier — at the moment — as a movement shooter/playmaker. When you have a player like this, it’s crucial to create opportunities to leverage the shooting gravity.

During of Jon Scheyer’s first two seasons as Duke’s head coach, the Blue Devils put together a variety of quality actions to scheme up open looks off of movement for different shooters — Jared McCain in particular, but also guys like Dariq Whitehead, Tyrese Proctor and Jacob Grandison. Now, it’s Knueppel’s turn to cook.

One of the primary ways Duke schemed up open looks for Knueppel in the Arizona State game was the use of staggered off-ball screens. Let’s rewind a few of those actions and see what exactly worked.

Horns Out Chin Strong

Knueppel is especially potent as an off-ball mover because of his versatility; he’s more than just a shooter. The 6-foot-7, 217-pound freshman has the size and feel to work as a passer when he draws a second defender, while also possessing the strength and handle to attack a hard closeout. He’s a challenge to contain. Defenses must account for more than just his jumper. (The jumper is pretty dang good, though.)

On the very first play of the game, Duke begins with a “Horns Out” setup, which will eventually flow into a staggered screens (“Strong”) for Knueppel. This starts with a normal Horns look — the 4 and 5 at the elbows (Flagg and Maluach), and two shooters in the corners. To launch the possession, Flagg will pop out to the right wing off a little brush screen at the elbow from Maluach. Caleb Foster will pass it over to Flagg and then Duke gets into the action. Knueppel is in the left corner.

Following his pass to Flagg, Foster cuts down the left slot — off a back screen/Chin action from Maluach. Foster continues and gets ready to set a down screen for Knueppel. Maluach follows suit, turns and prepares to set a second pindown for Knueppel.

As Knueppel runs off these staggered screens (“Strong Motion”), he curls hard into the teeth of the defense, which pulls in a second defense: Shawn Phillips leaves Maluach to help on Knueppel’s curl at the nail. This would be fine, but Ace Miller fails to tag Maluach as he sticks too close to Foster.

The staggered screen looks are powerful because: a) the chase defender is forced to fight through multiple screens while trying to stay with a good shooter and b) it puts pressure on the defense’s rotations with multiple secondary actions. Foster screens and pops. Maluach screens and dives. With his defender occupied and no low-man tag, the 7-foot-2 Maluach has a free run to to the rim. Knueppel hits him for the lob dunk.

I wrote about this following Duke’s exhibition win over Lincoln: Knueppel’s gravity, when paired with the screening of Maluach and Maliq Brown, is a great way to create another pressure point on the rim.

Gut Stagger Exit

To start the second half vs. ASU, Duke again put Knueppel in the action, running off staggered screens. Knueppel starts in the left corner and runs off two down screens from Flagg and Maluach — coming up through the middle (“Gut”) of the lane.

This time, though, Knueppel isn’t looking to make a play immediately off the catch. The action, flows into a little chase ball screen — with Maluach lifting up to set a quick ball screen for Knueppel.

While that happens, Flagg runs the baseline and comes off an “Exit” screen from Proctor in the right corner — which will either create an open kick-out opportunity or tie-up the back-line help defender, Jayden Quaintance.

After failing to tag Maluach to open the game, Miller makes sure to check Maluach on this screen-and-dive; however, that leaves Foster open on the left wing. Foster will look to get downhill when playing off the catch. Here, he makes an explosive play to attack the closeout following a kick-out pass from Knueppel — jabbing left, getting all the way to the rim and drawing a foul.

77 Strong

The Blue Devils continued to drum up ways to get Knueppel running off staggered screens early in the second half. Scheyer went with an off-ball set that’s well designed to attack drop coverage — the center defender setting up below the level of the screen. I refer to this as “77 Strong” or “Double Drag Stagger.” It’s a double high ball screen action — with the two big man screeners flowing from ball screen action into staggered screens for an off-ball player — i.e., Knueppel in the left corner.

On this first look, Flagg looks out of position to start and it takes a half-second to flow into the staggered screens; however, the set still hits as intended. Knueppel sets his defender up perfectly — sprinting up and off the double screens. Amier Ali (No. 5) tries to shoot the gap, and Knueppel counters by fading the screens — planting his left foot and drifting away, back towards Duke’s bench. The result is an open 3.

Here’s the same look. Flagg and Maluach ghost the ball screens for Foster and flow into staggered pindowns for Knueppel. This time, though, Knueppel’s defender doesn’t try to shoot the gap. That didn’t work well for Ali on the previous possession. Instead, Ali locks and trails, which puts him a step behind the play. Knueppel reads this coverage and curls the screens instead of fading. Eager to contest the shot, Ali gets his hand caught in the cookie jar and makes the mistake of fouling a 3-point shooter. Knueppel cashes in with a 4-point play.

Duke has already shown another way to work off this double drag into staggered setup. From the Lincoln game: Flagg and Maluach slip the ball screens with Proctor, and it looks like the Blue Devils are set to run staggered screens for Knueppel out of the left corner. Before that can happen, though, Flagg snaps back off a quick single down screen from Maluach.

Delay Beilein: ATO Special

With Knueppel breathing fire, Scheyer dialed up some heat on this after-timeout (ATO) set. It’s a 5-out design with Knueppel starting in the middle of the floor and Brown, the 5, spaced to to the left wing — an adjustment to Duke’s 5-out setup from last season, one that’s become rather trendy in the NBA, too.

Proctor starts things by passing to Knueppel, who looks left and quickly spins back to his right. Sion James shakes up from the corner to the right wing. Knueppel passes out to James. While that takes place, Proctor slides down sets a back screen for Knueppel.

So far, this looks very similar to the “Beilein” action Duke ran last week for Flagg and dozens of times last season for Kyle Filipowski.

Here’s where things shift between what’s run for Knueppel and Flagg/Filipowski. Instead of looking for Knueppel off the initial cut or in the post, Duke runs another double screen look for its star shooter. After coming off Proctor’s screen, Knueppel zips back up to the wing — off second screen from James.

Knueppel uses his strength to create some initial separation from Ali, and James gets in the way of the closeout as Kon fades the pindown for another triple.