Factors affecting the effectiveness of the pick and roll offense at the 2017 European Men's Championship

Abstract

The evolution of basketball made the game faster, leading coaches to increase the use of pick and roll cooperation in offense. The purpose of this research was to investigate the performance time of the pick and roll every five minutes, the pair of players who participated in the pick and roll and the offensive action of the ball handler after the screen, in the European Men's Championship of 2017. The sample of the research was the sixteen games of the second round of the Championship. The instrument used for the analysis of the matches was the SportScout STA Version 3.2. Analysis with ꭓ2 (Chi-square) was used. In the results analysis, a total of 714 screens were found, of which 356 were successful (49.9%) and 358 (50.1%) failed. Most pick and rolls were performed in the second five-minute span of the third period of the games (14.8%) and in the first five-minute span of the first period (14.1%). Regarding the pairs of players participating in the action, most of them had the guard as the ball handler and the center as the screener (63.4%). In about 60% of the pick and rolls the ball handler chose to finish the action himself either by driving to the basket (31.8%) or with a shot (28.6%). The results of this study provide more information and directions to basketball coaches in order for them to better organize their training and maximize the offensive performance of their teams.

Effectiveness of the Pick and Roll Offense at the 2017 European U’20 Championship

“…Furthermore, most pick and rolls took place in the first quarter of each game (27.5 %). This finding is consistent with the results of Angelou et al (2021) and Gómez et al (2015) who found that most of the pick and roll actions were performed during that quarter (26.3% and 26.7% respectively). The reason that most pick and roll are performed in the 1st period may be the increased concentration of the players at the beginning of the match.…”

“…Regarding the execution time of the pick and roll in every five-minute span, most pick and rolls actions took place in the first five minutes of each quarter (53.2%), unlike the Men's European Championship, where most of the pick and roll actions were performed in the second five-minute span of each period (50.4%, Angelou et al 2021), but are consistent with the findings of Gómez et al (2015) who found that most pick and rolls were performed in the first five minutes of each period (51.2%). The interpretation of these findings needs further investigation.…”

“…The screens used on the athlete who has possession of the ball are the hand off cooperation or the pick and roll. Pick and roll is a screen that sets a player without the ball on the defensive player guarding the player with the ball, to create the conditions that will help their team to score (Angelou, Stavropoulos, Manou & Galazoulas, 2021). Pick and rolls are one of the most frequent tactical behaviors on offense in basketball.…”

“…The effectiveness of the pick and roll has been investigated in various championships and tournaments where men participate. In men's championships, it has been researched in all the high categories including European Championships (Angelou et al, 2021). Furthermore, the variables that the authors measured in the Men's 2017 European championship were the execution time of the pick and roll every five minutes (5'), the pair of players who participated in the pick and roll, the actions that the ball handler and the screener chose to make after the pick and roll and the successful-failed ratio (Angelou et al, 2021).…”

“…In men's championships, it has been researched in all the high categories including European Championships (Angelou et al, 2021). Furthermore, the variables that the authors measured in the Men's 2017 European championship were the execution time of the pick and roll every five minutes (5'), the pair of players who participated in the pick and roll, the actions that the ball handler and the screener chose to make after the pick and roll and the successful-failed ratio (Angelou et al, 2021). It has been observed that no research has studied the effectiveness of the pick and roll in the European U'20 Championships.…”