Duke Basketball: The Best Devils Set Play During the Krzyzewski Era

Set play? Duke Blue Devils? Oxymoron, many of you may say. Granted, when most people, even many devoted fans, think of Duke basketball, these two things just don't quite seem to go together.

Today, the prevailing perceptions that come to mind when most think about Duke offensive basketball are these: guards attacking off the bounce while coming over the top of ball screens set by post players, post players rolling to the basket as their defenders show to help on the ball screens (but they don't get the ball), superior spacing and quick ball movement to open shooters along the three point line, drive and kick, kick-out passes from the post, after passes or boards, to shooters behind the arc, three point daggers, trey J's, swag bombs, boom...occasional lob passes for thunderous dunks as paranoid defenders begin to panic about all the threes and leave the posts open...oh, and more threes...boom, boom.

Those of us who have witnessed the total Krzyzewski experience at Duke can remember a different time. Duke's offense, like most things do, has evolved over the course of the last 31 years. The adoption of the standardized three-point line (moved back recently) and the introduction of shot clock (originally 45 seconds, then bumped down to 35 the next decade) in the mid '80s, the athleticism and mad skills off the dribble of today's players, K's increasing exposure to the NBA game and his own evolution as a coach are a few the factors accounting for the metamorphosis. While an occasional set play can still be spotted by the discerning eye, especially after timeouts, there was a time when Duke employed them much more routinely. 

Coach K's offensive philosophy has always been rooted in motion offense. As is true with most "systems" or "philosophies" of offense and defense in sports, if you ask 10 different coaches what motion offense is, you will likely get 10 answers nuanced slightly differently.

In the early days, Duke's motion largely consisted of players moving and cutting without the ball and screening for each other to get open. It was very screen-oriented, as fewer players could get their own shots. Post players primarily screened for guards that were moving through the lane and around the basket. Perimeter players, or guards, set different types of screens for each other on the outside, reading and reacting to how the screens were defended by the opponent.

Inside, when not screening for transient guards moving through their domain, post players screened for each other to open themselves up around the basket, again reading and responding to how the defenders managed the screen.

Back then before the shots clock made it problematic, instead of just flowing into their offense as they routinely do now, the Blue Devils used more offensive sets to get into their motion. Coach 'K' use to utilize multiple "stack" sets to initiate motion.

A "stack" is when two players, usually a post and perimeter player, though not always, are positioned together in close proximity as a tandem. The most common one utilized was double "stacks," pairs that were positioned on either side of the lane near the blocks (I forget which announcer uses the phrase, "the low blocks"—drives me crazy—there are no "high blocks...but I digress.").

In this double "stack" set, which Duke still uses on occasion, the guard in the tandem or "stack", typically used his post partner to help free himself for a pass or shot along the perimeter. To complicate things for the defense, the guards would often execute a crossing move, criss-crossing by each other under the basket and then rubbing off of the post on the opposite side of the lane. It was often akin to a game of hide and seek or "peek-a-boo" down inside.

This "crossing" move down inside was the genesis for one of my favorite Duke plays. It set up, or "conditioned," the defense for the play to work.

To effectively defend the more complex crossing movement, opposing defenses often resorted to "bump" switching the crossing guards or swapping assignments at the point where the two guards passed one another and the defenders literally "bumped" into each other. "K" used this counter move by the defense to set up this play.

If you will watch this grainy video carefully, you will see the double stacks, three (small forward) and five (big post) stacked on the left and two (best shooter) and four (shooting post) in tandem on the right, with the point guard out top with ball in hand.

The point started to his right, and as he did, the four popped out to wing while the two and three began their crossing movement. In actuality, all that the three, or small forward, really did was feign his movement across the lane by taking a hard step or two in. The five would hold his ground as the ball moved away from him. 

As soon as the defense began to shift and commit toward the dribble, the point would crossover hard back in the other direction. The best shooter, let's say JJ Redick, for example (though I never saw them use this play then) was coming hard across the lane under three and five, driving for the arc. As he did, three's man switched off to him.

As the point crossed over, five began to cross the lane in the opposite direction. As he did, three stepped back to the new ball side of the floor near the block. Two's defender, who had planned to switch to three as he came across, got caught awaiting him to come across and then got caught up in the trash and traffic, vision and path obscured, of five and his defender coming across the lane instead. 

As the point moved across the top of the key toward the shooter, three was left standing alone near the left block awaiting the pass for an easy lay-up, power move or dunk. Don't know what K called it, but I always thought of it as "Lonely," because the small forward was almost always left alone and open down low.

Like most set plays, it was successful for a couple of reasons. First, it was designed to mirror the movements that were frequently occurring within the offense under normal conditions, creating a certain degree of expectation, anticipation and familiarity of function within the defense's mindset. And secondly, it was sparingly employed, thus, the element of surprise was in play.

Don't get me wrong. I love today's Duke offense. I am up off of the couch screaming, "Bam!", thus rattling the neighbors windows and causing the dogs to bark as often as anyone. But I love me a good set play for an easy basket too. Lay-ups are cool too.

If you don't remember it or if you're too young to have seen this vintage late '80s, early 90's set play from the Duke playbook, hope you will enjoy it.