Explain One Play: How GSW traps LaMarcus Aldridge

Watch the chess match as the Warriors double-team Spurs star LaMarcus Aldridge. The Spurs counter with new schemes, and the Warriors have to counter the counters!  Co-starring great defensive hustle by Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala and Kevin Durant.

As GSOM’s Hugo Kitano wrote:

Aldridge averages more than twice the amount of points as the Spurs’ second leading scorer, Rudy Gay(not including Kawhi Leonard’s nine-game regular season stint). Aldridge is a volume scorer who’s been pretty decently efficient this year.

Aldridge is shooting a career-high 57.0% True Shooting percentage this year, is getting to the line at a good rate, and is rarely turning the ball over. He’s cut out a lot of the long two pointers that defined his game in years past and is shooting better around the basket. His ability to score on multiple levels can be difficult to guard.

But he’s exploitable: he’s not a good passer, averaging only two assists per game this year.

The Warriors attacked the Spurs by mixing up coverages on LaMarcus Aldridge, but with a huge dollop of double-teams. By Game 2, Aldridge was too wily for JaVale McGee or Kevon Looney to cover in isolation and his shot was on. In the first half, Aldridge had a big 17 points on 10 shots and pushed the Spurs to a halftime lead. So in the second half, the Warriors returned to double-team trapping Aldridge, and triggered a series of Spurs adjustments and Warriors counter-adjustments.

Here’s a short video looking at the chess match. Co-starring great defensive hustle by Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala and Kevin Durant.

(alternate YouTube link)