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2013 NBA Offseason - Atlanta Hawks
Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in MikeBudenholzers offense
By Robby Kalland on Jun 7 2013 800a RKalland 2
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With Mike Budenholzer being named the Hawks new head coach and so much potential roster turnover there are many
questions surrounding the Hawks Here we examine how Budenholzers offensive system will utilize (and benefit) Al
Horford
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In Mike Budenholzers introductory press conference as Hawks head coach he discussed his plan for building and
developing a program in Atlanta While much is up in the air for the Hawks this summer Budenholzer knows two things
for sure Al Horford will be a major factor and what kind of offensive system he will be running
Budenholzer mentioned Horford on numerous occasions and when asked what excites him about the roster he quickly
said The roster starts with Al Horford Budenholzer clearly sees Horford as a cornerstone piece in building the
Hawks and stated repeatedly how excited he was to work with Al
If there was any question that he would be bringing over San Antonios offensive system Budenholzer answered that
with a resounding yes
I think theres a system offensively that has evolved and grown that Im very comfortable with that I want to bring with
me It starts with pace and playing with a high pace ball movement people movement playing unselfish organized andattacking
Great San Antonios offense is a model of consistency and maximizes the talents of its three best players Tim Duncan
Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili However how will that translate to the Hawks Good news The Hawks have a
number of open roster spots to bring in players that will fit the system Bad news None of those players will be named
Tim Duncan Tony Parker or Manu Ginobili
While John Jenkins Mike Scott and Lou Williams (hopefully by training camp) will be on the squad next year their
roles are yet to be fully determined (Williams will be the sixth man but the capacity in which he is asked to play is yet to
be known)
[Note Mike is non-guaranteed but Scott is a near lock for the roster Shelvin Mack is also non-guaranteed and while I
see him making the roster it is not as definite as Scott]
The one certainty is Al Horford and the role he will play in the offense While centerpiece may not be the correct term
(he could be if we are unable to land any of the top free agents) Horford will play a major role in Budenholzers offense
which will have a different look from Larry Drews offense Using videos and charts from the NBA Media Stats site and
statistics from Synergy Sports we will examine how Al Horford will be used in Budenholzers offense and why I believehe will become an even better offensive weapon
Overview
As you can see in the two images below [First Hawks Shot Distribution Second Spurs Shot Distribution] where the
Hawks shots will come from will have a different look in Budenholzers offense The Spurs got 33 more of their shots
within eight feet of the rim than did the Hawks The Spurs offense also utilized the baseline area on the left and right side
of the basket from 8-15 feet much more often than the Hawks (101 to 66 of the total offense) The corner three is
also emphasized more than above the break in Budenholzers system than Drews (CornerAbove Break 95167
to 79206)
Hawks shot distribution
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Spurs shot distribution
Those areas of the floor were more popular in the Spurs offense because of the positioning of the offense and the plays
the Spurs run [Note Personnel also has an impact but the positioning of that personnel had the larger impact] Pick-
and-roll will be the most common play-type in Budenholzers system and will be much more prevalent than in Drews
offense The Spurs ran pick-and-roll 2226 (092 Points Per Possession 5th) of the time last season compared to the
Hawks who ran pick-and-roll 1815 (084 PPP 18th) of the time Spot-up shots will continue to be a major factor
under Budenholzer as spot-up attempts accounted for 2148 (104 PPP 6th) of the Spurs offense
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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While Budenholzer wants to push the pace transition buckets will not be as large a part of the offense Transition
attempts accounted for 1666 (118 PPP 5th) for the Hawks while just 1368 (111 PPP 19th) for the SpursWith younger personnel more suited for playing up-tempo the Hawks will likely do better than the Spurs in getting out
on the break but Budenholzer also asks for a greater commitment from the entire team to crash the defensive glass
which cuts down on transition opportunities
Due to the uncertainty about who all will be on the roster the only player with a defined role as of now is Al Horford
We know Horford will be used in the same manner as Tim Duncan That is not to say Horford has all of the same skills
as Duncan or will be as effective in certain areas as Duncan but Horford will be utilized in the same position This role
will not be a major departure from how Horford was utilized last year
Horford and Duncan each had about the same number of touches as the roll man in pick-and-roll (297 for Horford 320
for Duncan) and Horford was more effective on a per possession basis than Duncan was scoring 101 PPP (514
FG) to Duncans 095 PPP (472) Horford should see a more significant jump in his spot-up attempts as Duncan had
43 more spot-up touches than Al did (192 to 149) Horford shot a better percentage on spot-up opportunities (432
to 429) but his PPP was slightly lower (083 to 088) because Duncan got to the free throw line more than twice as
often on spot-up looks A boost in spot-up looks which will mostly come via the pick-and-pop should be a positive
both for Horford and the Hawks offense
The biggest change for Horford will be the number of post touches Duncan received 420 post touches and was 22nd in
the NBA with 094 PPP on 466 shooting along with a 98 foul percentage Horford had 327 post touches and was
67th in the NBA with 085 PPP on 455 shooting with an 85 foul percentage Horford will have to improve his
footwork in the post and develop a more consistent counter move if he is going to be effective in what should be an
expanded role as a post player
To illustrate the different nuances in how the Hawks offense will utilize Horford under Budenholzer I have pulled manyvideos from the NBA Media Stats site showing plays run by the Spurs this past year and comparable plays in the
Hawks playbook under Drews guidance I will put plays that are similar together and explain the differences that
Horford will have to adapt to under Budenholzer
Pick-and-Roll Sets
Finding pick-and-roll sets that result in an Al Horford lay-up or dunk are few and far between especially if you want to
see one not run with Josh Smith via the highly successful 4-5 pick-and-roll Horford was primarily a pick-and-pop
player last season which is something he will be asked to continue in Budenholzers offense Budenholzers offense will
be a more balanced mix of pick-and-pop and pick-and-roll for Horford than was Drews which should benefit Horford
because of the speed advantage he has over most of his opponents (especially at the five)
The side pick-and-roll is a favorite of Budenholzers offense especially in semi-transition or early in the clock (like in the
video below) to take advantage of the defense being out of position It is a basic side pick-and-roll with a small twist
Like a normal side pick-and-roll the point guard comes from the break of the three-point line towards the free throw line
and the big slips the screen and rolling down the baseline to the basket However the Spurs bring their small forward up
to the top of the key to chip Duncans man prior to Duncans screen which frees Duncan up for just enough room to
turn the corner to the basket undeterred The key is how quickly Parker recognizes that both defenders have stepped
towards him and the speed with which Duncan slips the screen and gets moving to the hoop
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The Hawks occasionally ran similar sets last year but normally the side pick-and-roll was run with Josh Smith rather
than Al Horford Here the Hawks run a version of the side pick-and-roll with Horford rolling to the hoop for an alley-
oop dunk
The largest difference in the two plays is the timing For the Hawks to be as successful with the pick-and-roll on a
consistent basis they will have to have a point guard making quick decisions coming off the screen to either attack the
rim or make an early pass and Horford will have to look to get the ball earlier rather than looking for lobs
As for the pick-and-pop Horford will be right at home The Spurs took 307 shots from the left elbow Duncan took
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111 of those attempts shooting 486 Horford took 61 of the Hawks 308 attempts from the same spot (glares at
Smoove) and shot 475 Horford can expect to operate more from the left side of the floor than he did last year
(inexplicably Drew insisted on playing Smoove on the left despite him being more effective on the right block) which
should help his efficiency 238 of Duncans attempts on the year came from the left elbow and left baseline compared to
just 97 attempts from those same spots for Horford In those 97 attempts Horford shot 495 compared to 423
from the same spots on the right side of the floor in 137 attempts
Pin-Downs
The attempts created at the elbow in Budenholzers offense do not just come from pick-and-pop looks but are also
created through pin-downs in transition and clear-outs We can expect to see more pin-downs for Horford this season
than last year (where they were extremely rare) and they do this to set up their pick-and-roll game Here the Spurs run
a pin-down for Duncan with Ginobili
The Spurs create great floor spacing with the two wing players in the corners and Duncan flattened out on the baseline
Duncan fakes the back-screen for Parker to hold his man on the baseline before coming off of Ginobilis screen for a
wide open elbow jumper With Horfords skill set this would be run for him to create open space for him to operate
and Horford has shown the ability (displayed in the video below on a pick-and-pop) to get defenders in the air on thepump fake and then drive to the basket
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Budenholzers offense will create more open looks for Horford on the perimeter which means he will not only have a
chance for more jump shots but also will be able to take advantage of bigs closing out on him and drive to the basket
Transition
The transition game is where Al Horford excels Horford has stated many times that he enjoys running the floor and feels
like his ability to run the floor is his biggest advantage Horford is an extremely gifted transition player making rim-runs
catching and finishing lobs and outlet passes In semi-transition Horford often went to the post in an effort to make aquick catch and post before the defense was set I expect Budenholzer to add another wrinkle to Horfords semi-
transition game and have him spot up from the mid-range in the same way Duncan did in San Antonio Here we see
Duncan come down and feign a screen look for Ginobili who drives baseline drawing both defenders and kicks it out
to the open Duncan
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The fake screen action draws Ginobilis defender up the floor to prepare for what looks like the same side pick-and-roll
action as we saw in the first video clip Instead Ginobili keeps driving which pulls Duncans man towards the basket
leaving Duncan open for a jumper We can expect to see this same look here in Atlanta in order to keep the opposition
from jumping the side pick-and-roll in semi-transition
Hand-off Plays
Hand-off plays are also staples of the Spurs system The Spurs will get the ball to Duncan in the high post and run a
guard tight off of Duncan to either get an easy lay-up or to clear out defenders for an isolation Here we see a hand-off
play with Manu Ginobili where Duncan comes takes the ball and makes a quick hand-off to Ginobili who gets doubled
quickly and passes it out for an open jumper
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In this second example they post Duncan on the baseline and run Parker down the baseline for the fake hand-off This
action forces Duncans defender to disengage and step back to protect against the hand-off giving Duncan space to get
off the shot
Horfords isolation plays were often just that isolations without any movment around him to force his defender toprotect against a cutter Horford should benefit from better looks from these subtle off-ball actions from his teammates
that help create space for his shot
Post-Ups
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Assuming Tim Duncans role in an offense is not an easy task and Horford cannot do everything Duncan does Horford
is an efficient shooter but needs to be more decisive when taking open shots Budenholzers offense is meant to create
small open shot windows and Horford will have to be quicker with his decision making if he is going to succeed Also
his post-game will need to continue to improve Duncan is one of the elite post-players in the NBA because he has
multiple moves Horford is very good at one particular move turning over his left shoulder to get off his hook shot but
lacks a reliable counter move off of it Here is Horfords driving hook in the lane
Horford is effective with this move because he creates contact and is able to get his shot off but it becomes predictable
and even in the clip above defenders are able to get in front of him to contest it
Here we can see Duncan utilizing the perfect counter to the Horfords go-to move
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Duncan puts the ball on the floor and drives towards the lane like Horford but instead of going in for the hook he picks
up his dribble and hits a spin move to the baseline for the turnaround bank shot If Horford adopted that counter move
he would become a much improved post-player because he would no longer be predictable
Al Horford is not Tim Duncan I cannot repeat that enough Duncan is a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer and may well go
down as the best power forward in NBA history However Horford possesses many skills that are similar to Duncan
and that will allow him to be very effective in Duncans role in Budenholzers offense and he has room (and I believe the
desirecapability) to develop into a better player Horford must improve his post-game by adding a more reliable countermove and developing a secondary post move He also must become more comfortable rolling to the hoop on pick-and-
rolls rather than just setting up for the mid-range shot or running to the rim for a lob However I have faith that Horford
will continue to grow and improve as a player and under Budenholzer and his staffs tutelage Horford will flourish
developing even further and emerge as an imposing offensive weapon in this system
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2013 NBA Offseason - Atlanta Hawks
Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in MikeBudenholzers offense
By Robby Kalland on Jun 7 2013 800a RKalland 2
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With Mike Budenholzer being named the Hawks new head coach and so much potential roster turnover there are many
questions surrounding the Hawks Here we examine how Budenholzers offensive system will utilize (and benefit) Al
Horford
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In Mike Budenholzers introductory press conference as Hawks head coach he discussed his plan for building and
developing a program in Atlanta While much is up in the air for the Hawks this summer Budenholzer knows two things
for sure Al Horford will be a major factor and what kind of offensive system he will be running
Budenholzer mentioned Horford on numerous occasions and when asked what excites him about the roster he quickly
said The roster starts with Al Horford Budenholzer clearly sees Horford as a cornerstone piece in building the
Hawks and stated repeatedly how excited he was to work with Al
If there was any question that he would be bringing over San Antonios offensive system Budenholzer answered that
with a resounding yes
I think theres a system offensively that has evolved and grown that Im very comfortable with that I want to bring with
me It starts with pace and playing with a high pace ball movement people movement playing unselfish organized andattacking
Great San Antonios offense is a model of consistency and maximizes the talents of its three best players Tim Duncan
Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili However how will that translate to the Hawks Good news The Hawks have a
number of open roster spots to bring in players that will fit the system Bad news None of those players will be named
Tim Duncan Tony Parker or Manu Ginobili
While John Jenkins Mike Scott and Lou Williams (hopefully by training camp) will be on the squad next year their
roles are yet to be fully determined (Williams will be the sixth man but the capacity in which he is asked to play is yet to
be known)
[Note Mike is non-guaranteed but Scott is a near lock for the roster Shelvin Mack is also non-guaranteed and while I
see him making the roster it is not as definite as Scott]
The one certainty is Al Horford and the role he will play in the offense While centerpiece may not be the correct term
(he could be if we are unable to land any of the top free agents) Horford will play a major role in Budenholzers offense
which will have a different look from Larry Drews offense Using videos and charts from the NBA Media Stats site and
statistics from Synergy Sports we will examine how Al Horford will be used in Budenholzers offense and why I believehe will become an even better offensive weapon
Overview
As you can see in the two images below [First Hawks Shot Distribution Second Spurs Shot Distribution] where the
Hawks shots will come from will have a different look in Budenholzers offense The Spurs got 33 more of their shots
within eight feet of the rim than did the Hawks The Spurs offense also utilized the baseline area on the left and right side
of the basket from 8-15 feet much more often than the Hawks (101 to 66 of the total offense) The corner three is
also emphasized more than above the break in Budenholzers system than Drews (CornerAbove Break 95167
to 79206)
Hawks shot distribution
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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Spurs shot distribution
Those areas of the floor were more popular in the Spurs offense because of the positioning of the offense and the plays
the Spurs run [Note Personnel also has an impact but the positioning of that personnel had the larger impact] Pick-
and-roll will be the most common play-type in Budenholzers system and will be much more prevalent than in Drews
offense The Spurs ran pick-and-roll 2226 (092 Points Per Possession 5th) of the time last season compared to the
Hawks who ran pick-and-roll 1815 (084 PPP 18th) of the time Spot-up shots will continue to be a major factor
under Budenholzer as spot-up attempts accounted for 2148 (104 PPP 6th) of the Spurs offense
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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While Budenholzer wants to push the pace transition buckets will not be as large a part of the offense Transition
attempts accounted for 1666 (118 PPP 5th) for the Hawks while just 1368 (111 PPP 19th) for the SpursWith younger personnel more suited for playing up-tempo the Hawks will likely do better than the Spurs in getting out
on the break but Budenholzer also asks for a greater commitment from the entire team to crash the defensive glass
which cuts down on transition opportunities
Due to the uncertainty about who all will be on the roster the only player with a defined role as of now is Al Horford
We know Horford will be used in the same manner as Tim Duncan That is not to say Horford has all of the same skills
as Duncan or will be as effective in certain areas as Duncan but Horford will be utilized in the same position This role
will not be a major departure from how Horford was utilized last year
Horford and Duncan each had about the same number of touches as the roll man in pick-and-roll (297 for Horford 320
for Duncan) and Horford was more effective on a per possession basis than Duncan was scoring 101 PPP (514
FG) to Duncans 095 PPP (472) Horford should see a more significant jump in his spot-up attempts as Duncan had
43 more spot-up touches than Al did (192 to 149) Horford shot a better percentage on spot-up opportunities (432
to 429) but his PPP was slightly lower (083 to 088) because Duncan got to the free throw line more than twice as
often on spot-up looks A boost in spot-up looks which will mostly come via the pick-and-pop should be a positive
both for Horford and the Hawks offense
The biggest change for Horford will be the number of post touches Duncan received 420 post touches and was 22nd in
the NBA with 094 PPP on 466 shooting along with a 98 foul percentage Horford had 327 post touches and was
67th in the NBA with 085 PPP on 455 shooting with an 85 foul percentage Horford will have to improve his
footwork in the post and develop a more consistent counter move if he is going to be effective in what should be an
expanded role as a post player
To illustrate the different nuances in how the Hawks offense will utilize Horford under Budenholzer I have pulled manyvideos from the NBA Media Stats site showing plays run by the Spurs this past year and comparable plays in the
Hawks playbook under Drews guidance I will put plays that are similar together and explain the differences that
Horford will have to adapt to under Budenholzer
Pick-and-Roll Sets
Finding pick-and-roll sets that result in an Al Horford lay-up or dunk are few and far between especially if you want to
see one not run with Josh Smith via the highly successful 4-5 pick-and-roll Horford was primarily a pick-and-pop
player last season which is something he will be asked to continue in Budenholzers offense Budenholzers offense will
be a more balanced mix of pick-and-pop and pick-and-roll for Horford than was Drews which should benefit Horford
because of the speed advantage he has over most of his opponents (especially at the five)
The side pick-and-roll is a favorite of Budenholzers offense especially in semi-transition or early in the clock (like in the
video below) to take advantage of the defense being out of position It is a basic side pick-and-roll with a small twist
Like a normal side pick-and-roll the point guard comes from the break of the three-point line towards the free throw line
and the big slips the screen and rolling down the baseline to the basket However the Spurs bring their small forward up
to the top of the key to chip Duncans man prior to Duncans screen which frees Duncan up for just enough room to
turn the corner to the basket undeterred The key is how quickly Parker recognizes that both defenders have stepped
towards him and the speed with which Duncan slips the screen and gets moving to the hoop
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The Hawks occasionally ran similar sets last year but normally the side pick-and-roll was run with Josh Smith rather
than Al Horford Here the Hawks run a version of the side pick-and-roll with Horford rolling to the hoop for an alley-
oop dunk
The largest difference in the two plays is the timing For the Hawks to be as successful with the pick-and-roll on a
consistent basis they will have to have a point guard making quick decisions coming off the screen to either attack the
rim or make an early pass and Horford will have to look to get the ball earlier rather than looking for lobs
As for the pick-and-pop Horford will be right at home The Spurs took 307 shots from the left elbow Duncan took
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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111 of those attempts shooting 486 Horford took 61 of the Hawks 308 attempts from the same spot (glares at
Smoove) and shot 475 Horford can expect to operate more from the left side of the floor than he did last year
(inexplicably Drew insisted on playing Smoove on the left despite him being more effective on the right block) which
should help his efficiency 238 of Duncans attempts on the year came from the left elbow and left baseline compared to
just 97 attempts from those same spots for Horford In those 97 attempts Horford shot 495 compared to 423
from the same spots on the right side of the floor in 137 attempts
Pin-Downs
The attempts created at the elbow in Budenholzers offense do not just come from pick-and-pop looks but are also
created through pin-downs in transition and clear-outs We can expect to see more pin-downs for Horford this season
than last year (where they were extremely rare) and they do this to set up their pick-and-roll game Here the Spurs run
a pin-down for Duncan with Ginobili
The Spurs create great floor spacing with the two wing players in the corners and Duncan flattened out on the baseline
Duncan fakes the back-screen for Parker to hold his man on the baseline before coming off of Ginobilis screen for a
wide open elbow jumper With Horfords skill set this would be run for him to create open space for him to operate
and Horford has shown the ability (displayed in the video below on a pick-and-pop) to get defenders in the air on thepump fake and then drive to the basket
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Budenholzers offense will create more open looks for Horford on the perimeter which means he will not only have a
chance for more jump shots but also will be able to take advantage of bigs closing out on him and drive to the basket
Transition
The transition game is where Al Horford excels Horford has stated many times that he enjoys running the floor and feels
like his ability to run the floor is his biggest advantage Horford is an extremely gifted transition player making rim-runs
catching and finishing lobs and outlet passes In semi-transition Horford often went to the post in an effort to make aquick catch and post before the defense was set I expect Budenholzer to add another wrinkle to Horfords semi-
transition game and have him spot up from the mid-range in the same way Duncan did in San Antonio Here we see
Duncan come down and feign a screen look for Ginobili who drives baseline drawing both defenders and kicks it out
to the open Duncan
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The fake screen action draws Ginobilis defender up the floor to prepare for what looks like the same side pick-and-roll
action as we saw in the first video clip Instead Ginobili keeps driving which pulls Duncans man towards the basket
leaving Duncan open for a jumper We can expect to see this same look here in Atlanta in order to keep the opposition
from jumping the side pick-and-roll in semi-transition
Hand-off Plays
Hand-off plays are also staples of the Spurs system The Spurs will get the ball to Duncan in the high post and run a
guard tight off of Duncan to either get an easy lay-up or to clear out defenders for an isolation Here we see a hand-off
play with Manu Ginobili where Duncan comes takes the ball and makes a quick hand-off to Ginobili who gets doubled
quickly and passes it out for an open jumper
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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In this second example they post Duncan on the baseline and run Parker down the baseline for the fake hand-off This
action forces Duncans defender to disengage and step back to protect against the hand-off giving Duncan space to get
off the shot
Horfords isolation plays were often just that isolations without any movment around him to force his defender toprotect against a cutter Horford should benefit from better looks from these subtle off-ball actions from his teammates
that help create space for his shot
Post-Ups
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Assuming Tim Duncans role in an offense is not an easy task and Horford cannot do everything Duncan does Horford
is an efficient shooter but needs to be more decisive when taking open shots Budenholzers offense is meant to create
small open shot windows and Horford will have to be quicker with his decision making if he is going to succeed Also
his post-game will need to continue to improve Duncan is one of the elite post-players in the NBA because he has
multiple moves Horford is very good at one particular move turning over his left shoulder to get off his hook shot but
lacks a reliable counter move off of it Here is Horfords driving hook in the lane
Horford is effective with this move because he creates contact and is able to get his shot off but it becomes predictable
and even in the clip above defenders are able to get in front of him to contest it
Here we can see Duncan utilizing the perfect counter to the Horfords go-to move
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Duncan puts the ball on the floor and drives towards the lane like Horford but instead of going in for the hook he picks
up his dribble and hits a spin move to the baseline for the turnaround bank shot If Horford adopted that counter move
he would become a much improved post-player because he would no longer be predictable
Al Horford is not Tim Duncan I cannot repeat that enough Duncan is a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer and may well go
down as the best power forward in NBA history However Horford possesses many skills that are similar to Duncan
and that will allow him to be very effective in Duncans role in Budenholzers offense and he has room (and I believe the
desirecapability) to develop into a better player Horford must improve his post-game by adding a more reliable countermove and developing a secondary post move He also must become more comfortable rolling to the hoop on pick-and-
rolls rather than just setting up for the mid-range shot or running to the rim for a lob However I have faith that Horford
will continue to grow and improve as a player and under Budenholzer and his staffs tutelage Horford will flourish
developing even further and emerge as an imposing offensive weapon in this system
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2013 NBA Offseason - Atlanta Hawks
Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in MikeBudenholzers offense
By Robby Kalland on Jun 7 2013 800a RKalland 2
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With Mike Budenholzer being named the Hawks new head coach and so much potential roster turnover there are many
questions surrounding the Hawks Here we examine how Budenholzers offensive system will utilize (and benefit) Al
Horford
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In Mike Budenholzers introductory press conference as Hawks head coach he discussed his plan for building and
developing a program in Atlanta While much is up in the air for the Hawks this summer Budenholzer knows two things
for sure Al Horford will be a major factor and what kind of offensive system he will be running
Budenholzer mentioned Horford on numerous occasions and when asked what excites him about the roster he quickly
said The roster starts with Al Horford Budenholzer clearly sees Horford as a cornerstone piece in building the
Hawks and stated repeatedly how excited he was to work with Al
If there was any question that he would be bringing over San Antonios offensive system Budenholzer answered that
with a resounding yes
I think theres a system offensively that has evolved and grown that Im very comfortable with that I want to bring with
me It starts with pace and playing with a high pace ball movement people movement playing unselfish organized andattacking
Great San Antonios offense is a model of consistency and maximizes the talents of its three best players Tim Duncan
Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili However how will that translate to the Hawks Good news The Hawks have a
number of open roster spots to bring in players that will fit the system Bad news None of those players will be named
Tim Duncan Tony Parker or Manu Ginobili
While John Jenkins Mike Scott and Lou Williams (hopefully by training camp) will be on the squad next year their
roles are yet to be fully determined (Williams will be the sixth man but the capacity in which he is asked to play is yet to
be known)
[Note Mike is non-guaranteed but Scott is a near lock for the roster Shelvin Mack is also non-guaranteed and while I
see him making the roster it is not as definite as Scott]
The one certainty is Al Horford and the role he will play in the offense While centerpiece may not be the correct term
(he could be if we are unable to land any of the top free agents) Horford will play a major role in Budenholzers offense
which will have a different look from Larry Drews offense Using videos and charts from the NBA Media Stats site and
statistics from Synergy Sports we will examine how Al Horford will be used in Budenholzers offense and why I believehe will become an even better offensive weapon
Overview
As you can see in the two images below [First Hawks Shot Distribution Second Spurs Shot Distribution] where the
Hawks shots will come from will have a different look in Budenholzers offense The Spurs got 33 more of their shots
within eight feet of the rim than did the Hawks The Spurs offense also utilized the baseline area on the left and right side
of the basket from 8-15 feet much more often than the Hawks (101 to 66 of the total offense) The corner three is
also emphasized more than above the break in Budenholzers system than Drews (CornerAbove Break 95167
to 79206)
Hawks shot distribution
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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Spurs shot distribution
Those areas of the floor were more popular in the Spurs offense because of the positioning of the offense and the plays
the Spurs run [Note Personnel also has an impact but the positioning of that personnel had the larger impact] Pick-
and-roll will be the most common play-type in Budenholzers system and will be much more prevalent than in Drews
offense The Spurs ran pick-and-roll 2226 (092 Points Per Possession 5th) of the time last season compared to the
Hawks who ran pick-and-roll 1815 (084 PPP 18th) of the time Spot-up shots will continue to be a major factor
under Budenholzer as spot-up attempts accounted for 2148 (104 PPP 6th) of the Spurs offense
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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While Budenholzer wants to push the pace transition buckets will not be as large a part of the offense Transition
attempts accounted for 1666 (118 PPP 5th) for the Hawks while just 1368 (111 PPP 19th) for the SpursWith younger personnel more suited for playing up-tempo the Hawks will likely do better than the Spurs in getting out
on the break but Budenholzer also asks for a greater commitment from the entire team to crash the defensive glass
which cuts down on transition opportunities
Due to the uncertainty about who all will be on the roster the only player with a defined role as of now is Al Horford
We know Horford will be used in the same manner as Tim Duncan That is not to say Horford has all of the same skills
as Duncan or will be as effective in certain areas as Duncan but Horford will be utilized in the same position This role
will not be a major departure from how Horford was utilized last year
Horford and Duncan each had about the same number of touches as the roll man in pick-and-roll (297 for Horford 320
for Duncan) and Horford was more effective on a per possession basis than Duncan was scoring 101 PPP (514
FG) to Duncans 095 PPP (472) Horford should see a more significant jump in his spot-up attempts as Duncan had
43 more spot-up touches than Al did (192 to 149) Horford shot a better percentage on spot-up opportunities (432
to 429) but his PPP was slightly lower (083 to 088) because Duncan got to the free throw line more than twice as
often on spot-up looks A boost in spot-up looks which will mostly come via the pick-and-pop should be a positive
both for Horford and the Hawks offense
The biggest change for Horford will be the number of post touches Duncan received 420 post touches and was 22nd in
the NBA with 094 PPP on 466 shooting along with a 98 foul percentage Horford had 327 post touches and was
67th in the NBA with 085 PPP on 455 shooting with an 85 foul percentage Horford will have to improve his
footwork in the post and develop a more consistent counter move if he is going to be effective in what should be an
expanded role as a post player
To illustrate the different nuances in how the Hawks offense will utilize Horford under Budenholzer I have pulled manyvideos from the NBA Media Stats site showing plays run by the Spurs this past year and comparable plays in the
Hawks playbook under Drews guidance I will put plays that are similar together and explain the differences that
Horford will have to adapt to under Budenholzer
Pick-and-Roll Sets
Finding pick-and-roll sets that result in an Al Horford lay-up or dunk are few and far between especially if you want to
see one not run with Josh Smith via the highly successful 4-5 pick-and-roll Horford was primarily a pick-and-pop
player last season which is something he will be asked to continue in Budenholzers offense Budenholzers offense will
be a more balanced mix of pick-and-pop and pick-and-roll for Horford than was Drews which should benefit Horford
because of the speed advantage he has over most of his opponents (especially at the five)
The side pick-and-roll is a favorite of Budenholzers offense especially in semi-transition or early in the clock (like in the
video below) to take advantage of the defense being out of position It is a basic side pick-and-roll with a small twist
Like a normal side pick-and-roll the point guard comes from the break of the three-point line towards the free throw line
and the big slips the screen and rolling down the baseline to the basket However the Spurs bring their small forward up
to the top of the key to chip Duncans man prior to Duncans screen which frees Duncan up for just enough room to
turn the corner to the basket undeterred The key is how quickly Parker recognizes that both defenders have stepped
towards him and the speed with which Duncan slips the screen and gets moving to the hoop
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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The Hawks occasionally ran similar sets last year but normally the side pick-and-roll was run with Josh Smith rather
than Al Horford Here the Hawks run a version of the side pick-and-roll with Horford rolling to the hoop for an alley-
oop dunk
The largest difference in the two plays is the timing For the Hawks to be as successful with the pick-and-roll on a
consistent basis they will have to have a point guard making quick decisions coming off the screen to either attack the
rim or make an early pass and Horford will have to look to get the ball earlier rather than looking for lobs
As for the pick-and-pop Horford will be right at home The Spurs took 307 shots from the left elbow Duncan took
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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111 of those attempts shooting 486 Horford took 61 of the Hawks 308 attempts from the same spot (glares at
Smoove) and shot 475 Horford can expect to operate more from the left side of the floor than he did last year
(inexplicably Drew insisted on playing Smoove on the left despite him being more effective on the right block) which
should help his efficiency 238 of Duncans attempts on the year came from the left elbow and left baseline compared to
just 97 attempts from those same spots for Horford In those 97 attempts Horford shot 495 compared to 423
from the same spots on the right side of the floor in 137 attempts
Pin-Downs
The attempts created at the elbow in Budenholzers offense do not just come from pick-and-pop looks but are also
created through pin-downs in transition and clear-outs We can expect to see more pin-downs for Horford this season
than last year (where they were extremely rare) and they do this to set up their pick-and-roll game Here the Spurs run
a pin-down for Duncan with Ginobili
The Spurs create great floor spacing with the two wing players in the corners and Duncan flattened out on the baseline
Duncan fakes the back-screen for Parker to hold his man on the baseline before coming off of Ginobilis screen for a
wide open elbow jumper With Horfords skill set this would be run for him to create open space for him to operate
and Horford has shown the ability (displayed in the video below on a pick-and-pop) to get defenders in the air on thepump fake and then drive to the basket
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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Budenholzers offense will create more open looks for Horford on the perimeter which means he will not only have a
chance for more jump shots but also will be able to take advantage of bigs closing out on him and drive to the basket
Transition
The transition game is where Al Horford excels Horford has stated many times that he enjoys running the floor and feels
like his ability to run the floor is his biggest advantage Horford is an extremely gifted transition player making rim-runs
catching and finishing lobs and outlet passes In semi-transition Horford often went to the post in an effort to make aquick catch and post before the defense was set I expect Budenholzer to add another wrinkle to Horfords semi-
transition game and have him spot up from the mid-range in the same way Duncan did in San Antonio Here we see
Duncan come down and feign a screen look for Ginobili who drives baseline drawing both defenders and kicks it out
to the open Duncan
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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The fake screen action draws Ginobilis defender up the floor to prepare for what looks like the same side pick-and-roll
action as we saw in the first video clip Instead Ginobili keeps driving which pulls Duncans man towards the basket
leaving Duncan open for a jumper We can expect to see this same look here in Atlanta in order to keep the opposition
from jumping the side pick-and-roll in semi-transition
Hand-off Plays
Hand-off plays are also staples of the Spurs system The Spurs will get the ball to Duncan in the high post and run a
guard tight off of Duncan to either get an easy lay-up or to clear out defenders for an isolation Here we see a hand-off
play with Manu Ginobili where Duncan comes takes the ball and makes a quick hand-off to Ginobili who gets doubled
quickly and passes it out for an open jumper
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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In this second example they post Duncan on the baseline and run Parker down the baseline for the fake hand-off This
action forces Duncans defender to disengage and step back to protect against the hand-off giving Duncan space to get
off the shot
Horfords isolation plays were often just that isolations without any movment around him to force his defender toprotect against a cutter Horford should benefit from better looks from these subtle off-ball actions from his teammates
that help create space for his shot
Post-Ups
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Assuming Tim Duncans role in an offense is not an easy task and Horford cannot do everything Duncan does Horford
is an efficient shooter but needs to be more decisive when taking open shots Budenholzers offense is meant to create
small open shot windows and Horford will have to be quicker with his decision making if he is going to succeed Also
his post-game will need to continue to improve Duncan is one of the elite post-players in the NBA because he has
multiple moves Horford is very good at one particular move turning over his left shoulder to get off his hook shot but
lacks a reliable counter move off of it Here is Horfords driving hook in the lane
Horford is effective with this move because he creates contact and is able to get his shot off but it becomes predictable
and even in the clip above defenders are able to get in front of him to contest it
Here we can see Duncan utilizing the perfect counter to the Horfords go-to move
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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Duncan puts the ball on the floor and drives towards the lane like Horford but instead of going in for the hook he picks
up his dribble and hits a spin move to the baseline for the turnaround bank shot If Horford adopted that counter move
he would become a much improved post-player because he would no longer be predictable
Al Horford is not Tim Duncan I cannot repeat that enough Duncan is a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer and may well go
down as the best power forward in NBA history However Horford possesses many skills that are similar to Duncan
and that will allow him to be very effective in Duncans role in Budenholzers offense and he has room (and I believe the
desirecapability) to develop into a better player Horford must improve his post-game by adding a more reliable countermove and developing a secondary post move He also must become more comfortable rolling to the hoop on pick-and-
rolls rather than just setting up for the mid-range shot or running to the rim for a lob However I have faith that Horford
will continue to grow and improve as a player and under Budenholzer and his staffs tutelage Horford will flourish
developing even further and emerge as an imposing offensive weapon in this system
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2013 NBA Offseason - Atlanta Hawks
Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in MikeBudenholzers offense
By Robby Kalland on Jun 7 2013 800a RKalland 2
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With Mike Budenholzer being named the Hawks new head coach and so much potential roster turnover there are many
questions surrounding the Hawks Here we examine how Budenholzers offensive system will utilize (and benefit) Al
Horford
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In Mike Budenholzers introductory press conference as Hawks head coach he discussed his plan for building and
developing a program in Atlanta While much is up in the air for the Hawks this summer Budenholzer knows two things
for sure Al Horford will be a major factor and what kind of offensive system he will be running
Budenholzer mentioned Horford on numerous occasions and when asked what excites him about the roster he quickly
said The roster starts with Al Horford Budenholzer clearly sees Horford as a cornerstone piece in building the
Hawks and stated repeatedly how excited he was to work with Al
If there was any question that he would be bringing over San Antonios offensive system Budenholzer answered that
with a resounding yes
I think theres a system offensively that has evolved and grown that Im very comfortable with that I want to bring with
me It starts with pace and playing with a high pace ball movement people movement playing unselfish organized andattacking
Great San Antonios offense is a model of consistency and maximizes the talents of its three best players Tim Duncan
Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili However how will that translate to the Hawks Good news The Hawks have a
number of open roster spots to bring in players that will fit the system Bad news None of those players will be named
Tim Duncan Tony Parker or Manu Ginobili
While John Jenkins Mike Scott and Lou Williams (hopefully by training camp) will be on the squad next year their
roles are yet to be fully determined (Williams will be the sixth man but the capacity in which he is asked to play is yet to
be known)
[Note Mike is non-guaranteed but Scott is a near lock for the roster Shelvin Mack is also non-guaranteed and while I
see him making the roster it is not as definite as Scott]
The one certainty is Al Horford and the role he will play in the offense While centerpiece may not be the correct term
(he could be if we are unable to land any of the top free agents) Horford will play a major role in Budenholzers offense
which will have a different look from Larry Drews offense Using videos and charts from the NBA Media Stats site and
statistics from Synergy Sports we will examine how Al Horford will be used in Budenholzers offense and why I believehe will become an even better offensive weapon
Overview
As you can see in the two images below [First Hawks Shot Distribution Second Spurs Shot Distribution] where the
Hawks shots will come from will have a different look in Budenholzers offense The Spurs got 33 more of their shots
within eight feet of the rim than did the Hawks The Spurs offense also utilized the baseline area on the left and right side
of the basket from 8-15 feet much more often than the Hawks (101 to 66 of the total offense) The corner three is
also emphasized more than above the break in Budenholzers system than Drews (CornerAbove Break 95167
to 79206)
Hawks shot distribution
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1125
Spurs shot distribution
Those areas of the floor were more popular in the Spurs offense because of the positioning of the offense and the plays
the Spurs run [Note Personnel also has an impact but the positioning of that personnel had the larger impact] Pick-
and-roll will be the most common play-type in Budenholzers system and will be much more prevalent than in Drews
offense The Spurs ran pick-and-roll 2226 (092 Points Per Possession 5th) of the time last season compared to the
Hawks who ran pick-and-roll 1815 (084 PPP 18th) of the time Spot-up shots will continue to be a major factor
under Budenholzer as spot-up attempts accounted for 2148 (104 PPP 6th) of the Spurs offense
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1225
While Budenholzer wants to push the pace transition buckets will not be as large a part of the offense Transition
attempts accounted for 1666 (118 PPP 5th) for the Hawks while just 1368 (111 PPP 19th) for the SpursWith younger personnel more suited for playing up-tempo the Hawks will likely do better than the Spurs in getting out
on the break but Budenholzer also asks for a greater commitment from the entire team to crash the defensive glass
which cuts down on transition opportunities
Due to the uncertainty about who all will be on the roster the only player with a defined role as of now is Al Horford
We know Horford will be used in the same manner as Tim Duncan That is not to say Horford has all of the same skills
as Duncan or will be as effective in certain areas as Duncan but Horford will be utilized in the same position This role
will not be a major departure from how Horford was utilized last year
Horford and Duncan each had about the same number of touches as the roll man in pick-and-roll (297 for Horford 320
for Duncan) and Horford was more effective on a per possession basis than Duncan was scoring 101 PPP (514
FG) to Duncans 095 PPP (472) Horford should see a more significant jump in his spot-up attempts as Duncan had
43 more spot-up touches than Al did (192 to 149) Horford shot a better percentage on spot-up opportunities (432
to 429) but his PPP was slightly lower (083 to 088) because Duncan got to the free throw line more than twice as
often on spot-up looks A boost in spot-up looks which will mostly come via the pick-and-pop should be a positive
both for Horford and the Hawks offense
The biggest change for Horford will be the number of post touches Duncan received 420 post touches and was 22nd in
the NBA with 094 PPP on 466 shooting along with a 98 foul percentage Horford had 327 post touches and was
67th in the NBA with 085 PPP on 455 shooting with an 85 foul percentage Horford will have to improve his
footwork in the post and develop a more consistent counter move if he is going to be effective in what should be an
expanded role as a post player
To illustrate the different nuances in how the Hawks offense will utilize Horford under Budenholzer I have pulled manyvideos from the NBA Media Stats site showing plays run by the Spurs this past year and comparable plays in the
Hawks playbook under Drews guidance I will put plays that are similar together and explain the differences that
Horford will have to adapt to under Budenholzer
Pick-and-Roll Sets
Finding pick-and-roll sets that result in an Al Horford lay-up or dunk are few and far between especially if you want to
see one not run with Josh Smith via the highly successful 4-5 pick-and-roll Horford was primarily a pick-and-pop
player last season which is something he will be asked to continue in Budenholzers offense Budenholzers offense will
be a more balanced mix of pick-and-pop and pick-and-roll for Horford than was Drews which should benefit Horford
because of the speed advantage he has over most of his opponents (especially at the five)
The side pick-and-roll is a favorite of Budenholzers offense especially in semi-transition or early in the clock (like in the
video below) to take advantage of the defense being out of position It is a basic side pick-and-roll with a small twist
Like a normal side pick-and-roll the point guard comes from the break of the three-point line towards the free throw line
and the big slips the screen and rolling down the baseline to the basket However the Spurs bring their small forward up
to the top of the key to chip Duncans man prior to Duncans screen which frees Duncan up for just enough room to
turn the corner to the basket undeterred The key is how quickly Parker recognizes that both defenders have stepped
towards him and the speed with which Duncan slips the screen and gets moving to the hoop
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1325
The Hawks occasionally ran similar sets last year but normally the side pick-and-roll was run with Josh Smith rather
than Al Horford Here the Hawks run a version of the side pick-and-roll with Horford rolling to the hoop for an alley-
oop dunk
The largest difference in the two plays is the timing For the Hawks to be as successful with the pick-and-roll on a
consistent basis they will have to have a point guard making quick decisions coming off the screen to either attack the
rim or make an early pass and Horford will have to look to get the ball earlier rather than looking for lobs
As for the pick-and-pop Horford will be right at home The Spurs took 307 shots from the left elbow Duncan took
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1425
111 of those attempts shooting 486 Horford took 61 of the Hawks 308 attempts from the same spot (glares at
Smoove) and shot 475 Horford can expect to operate more from the left side of the floor than he did last year
(inexplicably Drew insisted on playing Smoove on the left despite him being more effective on the right block) which
should help his efficiency 238 of Duncans attempts on the year came from the left elbow and left baseline compared to
just 97 attempts from those same spots for Horford In those 97 attempts Horford shot 495 compared to 423
from the same spots on the right side of the floor in 137 attempts
Pin-Downs
The attempts created at the elbow in Budenholzers offense do not just come from pick-and-pop looks but are also
created through pin-downs in transition and clear-outs We can expect to see more pin-downs for Horford this season
than last year (where they were extremely rare) and they do this to set up their pick-and-roll game Here the Spurs run
a pin-down for Duncan with Ginobili
The Spurs create great floor spacing with the two wing players in the corners and Duncan flattened out on the baseline
Duncan fakes the back-screen for Parker to hold his man on the baseline before coming off of Ginobilis screen for a
wide open elbow jumper With Horfords skill set this would be run for him to create open space for him to operate
and Horford has shown the ability (displayed in the video below on a pick-and-pop) to get defenders in the air on thepump fake and then drive to the basket
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1525
Budenholzers offense will create more open looks for Horford on the perimeter which means he will not only have a
chance for more jump shots but also will be able to take advantage of bigs closing out on him and drive to the basket
Transition
The transition game is where Al Horford excels Horford has stated many times that he enjoys running the floor and feels
like his ability to run the floor is his biggest advantage Horford is an extremely gifted transition player making rim-runs
catching and finishing lobs and outlet passes In semi-transition Horford often went to the post in an effort to make aquick catch and post before the defense was set I expect Budenholzer to add another wrinkle to Horfords semi-
transition game and have him spot up from the mid-range in the same way Duncan did in San Antonio Here we see
Duncan come down and feign a screen look for Ginobili who drives baseline drawing both defenders and kicks it out
to the open Duncan
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1625
The fake screen action draws Ginobilis defender up the floor to prepare for what looks like the same side pick-and-roll
action as we saw in the first video clip Instead Ginobili keeps driving which pulls Duncans man towards the basket
leaving Duncan open for a jumper We can expect to see this same look here in Atlanta in order to keep the opposition
from jumping the side pick-and-roll in semi-transition
Hand-off Plays
Hand-off plays are also staples of the Spurs system The Spurs will get the ball to Duncan in the high post and run a
guard tight off of Duncan to either get an easy lay-up or to clear out defenders for an isolation Here we see a hand-off
play with Manu Ginobili where Duncan comes takes the ball and makes a quick hand-off to Ginobili who gets doubled
quickly and passes it out for an open jumper
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1725
In this second example they post Duncan on the baseline and run Parker down the baseline for the fake hand-off This
action forces Duncans defender to disengage and step back to protect against the hand-off giving Duncan space to get
off the shot
Horfords isolation plays were often just that isolations without any movment around him to force his defender toprotect against a cutter Horford should benefit from better looks from these subtle off-ball actions from his teammates
that help create space for his shot
Post-Ups
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1825
Assuming Tim Duncans role in an offense is not an easy task and Horford cannot do everything Duncan does Horford
is an efficient shooter but needs to be more decisive when taking open shots Budenholzers offense is meant to create
small open shot windows and Horford will have to be quicker with his decision making if he is going to succeed Also
his post-game will need to continue to improve Duncan is one of the elite post-players in the NBA because he has
multiple moves Horford is very good at one particular move turning over his left shoulder to get off his hook shot but
lacks a reliable counter move off of it Here is Horfords driving hook in the lane
Horford is effective with this move because he creates contact and is able to get his shot off but it becomes predictable
and even in the clip above defenders are able to get in front of him to contest it
Here we can see Duncan utilizing the perfect counter to the Horfords go-to move
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1925
Duncan puts the ball on the floor and drives towards the lane like Horford but instead of going in for the hook he picks
up his dribble and hits a spin move to the baseline for the turnaround bank shot If Horford adopted that counter move
he would become a much improved post-player because he would no longer be predictable
Al Horford is not Tim Duncan I cannot repeat that enough Duncan is a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer and may well go
down as the best power forward in NBA history However Horford possesses many skills that are similar to Duncan
and that will allow him to be very effective in Duncans role in Budenholzers offense and he has room (and I believe the
desirecapability) to develop into a better player Horford must improve his post-game by adding a more reliable countermove and developing a secondary post move He also must become more comfortable rolling to the hoop on pick-and-
rolls rather than just setting up for the mid-range shot or running to the rim for a lob However I have faith that Horford
will continue to grow and improve as a player and under Budenholzer and his staffs tutelage Horford will flourish
developing even further and emerge as an imposing offensive weapon in this system
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2013 NBA Offseason - Atlanta Hawks
Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in MikeBudenholzers offense
By Robby Kalland on Jun 7 2013 800a RKalland 2
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With Mike Budenholzer being named the Hawks new head coach and so much potential roster turnover there are many
questions surrounding the Hawks Here we examine how Budenholzers offensive system will utilize (and benefit) Al
Horford
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In Mike Budenholzers introductory press conference as Hawks head coach he discussed his plan for building and
developing a program in Atlanta While much is up in the air for the Hawks this summer Budenholzer knows two things
for sure Al Horford will be a major factor and what kind of offensive system he will be running
Budenholzer mentioned Horford on numerous occasions and when asked what excites him about the roster he quickly
said The roster starts with Al Horford Budenholzer clearly sees Horford as a cornerstone piece in building the
Hawks and stated repeatedly how excited he was to work with Al
If there was any question that he would be bringing over San Antonios offensive system Budenholzer answered that
with a resounding yes
I think theres a system offensively that has evolved and grown that Im very comfortable with that I want to bring with
me It starts with pace and playing with a high pace ball movement people movement playing unselfish organized andattacking
Great San Antonios offense is a model of consistency and maximizes the talents of its three best players Tim Duncan
Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili However how will that translate to the Hawks Good news The Hawks have a
number of open roster spots to bring in players that will fit the system Bad news None of those players will be named
Tim Duncan Tony Parker or Manu Ginobili
While John Jenkins Mike Scott and Lou Williams (hopefully by training camp) will be on the squad next year their
roles are yet to be fully determined (Williams will be the sixth man but the capacity in which he is asked to play is yet to
be known)
[Note Mike is non-guaranteed but Scott is a near lock for the roster Shelvin Mack is also non-guaranteed and while I
see him making the roster it is not as definite as Scott]
The one certainty is Al Horford and the role he will play in the offense While centerpiece may not be the correct term
(he could be if we are unable to land any of the top free agents) Horford will play a major role in Budenholzers offense
which will have a different look from Larry Drews offense Using videos and charts from the NBA Media Stats site and
statistics from Synergy Sports we will examine how Al Horford will be used in Budenholzers offense and why I believehe will become an even better offensive weapon
Overview
As you can see in the two images below [First Hawks Shot Distribution Second Spurs Shot Distribution] where the
Hawks shots will come from will have a different look in Budenholzers offense The Spurs got 33 more of their shots
within eight feet of the rim than did the Hawks The Spurs offense also utilized the baseline area on the left and right side
of the basket from 8-15 feet much more often than the Hawks (101 to 66 of the total offense) The corner three is
also emphasized more than above the break in Budenholzers system than Drews (CornerAbove Break 95167
to 79206)
Hawks shot distribution
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1125
Spurs shot distribution
Those areas of the floor were more popular in the Spurs offense because of the positioning of the offense and the plays
the Spurs run [Note Personnel also has an impact but the positioning of that personnel had the larger impact] Pick-
and-roll will be the most common play-type in Budenholzers system and will be much more prevalent than in Drews
offense The Spurs ran pick-and-roll 2226 (092 Points Per Possession 5th) of the time last season compared to the
Hawks who ran pick-and-roll 1815 (084 PPP 18th) of the time Spot-up shots will continue to be a major factor
under Budenholzer as spot-up attempts accounted for 2148 (104 PPP 6th) of the Spurs offense
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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While Budenholzer wants to push the pace transition buckets will not be as large a part of the offense Transition
attempts accounted for 1666 (118 PPP 5th) for the Hawks while just 1368 (111 PPP 19th) for the SpursWith younger personnel more suited for playing up-tempo the Hawks will likely do better than the Spurs in getting out
on the break but Budenholzer also asks for a greater commitment from the entire team to crash the defensive glass
which cuts down on transition opportunities
Due to the uncertainty about who all will be on the roster the only player with a defined role as of now is Al Horford
We know Horford will be used in the same manner as Tim Duncan That is not to say Horford has all of the same skills
as Duncan or will be as effective in certain areas as Duncan but Horford will be utilized in the same position This role
will not be a major departure from how Horford was utilized last year
Horford and Duncan each had about the same number of touches as the roll man in pick-and-roll (297 for Horford 320
for Duncan) and Horford was more effective on a per possession basis than Duncan was scoring 101 PPP (514
FG) to Duncans 095 PPP (472) Horford should see a more significant jump in his spot-up attempts as Duncan had
43 more spot-up touches than Al did (192 to 149) Horford shot a better percentage on spot-up opportunities (432
to 429) but his PPP was slightly lower (083 to 088) because Duncan got to the free throw line more than twice as
often on spot-up looks A boost in spot-up looks which will mostly come via the pick-and-pop should be a positive
both for Horford and the Hawks offense
The biggest change for Horford will be the number of post touches Duncan received 420 post touches and was 22nd in
the NBA with 094 PPP on 466 shooting along with a 98 foul percentage Horford had 327 post touches and was
67th in the NBA with 085 PPP on 455 shooting with an 85 foul percentage Horford will have to improve his
footwork in the post and develop a more consistent counter move if he is going to be effective in what should be an
expanded role as a post player
To illustrate the different nuances in how the Hawks offense will utilize Horford under Budenholzer I have pulled manyvideos from the NBA Media Stats site showing plays run by the Spurs this past year and comparable plays in the
Hawks playbook under Drews guidance I will put plays that are similar together and explain the differences that
Horford will have to adapt to under Budenholzer
Pick-and-Roll Sets
Finding pick-and-roll sets that result in an Al Horford lay-up or dunk are few and far between especially if you want to
see one not run with Josh Smith via the highly successful 4-5 pick-and-roll Horford was primarily a pick-and-pop
player last season which is something he will be asked to continue in Budenholzers offense Budenholzers offense will
be a more balanced mix of pick-and-pop and pick-and-roll for Horford than was Drews which should benefit Horford
because of the speed advantage he has over most of his opponents (especially at the five)
The side pick-and-roll is a favorite of Budenholzers offense especially in semi-transition or early in the clock (like in the
video below) to take advantage of the defense being out of position It is a basic side pick-and-roll with a small twist
Like a normal side pick-and-roll the point guard comes from the break of the three-point line towards the free throw line
and the big slips the screen and rolling down the baseline to the basket However the Spurs bring their small forward up
to the top of the key to chip Duncans man prior to Duncans screen which frees Duncan up for just enough room to
turn the corner to the basket undeterred The key is how quickly Parker recognizes that both defenders have stepped
towards him and the speed with which Duncan slips the screen and gets moving to the hoop
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1325
The Hawks occasionally ran similar sets last year but normally the side pick-and-roll was run with Josh Smith rather
than Al Horford Here the Hawks run a version of the side pick-and-roll with Horford rolling to the hoop for an alley-
oop dunk
The largest difference in the two plays is the timing For the Hawks to be as successful with the pick-and-roll on a
consistent basis they will have to have a point guard making quick decisions coming off the screen to either attack the
rim or make an early pass and Horford will have to look to get the ball earlier rather than looking for lobs
As for the pick-and-pop Horford will be right at home The Spurs took 307 shots from the left elbow Duncan took
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1425
111 of those attempts shooting 486 Horford took 61 of the Hawks 308 attempts from the same spot (glares at
Smoove) and shot 475 Horford can expect to operate more from the left side of the floor than he did last year
(inexplicably Drew insisted on playing Smoove on the left despite him being more effective on the right block) which
should help his efficiency 238 of Duncans attempts on the year came from the left elbow and left baseline compared to
just 97 attempts from those same spots for Horford In those 97 attempts Horford shot 495 compared to 423
from the same spots on the right side of the floor in 137 attempts
Pin-Downs
The attempts created at the elbow in Budenholzers offense do not just come from pick-and-pop looks but are also
created through pin-downs in transition and clear-outs We can expect to see more pin-downs for Horford this season
than last year (where they were extremely rare) and they do this to set up their pick-and-roll game Here the Spurs run
a pin-down for Duncan with Ginobili
The Spurs create great floor spacing with the two wing players in the corners and Duncan flattened out on the baseline
Duncan fakes the back-screen for Parker to hold his man on the baseline before coming off of Ginobilis screen for a
wide open elbow jumper With Horfords skill set this would be run for him to create open space for him to operate
and Horford has shown the ability (displayed in the video below on a pick-and-pop) to get defenders in the air on thepump fake and then drive to the basket
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1525
Budenholzers offense will create more open looks for Horford on the perimeter which means he will not only have a
chance for more jump shots but also will be able to take advantage of bigs closing out on him and drive to the basket
Transition
The transition game is where Al Horford excels Horford has stated many times that he enjoys running the floor and feels
like his ability to run the floor is his biggest advantage Horford is an extremely gifted transition player making rim-runs
catching and finishing lobs and outlet passes In semi-transition Horford often went to the post in an effort to make aquick catch and post before the defense was set I expect Budenholzer to add another wrinkle to Horfords semi-
transition game and have him spot up from the mid-range in the same way Duncan did in San Antonio Here we see
Duncan come down and feign a screen look for Ginobili who drives baseline drawing both defenders and kicks it out
to the open Duncan
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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The fake screen action draws Ginobilis defender up the floor to prepare for what looks like the same side pick-and-roll
action as we saw in the first video clip Instead Ginobili keeps driving which pulls Duncans man towards the basket
leaving Duncan open for a jumper We can expect to see this same look here in Atlanta in order to keep the opposition
from jumping the side pick-and-roll in semi-transition
Hand-off Plays
Hand-off plays are also staples of the Spurs system The Spurs will get the ball to Duncan in the high post and run a
guard tight off of Duncan to either get an easy lay-up or to clear out defenders for an isolation Here we see a hand-off
play with Manu Ginobili where Duncan comes takes the ball and makes a quick hand-off to Ginobili who gets doubled
quickly and passes it out for an open jumper
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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In this second example they post Duncan on the baseline and run Parker down the baseline for the fake hand-off This
action forces Duncans defender to disengage and step back to protect against the hand-off giving Duncan space to get
off the shot
Horfords isolation plays were often just that isolations without any movment around him to force his defender toprotect against a cutter Horford should benefit from better looks from these subtle off-ball actions from his teammates
that help create space for his shot
Post-Ups
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1825
Assuming Tim Duncans role in an offense is not an easy task and Horford cannot do everything Duncan does Horford
is an efficient shooter but needs to be more decisive when taking open shots Budenholzers offense is meant to create
small open shot windows and Horford will have to be quicker with his decision making if he is going to succeed Also
his post-game will need to continue to improve Duncan is one of the elite post-players in the NBA because he has
multiple moves Horford is very good at one particular move turning over his left shoulder to get off his hook shot but
lacks a reliable counter move off of it Here is Horfords driving hook in the lane
Horford is effective with this move because he creates contact and is able to get his shot off but it becomes predictable
and even in the clip above defenders are able to get in front of him to contest it
Here we can see Duncan utilizing the perfect counter to the Horfords go-to move
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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Duncan puts the ball on the floor and drives towards the lane like Horford but instead of going in for the hook he picks
up his dribble and hits a spin move to the baseline for the turnaround bank shot If Horford adopted that counter move
he would become a much improved post-player because he would no longer be predictable
Al Horford is not Tim Duncan I cannot repeat that enough Duncan is a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer and may well go
down as the best power forward in NBA history However Horford possesses many skills that are similar to Duncan
and that will allow him to be very effective in Duncans role in Budenholzers offense and he has room (and I believe the
desirecapability) to develop into a better player Horford must improve his post-game by adding a more reliable countermove and developing a secondary post move He also must become more comfortable rolling to the hoop on pick-and-
rolls rather than just setting up for the mid-range shot or running to the rim for a lob However I have faith that Horford
will continue to grow and improve as a player and under Budenholzer and his staffs tutelage Horford will flourish
developing even further and emerge as an imposing offensive weapon in this system
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2013 NBA Offseason - Atlanta Hawks
Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in MikeBudenholzers offense
By Robby Kalland on Jun 7 2013 800a RKalland 2
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With Mike Budenholzer being named the Hawks new head coach and so much potential roster turnover there are many
questions surrounding the Hawks Here we examine how Budenholzers offensive system will utilize (and benefit) Al
Horford
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In Mike Budenholzers introductory press conference as Hawks head coach he discussed his plan for building and
developing a program in Atlanta While much is up in the air for the Hawks this summer Budenholzer knows two things
for sure Al Horford will be a major factor and what kind of offensive system he will be running
Budenholzer mentioned Horford on numerous occasions and when asked what excites him about the roster he quickly
said The roster starts with Al Horford Budenholzer clearly sees Horford as a cornerstone piece in building the
Hawks and stated repeatedly how excited he was to work with Al
If there was any question that he would be bringing over San Antonios offensive system Budenholzer answered that
with a resounding yes
I think theres a system offensively that has evolved and grown that Im very comfortable with that I want to bring with
me It starts with pace and playing with a high pace ball movement people movement playing unselfish organized andattacking
Great San Antonios offense is a model of consistency and maximizes the talents of its three best players Tim Duncan
Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili However how will that translate to the Hawks Good news The Hawks have a
number of open roster spots to bring in players that will fit the system Bad news None of those players will be named
Tim Duncan Tony Parker or Manu Ginobili
While John Jenkins Mike Scott and Lou Williams (hopefully by training camp) will be on the squad next year their
roles are yet to be fully determined (Williams will be the sixth man but the capacity in which he is asked to play is yet to
be known)
[Note Mike is non-guaranteed but Scott is a near lock for the roster Shelvin Mack is also non-guaranteed and while I
see him making the roster it is not as definite as Scott]
The one certainty is Al Horford and the role he will play in the offense While centerpiece may not be the correct term
(he could be if we are unable to land any of the top free agents) Horford will play a major role in Budenholzers offense
which will have a different look from Larry Drews offense Using videos and charts from the NBA Media Stats site and
statistics from Synergy Sports we will examine how Al Horford will be used in Budenholzers offense and why I believehe will become an even better offensive weapon
Overview
As you can see in the two images below [First Hawks Shot Distribution Second Spurs Shot Distribution] where the
Hawks shots will come from will have a different look in Budenholzers offense The Spurs got 33 more of their shots
within eight feet of the rim than did the Hawks The Spurs offense also utilized the baseline area on the left and right side
of the basket from 8-15 feet much more often than the Hawks (101 to 66 of the total offense) The corner three is
also emphasized more than above the break in Budenholzers system than Drews (CornerAbove Break 95167
to 79206)
Hawks shot distribution
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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Spurs shot distribution
Those areas of the floor were more popular in the Spurs offense because of the positioning of the offense and the plays
the Spurs run [Note Personnel also has an impact but the positioning of that personnel had the larger impact] Pick-
and-roll will be the most common play-type in Budenholzers system and will be much more prevalent than in Drews
offense The Spurs ran pick-and-roll 2226 (092 Points Per Possession 5th) of the time last season compared to the
Hawks who ran pick-and-roll 1815 (084 PPP 18th) of the time Spot-up shots will continue to be a major factor
under Budenholzer as spot-up attempts accounted for 2148 (104 PPP 6th) of the Spurs offense
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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While Budenholzer wants to push the pace transition buckets will not be as large a part of the offense Transition
attempts accounted for 1666 (118 PPP 5th) for the Hawks while just 1368 (111 PPP 19th) for the SpursWith younger personnel more suited for playing up-tempo the Hawks will likely do better than the Spurs in getting out
on the break but Budenholzer also asks for a greater commitment from the entire team to crash the defensive glass
which cuts down on transition opportunities
Due to the uncertainty about who all will be on the roster the only player with a defined role as of now is Al Horford
We know Horford will be used in the same manner as Tim Duncan That is not to say Horford has all of the same skills
as Duncan or will be as effective in certain areas as Duncan but Horford will be utilized in the same position This role
will not be a major departure from how Horford was utilized last year
Horford and Duncan each had about the same number of touches as the roll man in pick-and-roll (297 for Horford 320
for Duncan) and Horford was more effective on a per possession basis than Duncan was scoring 101 PPP (514
FG) to Duncans 095 PPP (472) Horford should see a more significant jump in his spot-up attempts as Duncan had
43 more spot-up touches than Al did (192 to 149) Horford shot a better percentage on spot-up opportunities (432
to 429) but his PPP was slightly lower (083 to 088) because Duncan got to the free throw line more than twice as
often on spot-up looks A boost in spot-up looks which will mostly come via the pick-and-pop should be a positive
both for Horford and the Hawks offense
The biggest change for Horford will be the number of post touches Duncan received 420 post touches and was 22nd in
the NBA with 094 PPP on 466 shooting along with a 98 foul percentage Horford had 327 post touches and was
67th in the NBA with 085 PPP on 455 shooting with an 85 foul percentage Horford will have to improve his
footwork in the post and develop a more consistent counter move if he is going to be effective in what should be an
expanded role as a post player
To illustrate the different nuances in how the Hawks offense will utilize Horford under Budenholzer I have pulled manyvideos from the NBA Media Stats site showing plays run by the Spurs this past year and comparable plays in the
Hawks playbook under Drews guidance I will put plays that are similar together and explain the differences that
Horford will have to adapt to under Budenholzer
Pick-and-Roll Sets
Finding pick-and-roll sets that result in an Al Horford lay-up or dunk are few and far between especially if you want to
see one not run with Josh Smith via the highly successful 4-5 pick-and-roll Horford was primarily a pick-and-pop
player last season which is something he will be asked to continue in Budenholzers offense Budenholzers offense will
be a more balanced mix of pick-and-pop and pick-and-roll for Horford than was Drews which should benefit Horford
because of the speed advantage he has over most of his opponents (especially at the five)
The side pick-and-roll is a favorite of Budenholzers offense especially in semi-transition or early in the clock (like in the
video below) to take advantage of the defense being out of position It is a basic side pick-and-roll with a small twist
Like a normal side pick-and-roll the point guard comes from the break of the three-point line towards the free throw line
and the big slips the screen and rolling down the baseline to the basket However the Spurs bring their small forward up
to the top of the key to chip Duncans man prior to Duncans screen which frees Duncan up for just enough room to
turn the corner to the basket undeterred The key is how quickly Parker recognizes that both defenders have stepped
towards him and the speed with which Duncan slips the screen and gets moving to the hoop
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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The Hawks occasionally ran similar sets last year but normally the side pick-and-roll was run with Josh Smith rather
than Al Horford Here the Hawks run a version of the side pick-and-roll with Horford rolling to the hoop for an alley-
oop dunk
The largest difference in the two plays is the timing For the Hawks to be as successful with the pick-and-roll on a
consistent basis they will have to have a point guard making quick decisions coming off the screen to either attack the
rim or make an early pass and Horford will have to look to get the ball earlier rather than looking for lobs
As for the pick-and-pop Horford will be right at home The Spurs took 307 shots from the left elbow Duncan took
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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111 of those attempts shooting 486 Horford took 61 of the Hawks 308 attempts from the same spot (glares at
Smoove) and shot 475 Horford can expect to operate more from the left side of the floor than he did last year
(inexplicably Drew insisted on playing Smoove on the left despite him being more effective on the right block) which
should help his efficiency 238 of Duncans attempts on the year came from the left elbow and left baseline compared to
just 97 attempts from those same spots for Horford In those 97 attempts Horford shot 495 compared to 423
from the same spots on the right side of the floor in 137 attempts
Pin-Downs
The attempts created at the elbow in Budenholzers offense do not just come from pick-and-pop looks but are also
created through pin-downs in transition and clear-outs We can expect to see more pin-downs for Horford this season
than last year (where they were extremely rare) and they do this to set up their pick-and-roll game Here the Spurs run
a pin-down for Duncan with Ginobili
The Spurs create great floor spacing with the two wing players in the corners and Duncan flattened out on the baseline
Duncan fakes the back-screen for Parker to hold his man on the baseline before coming off of Ginobilis screen for a
wide open elbow jumper With Horfords skill set this would be run for him to create open space for him to operate
and Horford has shown the ability (displayed in the video below on a pick-and-pop) to get defenders in the air on thepump fake and then drive to the basket
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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Budenholzers offense will create more open looks for Horford on the perimeter which means he will not only have a
chance for more jump shots but also will be able to take advantage of bigs closing out on him and drive to the basket
Transition
The transition game is where Al Horford excels Horford has stated many times that he enjoys running the floor and feels
like his ability to run the floor is his biggest advantage Horford is an extremely gifted transition player making rim-runs
catching and finishing lobs and outlet passes In semi-transition Horford often went to the post in an effort to make aquick catch and post before the defense was set I expect Budenholzer to add another wrinkle to Horfords semi-
transition game and have him spot up from the mid-range in the same way Duncan did in San Antonio Here we see
Duncan come down and feign a screen look for Ginobili who drives baseline drawing both defenders and kicks it out
to the open Duncan
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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The fake screen action draws Ginobilis defender up the floor to prepare for what looks like the same side pick-and-roll
action as we saw in the first video clip Instead Ginobili keeps driving which pulls Duncans man towards the basket
leaving Duncan open for a jumper We can expect to see this same look here in Atlanta in order to keep the opposition
from jumping the side pick-and-roll in semi-transition
Hand-off Plays
Hand-off plays are also staples of the Spurs system The Spurs will get the ball to Duncan in the high post and run a
guard tight off of Duncan to either get an easy lay-up or to clear out defenders for an isolation Here we see a hand-off
play with Manu Ginobili where Duncan comes takes the ball and makes a quick hand-off to Ginobili who gets doubled
quickly and passes it out for an open jumper
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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In this second example they post Duncan on the baseline and run Parker down the baseline for the fake hand-off This
action forces Duncans defender to disengage and step back to protect against the hand-off giving Duncan space to get
off the shot
Horfords isolation plays were often just that isolations without any movment around him to force his defender toprotect against a cutter Horford should benefit from better looks from these subtle off-ball actions from his teammates
that help create space for his shot
Post-Ups
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1825
Assuming Tim Duncans role in an offense is not an easy task and Horford cannot do everything Duncan does Horford
is an efficient shooter but needs to be more decisive when taking open shots Budenholzers offense is meant to create
small open shot windows and Horford will have to be quicker with his decision making if he is going to succeed Also
his post-game will need to continue to improve Duncan is one of the elite post-players in the NBA because he has
multiple moves Horford is very good at one particular move turning over his left shoulder to get off his hook shot but
lacks a reliable counter move off of it Here is Horfords driving hook in the lane
Horford is effective with this move because he creates contact and is able to get his shot off but it becomes predictable
and even in the clip above defenders are able to get in front of him to contest it
Here we can see Duncan utilizing the perfect counter to the Horfords go-to move
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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Duncan puts the ball on the floor and drives towards the lane like Horford but instead of going in for the hook he picks
up his dribble and hits a spin move to the baseline for the turnaround bank shot If Horford adopted that counter move
he would become a much improved post-player because he would no longer be predictable
Al Horford is not Tim Duncan I cannot repeat that enough Duncan is a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer and may well go
down as the best power forward in NBA history However Horford possesses many skills that are similar to Duncan
and that will allow him to be very effective in Duncans role in Budenholzers offense and he has room (and I believe the
desirecapability) to develop into a better player Horford must improve his post-game by adding a more reliable countermove and developing a secondary post move He also must become more comfortable rolling to the hoop on pick-and-
rolls rather than just setting up for the mid-range shot or running to the rim for a lob However I have faith that Horford
will continue to grow and improve as a player and under Budenholzer and his staffs tutelage Horford will flourish
developing even further and emerge as an imposing offensive weapon in this system
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2013 NBA Offseason - Atlanta Hawks
Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in MikeBudenholzers offense
By Robby Kalland on Jun 7 2013 800a RKalland 2
Stay connected for news and updates Follow Follow peachtreehoopspeachtreehoops 2145 fo llowers
USA TODAY Sports
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6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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With Mike Budenholzer being named the Hawks new head coach and so much potential roster turnover there are many
questions surrounding the Hawks Here we examine how Budenholzers offensive system will utilize (and benefit) Al
Horford
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In Mike Budenholzers introductory press conference as Hawks head coach he discussed his plan for building and
developing a program in Atlanta While much is up in the air for the Hawks this summer Budenholzer knows two things
for sure Al Horford will be a major factor and what kind of offensive system he will be running
Budenholzer mentioned Horford on numerous occasions and when asked what excites him about the roster he quickly
said The roster starts with Al Horford Budenholzer clearly sees Horford as a cornerstone piece in building the
Hawks and stated repeatedly how excited he was to work with Al
If there was any question that he would be bringing over San Antonios offensive system Budenholzer answered that
with a resounding yes
I think theres a system offensively that has evolved and grown that Im very comfortable with that I want to bring with
me It starts with pace and playing with a high pace ball movement people movement playing unselfish organized andattacking
Great San Antonios offense is a model of consistency and maximizes the talents of its three best players Tim Duncan
Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili However how will that translate to the Hawks Good news The Hawks have a
number of open roster spots to bring in players that will fit the system Bad news None of those players will be named
Tim Duncan Tony Parker or Manu Ginobili
While John Jenkins Mike Scott and Lou Williams (hopefully by training camp) will be on the squad next year their
roles are yet to be fully determined (Williams will be the sixth man but the capacity in which he is asked to play is yet to
be known)
[Note Mike is non-guaranteed but Scott is a near lock for the roster Shelvin Mack is also non-guaranteed and while I
see him making the roster it is not as definite as Scott]
The one certainty is Al Horford and the role he will play in the offense While centerpiece may not be the correct term
(he could be if we are unable to land any of the top free agents) Horford will play a major role in Budenholzers offense
which will have a different look from Larry Drews offense Using videos and charts from the NBA Media Stats site and
statistics from Synergy Sports we will examine how Al Horford will be used in Budenholzers offense and why I believehe will become an even better offensive weapon
Overview
As you can see in the two images below [First Hawks Shot Distribution Second Spurs Shot Distribution] where the
Hawks shots will come from will have a different look in Budenholzers offense The Spurs got 33 more of their shots
within eight feet of the rim than did the Hawks The Spurs offense also utilized the baseline area on the left and right side
of the basket from 8-15 feet much more often than the Hawks (101 to 66 of the total offense) The corner three is
also emphasized more than above the break in Budenholzers system than Drews (CornerAbove Break 95167
to 79206)
Hawks shot distribution
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1125
Spurs shot distribution
Those areas of the floor were more popular in the Spurs offense because of the positioning of the offense and the plays
the Spurs run [Note Personnel also has an impact but the positioning of that personnel had the larger impact] Pick-
and-roll will be the most common play-type in Budenholzers system and will be much more prevalent than in Drews
offense The Spurs ran pick-and-roll 2226 (092 Points Per Possession 5th) of the time last season compared to the
Hawks who ran pick-and-roll 1815 (084 PPP 18th) of the time Spot-up shots will continue to be a major factor
under Budenholzer as spot-up attempts accounted for 2148 (104 PPP 6th) of the Spurs offense
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1225
While Budenholzer wants to push the pace transition buckets will not be as large a part of the offense Transition
attempts accounted for 1666 (118 PPP 5th) for the Hawks while just 1368 (111 PPP 19th) for the SpursWith younger personnel more suited for playing up-tempo the Hawks will likely do better than the Spurs in getting out
on the break but Budenholzer also asks for a greater commitment from the entire team to crash the defensive glass
which cuts down on transition opportunities
Due to the uncertainty about who all will be on the roster the only player with a defined role as of now is Al Horford
We know Horford will be used in the same manner as Tim Duncan That is not to say Horford has all of the same skills
as Duncan or will be as effective in certain areas as Duncan but Horford will be utilized in the same position This role
will not be a major departure from how Horford was utilized last year
Horford and Duncan each had about the same number of touches as the roll man in pick-and-roll (297 for Horford 320
for Duncan) and Horford was more effective on a per possession basis than Duncan was scoring 101 PPP (514
FG) to Duncans 095 PPP (472) Horford should see a more significant jump in his spot-up attempts as Duncan had
43 more spot-up touches than Al did (192 to 149) Horford shot a better percentage on spot-up opportunities (432
to 429) but his PPP was slightly lower (083 to 088) because Duncan got to the free throw line more than twice as
often on spot-up looks A boost in spot-up looks which will mostly come via the pick-and-pop should be a positive
both for Horford and the Hawks offense
The biggest change for Horford will be the number of post touches Duncan received 420 post touches and was 22nd in
the NBA with 094 PPP on 466 shooting along with a 98 foul percentage Horford had 327 post touches and was
67th in the NBA with 085 PPP on 455 shooting with an 85 foul percentage Horford will have to improve his
footwork in the post and develop a more consistent counter move if he is going to be effective in what should be an
expanded role as a post player
To illustrate the different nuances in how the Hawks offense will utilize Horford under Budenholzer I have pulled manyvideos from the NBA Media Stats site showing plays run by the Spurs this past year and comparable plays in the
Hawks playbook under Drews guidance I will put plays that are similar together and explain the differences that
Horford will have to adapt to under Budenholzer
Pick-and-Roll Sets
Finding pick-and-roll sets that result in an Al Horford lay-up or dunk are few and far between especially if you want to
see one not run with Josh Smith via the highly successful 4-5 pick-and-roll Horford was primarily a pick-and-pop
player last season which is something he will be asked to continue in Budenholzers offense Budenholzers offense will
be a more balanced mix of pick-and-pop and pick-and-roll for Horford than was Drews which should benefit Horford
because of the speed advantage he has over most of his opponents (especially at the five)
The side pick-and-roll is a favorite of Budenholzers offense especially in semi-transition or early in the clock (like in the
video below) to take advantage of the defense being out of position It is a basic side pick-and-roll with a small twist
Like a normal side pick-and-roll the point guard comes from the break of the three-point line towards the free throw line
and the big slips the screen and rolling down the baseline to the basket However the Spurs bring their small forward up
to the top of the key to chip Duncans man prior to Duncans screen which frees Duncan up for just enough room to
turn the corner to the basket undeterred The key is how quickly Parker recognizes that both defenders have stepped
towards him and the speed with which Duncan slips the screen and gets moving to the hoop
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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The Hawks occasionally ran similar sets last year but normally the side pick-and-roll was run with Josh Smith rather
than Al Horford Here the Hawks run a version of the side pick-and-roll with Horford rolling to the hoop for an alley-
oop dunk
The largest difference in the two plays is the timing For the Hawks to be as successful with the pick-and-roll on a
consistent basis they will have to have a point guard making quick decisions coming off the screen to either attack the
rim or make an early pass and Horford will have to look to get the ball earlier rather than looking for lobs
As for the pick-and-pop Horford will be right at home The Spurs took 307 shots from the left elbow Duncan took
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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111 of those attempts shooting 486 Horford took 61 of the Hawks 308 attempts from the same spot (glares at
Smoove) and shot 475 Horford can expect to operate more from the left side of the floor than he did last year
(inexplicably Drew insisted on playing Smoove on the left despite him being more effective on the right block) which
should help his efficiency 238 of Duncans attempts on the year came from the left elbow and left baseline compared to
just 97 attempts from those same spots for Horford In those 97 attempts Horford shot 495 compared to 423
from the same spots on the right side of the floor in 137 attempts
Pin-Downs
The attempts created at the elbow in Budenholzers offense do not just come from pick-and-pop looks but are also
created through pin-downs in transition and clear-outs We can expect to see more pin-downs for Horford this season
than last year (where they were extremely rare) and they do this to set up their pick-and-roll game Here the Spurs run
a pin-down for Duncan with Ginobili
The Spurs create great floor spacing with the two wing players in the corners and Duncan flattened out on the baseline
Duncan fakes the back-screen for Parker to hold his man on the baseline before coming off of Ginobilis screen for a
wide open elbow jumper With Horfords skill set this would be run for him to create open space for him to operate
and Horford has shown the ability (displayed in the video below on a pick-and-pop) to get defenders in the air on thepump fake and then drive to the basket
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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Budenholzers offense will create more open looks for Horford on the perimeter which means he will not only have a
chance for more jump shots but also will be able to take advantage of bigs closing out on him and drive to the basket
Transition
The transition game is where Al Horford excels Horford has stated many times that he enjoys running the floor and feels
like his ability to run the floor is his biggest advantage Horford is an extremely gifted transition player making rim-runs
catching and finishing lobs and outlet passes In semi-transition Horford often went to the post in an effort to make aquick catch and post before the defense was set I expect Budenholzer to add another wrinkle to Horfords semi-
transition game and have him spot up from the mid-range in the same way Duncan did in San Antonio Here we see
Duncan come down and feign a screen look for Ginobili who drives baseline drawing both defenders and kicks it out
to the open Duncan
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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The fake screen action draws Ginobilis defender up the floor to prepare for what looks like the same side pick-and-roll
action as we saw in the first video clip Instead Ginobili keeps driving which pulls Duncans man towards the basket
leaving Duncan open for a jumper We can expect to see this same look here in Atlanta in order to keep the opposition
from jumping the side pick-and-roll in semi-transition
Hand-off Plays
Hand-off plays are also staples of the Spurs system The Spurs will get the ball to Duncan in the high post and run a
guard tight off of Duncan to either get an easy lay-up or to clear out defenders for an isolation Here we see a hand-off
play with Manu Ginobili where Duncan comes takes the ball and makes a quick hand-off to Ginobili who gets doubled
quickly and passes it out for an open jumper
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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In this second example they post Duncan on the baseline and run Parker down the baseline for the fake hand-off This
action forces Duncans defender to disengage and step back to protect against the hand-off giving Duncan space to get
off the shot
Horfords isolation plays were often just that isolations without any movment around him to force his defender toprotect against a cutter Horford should benefit from better looks from these subtle off-ball actions from his teammates
that help create space for his shot
Post-Ups
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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Assuming Tim Duncans role in an offense is not an easy task and Horford cannot do everything Duncan does Horford
is an efficient shooter but needs to be more decisive when taking open shots Budenholzers offense is meant to create
small open shot windows and Horford will have to be quicker with his decision making if he is going to succeed Also
his post-game will need to continue to improve Duncan is one of the elite post-players in the NBA because he has
multiple moves Horford is very good at one particular move turning over his left shoulder to get off his hook shot but
lacks a reliable counter move off of it Here is Horfords driving hook in the lane
Horford is effective with this move because he creates contact and is able to get his shot off but it becomes predictable
and even in the clip above defenders are able to get in front of him to contest it
Here we can see Duncan utilizing the perfect counter to the Horfords go-to move
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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Duncan puts the ball on the floor and drives towards the lane like Horford but instead of going in for the hook he picks
up his dribble and hits a spin move to the baseline for the turnaround bank shot If Horford adopted that counter move
he would become a much improved post-player because he would no longer be predictable
Al Horford is not Tim Duncan I cannot repeat that enough Duncan is a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer and may well go
down as the best power forward in NBA history However Horford possesses many skills that are similar to Duncan
and that will allow him to be very effective in Duncans role in Budenholzers offense and he has room (and I believe the
desirecapability) to develop into a better player Horford must improve his post-game by adding a more reliable countermove and developing a secondary post move He also must become more comfortable rolling to the hoop on pick-and-
rolls rather than just setting up for the mid-range shot or running to the rim for a lob However I have faith that Horford
will continue to grow and improve as a player and under Budenholzer and his staffs tutelage Horford will flourish
developing even further and emerge as an imposing offensive weapon in this system
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2013 NBA Offseason - Atlanta Hawks
Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in MikeBudenholzers offense
By Robby Kalland on Jun 7 2013 800a RKalland 2
Stay connected for news and updates Follow Follow peachtreehoopspeachtreehoops 2145 fo llowers
USA TODAY Sports
Like 198
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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With Mike Budenholzer being named the Hawks new head coach and so much potential roster turnover there are many
questions surrounding the Hawks Here we examine how Budenholzers offensive system will utilize (and benefit) Al
Horford
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In Mike Budenholzers introductory press conference as Hawks head coach he discussed his plan for building and
developing a program in Atlanta While much is up in the air for the Hawks this summer Budenholzer knows two things
for sure Al Horford will be a major factor and what kind of offensive system he will be running
Budenholzer mentioned Horford on numerous occasions and when asked what excites him about the roster he quickly
said The roster starts with Al Horford Budenholzer clearly sees Horford as a cornerstone piece in building the
Hawks and stated repeatedly how excited he was to work with Al
If there was any question that he would be bringing over San Antonios offensive system Budenholzer answered that
with a resounding yes
I think theres a system offensively that has evolved and grown that Im very comfortable with that I want to bring with
me It starts with pace and playing with a high pace ball movement people movement playing unselfish organized andattacking
Great San Antonios offense is a model of consistency and maximizes the talents of its three best players Tim Duncan
Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili However how will that translate to the Hawks Good news The Hawks have a
number of open roster spots to bring in players that will fit the system Bad news None of those players will be named
Tim Duncan Tony Parker or Manu Ginobili
While John Jenkins Mike Scott and Lou Williams (hopefully by training camp) will be on the squad next year their
roles are yet to be fully determined (Williams will be the sixth man but the capacity in which he is asked to play is yet to
be known)
[Note Mike is non-guaranteed but Scott is a near lock for the roster Shelvin Mack is also non-guaranteed and while I
see him making the roster it is not as definite as Scott]
The one certainty is Al Horford and the role he will play in the offense While centerpiece may not be the correct term
(he could be if we are unable to land any of the top free agents) Horford will play a major role in Budenholzers offense
which will have a different look from Larry Drews offense Using videos and charts from the NBA Media Stats site and
statistics from Synergy Sports we will examine how Al Horford will be used in Budenholzers offense and why I believehe will become an even better offensive weapon
Overview
As you can see in the two images below [First Hawks Shot Distribution Second Spurs Shot Distribution] where the
Hawks shots will come from will have a different look in Budenholzers offense The Spurs got 33 more of their shots
within eight feet of the rim than did the Hawks The Spurs offense also utilized the baseline area on the left and right side
of the basket from 8-15 feet much more often than the Hawks (101 to 66 of the total offense) The corner three is
also emphasized more than above the break in Budenholzers system than Drews (CornerAbove Break 95167
to 79206)
Hawks shot distribution
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1125
Spurs shot distribution
Those areas of the floor were more popular in the Spurs offense because of the positioning of the offense and the plays
the Spurs run [Note Personnel also has an impact but the positioning of that personnel had the larger impact] Pick-
and-roll will be the most common play-type in Budenholzers system and will be much more prevalent than in Drews
offense The Spurs ran pick-and-roll 2226 (092 Points Per Possession 5th) of the time last season compared to the
Hawks who ran pick-and-roll 1815 (084 PPP 18th) of the time Spot-up shots will continue to be a major factor
under Budenholzer as spot-up attempts accounted for 2148 (104 PPP 6th) of the Spurs offense
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1225
While Budenholzer wants to push the pace transition buckets will not be as large a part of the offense Transition
attempts accounted for 1666 (118 PPP 5th) for the Hawks while just 1368 (111 PPP 19th) for the SpursWith younger personnel more suited for playing up-tempo the Hawks will likely do better than the Spurs in getting out
on the break but Budenholzer also asks for a greater commitment from the entire team to crash the defensive glass
which cuts down on transition opportunities
Due to the uncertainty about who all will be on the roster the only player with a defined role as of now is Al Horford
We know Horford will be used in the same manner as Tim Duncan That is not to say Horford has all of the same skills
as Duncan or will be as effective in certain areas as Duncan but Horford will be utilized in the same position This role
will not be a major departure from how Horford was utilized last year
Horford and Duncan each had about the same number of touches as the roll man in pick-and-roll (297 for Horford 320
for Duncan) and Horford was more effective on a per possession basis than Duncan was scoring 101 PPP (514
FG) to Duncans 095 PPP (472) Horford should see a more significant jump in his spot-up attempts as Duncan had
43 more spot-up touches than Al did (192 to 149) Horford shot a better percentage on spot-up opportunities (432
to 429) but his PPP was slightly lower (083 to 088) because Duncan got to the free throw line more than twice as
often on spot-up looks A boost in spot-up looks which will mostly come via the pick-and-pop should be a positive
both for Horford and the Hawks offense
The biggest change for Horford will be the number of post touches Duncan received 420 post touches and was 22nd in
the NBA with 094 PPP on 466 shooting along with a 98 foul percentage Horford had 327 post touches and was
67th in the NBA with 085 PPP on 455 shooting with an 85 foul percentage Horford will have to improve his
footwork in the post and develop a more consistent counter move if he is going to be effective in what should be an
expanded role as a post player
To illustrate the different nuances in how the Hawks offense will utilize Horford under Budenholzer I have pulled manyvideos from the NBA Media Stats site showing plays run by the Spurs this past year and comparable plays in the
Hawks playbook under Drews guidance I will put plays that are similar together and explain the differences that
Horford will have to adapt to under Budenholzer
Pick-and-Roll Sets
Finding pick-and-roll sets that result in an Al Horford lay-up or dunk are few and far between especially if you want to
see one not run with Josh Smith via the highly successful 4-5 pick-and-roll Horford was primarily a pick-and-pop
player last season which is something he will be asked to continue in Budenholzers offense Budenholzers offense will
be a more balanced mix of pick-and-pop and pick-and-roll for Horford than was Drews which should benefit Horford
because of the speed advantage he has over most of his opponents (especially at the five)
The side pick-and-roll is a favorite of Budenholzers offense especially in semi-transition or early in the clock (like in the
video below) to take advantage of the defense being out of position It is a basic side pick-and-roll with a small twist
Like a normal side pick-and-roll the point guard comes from the break of the three-point line towards the free throw line
and the big slips the screen and rolling down the baseline to the basket However the Spurs bring their small forward up
to the top of the key to chip Duncans man prior to Duncans screen which frees Duncan up for just enough room to
turn the corner to the basket undeterred The key is how quickly Parker recognizes that both defenders have stepped
towards him and the speed with which Duncan slips the screen and gets moving to the hoop
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1325
The Hawks occasionally ran similar sets last year but normally the side pick-and-roll was run with Josh Smith rather
than Al Horford Here the Hawks run a version of the side pick-and-roll with Horford rolling to the hoop for an alley-
oop dunk
The largest difference in the two plays is the timing For the Hawks to be as successful with the pick-and-roll on a
consistent basis they will have to have a point guard making quick decisions coming off the screen to either attack the
rim or make an early pass and Horford will have to look to get the ball earlier rather than looking for lobs
As for the pick-and-pop Horford will be right at home The Spurs took 307 shots from the left elbow Duncan took
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1425
111 of those attempts shooting 486 Horford took 61 of the Hawks 308 attempts from the same spot (glares at
Smoove) and shot 475 Horford can expect to operate more from the left side of the floor than he did last year
(inexplicably Drew insisted on playing Smoove on the left despite him being more effective on the right block) which
should help his efficiency 238 of Duncans attempts on the year came from the left elbow and left baseline compared to
just 97 attempts from those same spots for Horford In those 97 attempts Horford shot 495 compared to 423
from the same spots on the right side of the floor in 137 attempts
Pin-Downs
The attempts created at the elbow in Budenholzers offense do not just come from pick-and-pop looks but are also
created through pin-downs in transition and clear-outs We can expect to see more pin-downs for Horford this season
than last year (where they were extremely rare) and they do this to set up their pick-and-roll game Here the Spurs run
a pin-down for Duncan with Ginobili
The Spurs create great floor spacing with the two wing players in the corners and Duncan flattened out on the baseline
Duncan fakes the back-screen for Parker to hold his man on the baseline before coming off of Ginobilis screen for a
wide open elbow jumper With Horfords skill set this would be run for him to create open space for him to operate
and Horford has shown the ability (displayed in the video below on a pick-and-pop) to get defenders in the air on thepump fake and then drive to the basket
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1525
Budenholzers offense will create more open looks for Horford on the perimeter which means he will not only have a
chance for more jump shots but also will be able to take advantage of bigs closing out on him and drive to the basket
Transition
The transition game is where Al Horford excels Horford has stated many times that he enjoys running the floor and feels
like his ability to run the floor is his biggest advantage Horford is an extremely gifted transition player making rim-runs
catching and finishing lobs and outlet passes In semi-transition Horford often went to the post in an effort to make aquick catch and post before the defense was set I expect Budenholzer to add another wrinkle to Horfords semi-
transition game and have him spot up from the mid-range in the same way Duncan did in San Antonio Here we see
Duncan come down and feign a screen look for Ginobili who drives baseline drawing both defenders and kicks it out
to the open Duncan
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1625
The fake screen action draws Ginobilis defender up the floor to prepare for what looks like the same side pick-and-roll
action as we saw in the first video clip Instead Ginobili keeps driving which pulls Duncans man towards the basket
leaving Duncan open for a jumper We can expect to see this same look here in Atlanta in order to keep the opposition
from jumping the side pick-and-roll in semi-transition
Hand-off Plays
Hand-off plays are also staples of the Spurs system The Spurs will get the ball to Duncan in the high post and run a
guard tight off of Duncan to either get an easy lay-up or to clear out defenders for an isolation Here we see a hand-off
play with Manu Ginobili where Duncan comes takes the ball and makes a quick hand-off to Ginobili who gets doubled
quickly and passes it out for an open jumper
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1725
In this second example they post Duncan on the baseline and run Parker down the baseline for the fake hand-off This
action forces Duncans defender to disengage and step back to protect against the hand-off giving Duncan space to get
off the shot
Horfords isolation plays were often just that isolations without any movment around him to force his defender toprotect against a cutter Horford should benefit from better looks from these subtle off-ball actions from his teammates
that help create space for his shot
Post-Ups
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1825
Assuming Tim Duncans role in an offense is not an easy task and Horford cannot do everything Duncan does Horford
is an efficient shooter but needs to be more decisive when taking open shots Budenholzers offense is meant to create
small open shot windows and Horford will have to be quicker with his decision making if he is going to succeed Also
his post-game will need to continue to improve Duncan is one of the elite post-players in the NBA because he has
multiple moves Horford is very good at one particular move turning over his left shoulder to get off his hook shot but
lacks a reliable counter move off of it Here is Horfords driving hook in the lane
Horford is effective with this move because he creates contact and is able to get his shot off but it becomes predictable
and even in the clip above defenders are able to get in front of him to contest it
Here we can see Duncan utilizing the perfect counter to the Horfords go-to move
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1925
Duncan puts the ball on the floor and drives towards the lane like Horford but instead of going in for the hook he picks
up his dribble and hits a spin move to the baseline for the turnaround bank shot If Horford adopted that counter move
he would become a much improved post-player because he would no longer be predictable
Al Horford is not Tim Duncan I cannot repeat that enough Duncan is a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer and may well go
down as the best power forward in NBA history However Horford possesses many skills that are similar to Duncan
and that will allow him to be very effective in Duncans role in Budenholzers offense and he has room (and I believe the
desirecapability) to develop into a better player Horford must improve his post-game by adding a more reliable countermove and developing a secondary post move He also must become more comfortable rolling to the hoop on pick-and-
rolls rather than just setting up for the mid-range shot or running to the rim for a lob However I have faith that Horford
will continue to grow and improve as a player and under Budenholzer and his staffs tutelage Horford will flourish
developing even further and emerge as an imposing offensive weapon in this system
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2013 NBA Offseason - Atlanta Hawks
Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in MikeBudenholzers offense
By Robby Kalland on Jun 7 2013 800a RKalland 2
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With Mike Budenholzer being named the Hawks new head coach and so much potential roster turnover there are many
questions surrounding the Hawks Here we examine how Budenholzers offensive system will utilize (and benefit) Al
Horford
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In Mike Budenholzers introductory press conference as Hawks head coach he discussed his plan for building and
developing a program in Atlanta While much is up in the air for the Hawks this summer Budenholzer knows two things
for sure Al Horford will be a major factor and what kind of offensive system he will be running
Budenholzer mentioned Horford on numerous occasions and when asked what excites him about the roster he quickly
said The roster starts with Al Horford Budenholzer clearly sees Horford as a cornerstone piece in building the
Hawks and stated repeatedly how excited he was to work with Al
If there was any question that he would be bringing over San Antonios offensive system Budenholzer answered that
with a resounding yes
I think theres a system offensively that has evolved and grown that Im very comfortable with that I want to bring with
me It starts with pace and playing with a high pace ball movement people movement playing unselfish organized andattacking
Great San Antonios offense is a model of consistency and maximizes the talents of its three best players Tim Duncan
Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili However how will that translate to the Hawks Good news The Hawks have a
number of open roster spots to bring in players that will fit the system Bad news None of those players will be named
Tim Duncan Tony Parker or Manu Ginobili
While John Jenkins Mike Scott and Lou Williams (hopefully by training camp) will be on the squad next year their
roles are yet to be fully determined (Williams will be the sixth man but the capacity in which he is asked to play is yet to
be known)
[Note Mike is non-guaranteed but Scott is a near lock for the roster Shelvin Mack is also non-guaranteed and while I
see him making the roster it is not as definite as Scott]
The one certainty is Al Horford and the role he will play in the offense While centerpiece may not be the correct term
(he could be if we are unable to land any of the top free agents) Horford will play a major role in Budenholzers offense
which will have a different look from Larry Drews offense Using videos and charts from the NBA Media Stats site and
statistics from Synergy Sports we will examine how Al Horford will be used in Budenholzers offense and why I believehe will become an even better offensive weapon
Overview
As you can see in the two images below [First Hawks Shot Distribution Second Spurs Shot Distribution] where the
Hawks shots will come from will have a different look in Budenholzers offense The Spurs got 33 more of their shots
within eight feet of the rim than did the Hawks The Spurs offense also utilized the baseline area on the left and right side
of the basket from 8-15 feet much more often than the Hawks (101 to 66 of the total offense) The corner three is
also emphasized more than above the break in Budenholzers system than Drews (CornerAbove Break 95167
to 79206)
Hawks shot distribution
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1125
Spurs shot distribution
Those areas of the floor were more popular in the Spurs offense because of the positioning of the offense and the plays
the Spurs run [Note Personnel also has an impact but the positioning of that personnel had the larger impact] Pick-
and-roll will be the most common play-type in Budenholzers system and will be much more prevalent than in Drews
offense The Spurs ran pick-and-roll 2226 (092 Points Per Possession 5th) of the time last season compared to the
Hawks who ran pick-and-roll 1815 (084 PPP 18th) of the time Spot-up shots will continue to be a major factor
under Budenholzer as spot-up attempts accounted for 2148 (104 PPP 6th) of the Spurs offense
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1225
While Budenholzer wants to push the pace transition buckets will not be as large a part of the offense Transition
attempts accounted for 1666 (118 PPP 5th) for the Hawks while just 1368 (111 PPP 19th) for the SpursWith younger personnel more suited for playing up-tempo the Hawks will likely do better than the Spurs in getting out
on the break but Budenholzer also asks for a greater commitment from the entire team to crash the defensive glass
which cuts down on transition opportunities
Due to the uncertainty about who all will be on the roster the only player with a defined role as of now is Al Horford
We know Horford will be used in the same manner as Tim Duncan That is not to say Horford has all of the same skills
as Duncan or will be as effective in certain areas as Duncan but Horford will be utilized in the same position This role
will not be a major departure from how Horford was utilized last year
Horford and Duncan each had about the same number of touches as the roll man in pick-and-roll (297 for Horford 320
for Duncan) and Horford was more effective on a per possession basis than Duncan was scoring 101 PPP (514
FG) to Duncans 095 PPP (472) Horford should see a more significant jump in his spot-up attempts as Duncan had
43 more spot-up touches than Al did (192 to 149) Horford shot a better percentage on spot-up opportunities (432
to 429) but his PPP was slightly lower (083 to 088) because Duncan got to the free throw line more than twice as
often on spot-up looks A boost in spot-up looks which will mostly come via the pick-and-pop should be a positive
both for Horford and the Hawks offense
The biggest change for Horford will be the number of post touches Duncan received 420 post touches and was 22nd in
the NBA with 094 PPP on 466 shooting along with a 98 foul percentage Horford had 327 post touches and was
67th in the NBA with 085 PPP on 455 shooting with an 85 foul percentage Horford will have to improve his
footwork in the post and develop a more consistent counter move if he is going to be effective in what should be an
expanded role as a post player
To illustrate the different nuances in how the Hawks offense will utilize Horford under Budenholzer I have pulled manyvideos from the NBA Media Stats site showing plays run by the Spurs this past year and comparable plays in the
Hawks playbook under Drews guidance I will put plays that are similar together and explain the differences that
Horford will have to adapt to under Budenholzer
Pick-and-Roll Sets
Finding pick-and-roll sets that result in an Al Horford lay-up or dunk are few and far between especially if you want to
see one not run with Josh Smith via the highly successful 4-5 pick-and-roll Horford was primarily a pick-and-pop
player last season which is something he will be asked to continue in Budenholzers offense Budenholzers offense will
be a more balanced mix of pick-and-pop and pick-and-roll for Horford than was Drews which should benefit Horford
because of the speed advantage he has over most of his opponents (especially at the five)
The side pick-and-roll is a favorite of Budenholzers offense especially in semi-transition or early in the clock (like in the
video below) to take advantage of the defense being out of position It is a basic side pick-and-roll with a small twist
Like a normal side pick-and-roll the point guard comes from the break of the three-point line towards the free throw line
and the big slips the screen and rolling down the baseline to the basket However the Spurs bring their small forward up
to the top of the key to chip Duncans man prior to Duncans screen which frees Duncan up for just enough room to
turn the corner to the basket undeterred The key is how quickly Parker recognizes that both defenders have stepped
towards him and the speed with which Duncan slips the screen and gets moving to the hoop
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1325
The Hawks occasionally ran similar sets last year but normally the side pick-and-roll was run with Josh Smith rather
than Al Horford Here the Hawks run a version of the side pick-and-roll with Horford rolling to the hoop for an alley-
oop dunk
The largest difference in the two plays is the timing For the Hawks to be as successful with the pick-and-roll on a
consistent basis they will have to have a point guard making quick decisions coming off the screen to either attack the
rim or make an early pass and Horford will have to look to get the ball earlier rather than looking for lobs
As for the pick-and-pop Horford will be right at home The Spurs took 307 shots from the left elbow Duncan took
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1425
111 of those attempts shooting 486 Horford took 61 of the Hawks 308 attempts from the same spot (glares at
Smoove) and shot 475 Horford can expect to operate more from the left side of the floor than he did last year
(inexplicably Drew insisted on playing Smoove on the left despite him being more effective on the right block) which
should help his efficiency 238 of Duncans attempts on the year came from the left elbow and left baseline compared to
just 97 attempts from those same spots for Horford In those 97 attempts Horford shot 495 compared to 423
from the same spots on the right side of the floor in 137 attempts
Pin-Downs
The attempts created at the elbow in Budenholzers offense do not just come from pick-and-pop looks but are also
created through pin-downs in transition and clear-outs We can expect to see more pin-downs for Horford this season
than last year (where they were extremely rare) and they do this to set up their pick-and-roll game Here the Spurs run
a pin-down for Duncan with Ginobili
The Spurs create great floor spacing with the two wing players in the corners and Duncan flattened out on the baseline
Duncan fakes the back-screen for Parker to hold his man on the baseline before coming off of Ginobilis screen for a
wide open elbow jumper With Horfords skill set this would be run for him to create open space for him to operate
and Horford has shown the ability (displayed in the video below on a pick-and-pop) to get defenders in the air on thepump fake and then drive to the basket
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1525
Budenholzers offense will create more open looks for Horford on the perimeter which means he will not only have a
chance for more jump shots but also will be able to take advantage of bigs closing out on him and drive to the basket
Transition
The transition game is where Al Horford excels Horford has stated many times that he enjoys running the floor and feels
like his ability to run the floor is his biggest advantage Horford is an extremely gifted transition player making rim-runs
catching and finishing lobs and outlet passes In semi-transition Horford often went to the post in an effort to make aquick catch and post before the defense was set I expect Budenholzer to add another wrinkle to Horfords semi-
transition game and have him spot up from the mid-range in the same way Duncan did in San Antonio Here we see
Duncan come down and feign a screen look for Ginobili who drives baseline drawing both defenders and kicks it out
to the open Duncan
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1625
The fake screen action draws Ginobilis defender up the floor to prepare for what looks like the same side pick-and-roll
action as we saw in the first video clip Instead Ginobili keeps driving which pulls Duncans man towards the basket
leaving Duncan open for a jumper We can expect to see this same look here in Atlanta in order to keep the opposition
from jumping the side pick-and-roll in semi-transition
Hand-off Plays
Hand-off plays are also staples of the Spurs system The Spurs will get the ball to Duncan in the high post and run a
guard tight off of Duncan to either get an easy lay-up or to clear out defenders for an isolation Here we see a hand-off
play with Manu Ginobili where Duncan comes takes the ball and makes a quick hand-off to Ginobili who gets doubled
quickly and passes it out for an open jumper
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1725
In this second example they post Duncan on the baseline and run Parker down the baseline for the fake hand-off This
action forces Duncans defender to disengage and step back to protect against the hand-off giving Duncan space to get
off the shot
Horfords isolation plays were often just that isolations without any movment around him to force his defender toprotect against a cutter Horford should benefit from better looks from these subtle off-ball actions from his teammates
that help create space for his shot
Post-Ups
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1825
Assuming Tim Duncans role in an offense is not an easy task and Horford cannot do everything Duncan does Horford
is an efficient shooter but needs to be more decisive when taking open shots Budenholzers offense is meant to create
small open shot windows and Horford will have to be quicker with his decision making if he is going to succeed Also
his post-game will need to continue to improve Duncan is one of the elite post-players in the NBA because he has
multiple moves Horford is very good at one particular move turning over his left shoulder to get off his hook shot but
lacks a reliable counter move off of it Here is Horfords driving hook in the lane
Horford is effective with this move because he creates contact and is able to get his shot off but it becomes predictable
and even in the clip above defenders are able to get in front of him to contest it
Here we can see Duncan utilizing the perfect counter to the Horfords go-to move
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1925
Duncan puts the ball on the floor and drives towards the lane like Horford but instead of going in for the hook he picks
up his dribble and hits a spin move to the baseline for the turnaround bank shot If Horford adopted that counter move
he would become a much improved post-player because he would no longer be predictable
Al Horford is not Tim Duncan I cannot repeat that enough Duncan is a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer and may well go
down as the best power forward in NBA history However Horford possesses many skills that are similar to Duncan
and that will allow him to be very effective in Duncans role in Budenholzers offense and he has room (and I believe the
desirecapability) to develop into a better player Horford must improve his post-game by adding a more reliable countermove and developing a secondary post move He also must become more comfortable rolling to the hoop on pick-and-
rolls rather than just setting up for the mid-range shot or running to the rim for a lob However I have faith that Horford
will continue to grow and improve as a player and under Budenholzer and his staffs tutelage Horford will flourish
developing even further and emerge as an imposing offensive weapon in this system
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6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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With Mike Budenholzer being named the Hawks new head coach and so much potential roster turnover there are many
questions surrounding the Hawks Here we examine how Budenholzers offensive system will utilize (and benefit) Al
Horford
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In Mike Budenholzers introductory press conference as Hawks head coach he discussed his plan for building and
developing a program in Atlanta While much is up in the air for the Hawks this summer Budenholzer knows two things
for sure Al Horford will be a major factor and what kind of offensive system he will be running
Budenholzer mentioned Horford on numerous occasions and when asked what excites him about the roster he quickly
said The roster starts with Al Horford Budenholzer clearly sees Horford as a cornerstone piece in building the
Hawks and stated repeatedly how excited he was to work with Al
If there was any question that he would be bringing over San Antonios offensive system Budenholzer answered that
with a resounding yes
I think theres a system offensively that has evolved and grown that Im very comfortable with that I want to bring with
me It starts with pace and playing with a high pace ball movement people movement playing unselfish organized andattacking
Great San Antonios offense is a model of consistency and maximizes the talents of its three best players Tim Duncan
Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili However how will that translate to the Hawks Good news The Hawks have a
number of open roster spots to bring in players that will fit the system Bad news None of those players will be named
Tim Duncan Tony Parker or Manu Ginobili
While John Jenkins Mike Scott and Lou Williams (hopefully by training camp) will be on the squad next year their
roles are yet to be fully determined (Williams will be the sixth man but the capacity in which he is asked to play is yet to
be known)
[Note Mike is non-guaranteed but Scott is a near lock for the roster Shelvin Mack is also non-guaranteed and while I
see him making the roster it is not as definite as Scott]
The one certainty is Al Horford and the role he will play in the offense While centerpiece may not be the correct term
(he could be if we are unable to land any of the top free agents) Horford will play a major role in Budenholzers offense
which will have a different look from Larry Drews offense Using videos and charts from the NBA Media Stats site and
statistics from Synergy Sports we will examine how Al Horford will be used in Budenholzers offense and why I believehe will become an even better offensive weapon
Overview
As you can see in the two images below [First Hawks Shot Distribution Second Spurs Shot Distribution] where the
Hawks shots will come from will have a different look in Budenholzers offense The Spurs got 33 more of their shots
within eight feet of the rim than did the Hawks The Spurs offense also utilized the baseline area on the left and right side
of the basket from 8-15 feet much more often than the Hawks (101 to 66 of the total offense) The corner three is
also emphasized more than above the break in Budenholzers system than Drews (CornerAbove Break 95167
to 79206)
Hawks shot distribution
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1125
Spurs shot distribution
Those areas of the floor were more popular in the Spurs offense because of the positioning of the offense and the plays
the Spurs run [Note Personnel also has an impact but the positioning of that personnel had the larger impact] Pick-
and-roll will be the most common play-type in Budenholzers system and will be much more prevalent than in Drews
offense The Spurs ran pick-and-roll 2226 (092 Points Per Possession 5th) of the time last season compared to the
Hawks who ran pick-and-roll 1815 (084 PPP 18th) of the time Spot-up shots will continue to be a major factor
under Budenholzer as spot-up attempts accounted for 2148 (104 PPP 6th) of the Spurs offense
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1225
While Budenholzer wants to push the pace transition buckets will not be as large a part of the offense Transition
attempts accounted for 1666 (118 PPP 5th) for the Hawks while just 1368 (111 PPP 19th) for the SpursWith younger personnel more suited for playing up-tempo the Hawks will likely do better than the Spurs in getting out
on the break but Budenholzer also asks for a greater commitment from the entire team to crash the defensive glass
which cuts down on transition opportunities
Due to the uncertainty about who all will be on the roster the only player with a defined role as of now is Al Horford
We know Horford will be used in the same manner as Tim Duncan That is not to say Horford has all of the same skills
as Duncan or will be as effective in certain areas as Duncan but Horford will be utilized in the same position This role
will not be a major departure from how Horford was utilized last year
Horford and Duncan each had about the same number of touches as the roll man in pick-and-roll (297 for Horford 320
for Duncan) and Horford was more effective on a per possession basis than Duncan was scoring 101 PPP (514
FG) to Duncans 095 PPP (472) Horford should see a more significant jump in his spot-up attempts as Duncan had
43 more spot-up touches than Al did (192 to 149) Horford shot a better percentage on spot-up opportunities (432
to 429) but his PPP was slightly lower (083 to 088) because Duncan got to the free throw line more than twice as
often on spot-up looks A boost in spot-up looks which will mostly come via the pick-and-pop should be a positive
both for Horford and the Hawks offense
The biggest change for Horford will be the number of post touches Duncan received 420 post touches and was 22nd in
the NBA with 094 PPP on 466 shooting along with a 98 foul percentage Horford had 327 post touches and was
67th in the NBA with 085 PPP on 455 shooting with an 85 foul percentage Horford will have to improve his
footwork in the post and develop a more consistent counter move if he is going to be effective in what should be an
expanded role as a post player
To illustrate the different nuances in how the Hawks offense will utilize Horford under Budenholzer I have pulled manyvideos from the NBA Media Stats site showing plays run by the Spurs this past year and comparable plays in the
Hawks playbook under Drews guidance I will put plays that are similar together and explain the differences that
Horford will have to adapt to under Budenholzer
Pick-and-Roll Sets
Finding pick-and-roll sets that result in an Al Horford lay-up or dunk are few and far between especially if you want to
see one not run with Josh Smith via the highly successful 4-5 pick-and-roll Horford was primarily a pick-and-pop
player last season which is something he will be asked to continue in Budenholzers offense Budenholzers offense will
be a more balanced mix of pick-and-pop and pick-and-roll for Horford than was Drews which should benefit Horford
because of the speed advantage he has over most of his opponents (especially at the five)
The side pick-and-roll is a favorite of Budenholzers offense especially in semi-transition or early in the clock (like in the
video below) to take advantage of the defense being out of position It is a basic side pick-and-roll with a small twist
Like a normal side pick-and-roll the point guard comes from the break of the three-point line towards the free throw line
and the big slips the screen and rolling down the baseline to the basket However the Spurs bring their small forward up
to the top of the key to chip Duncans man prior to Duncans screen which frees Duncan up for just enough room to
turn the corner to the basket undeterred The key is how quickly Parker recognizes that both defenders have stepped
towards him and the speed with which Duncan slips the screen and gets moving to the hoop
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1325
The Hawks occasionally ran similar sets last year but normally the side pick-and-roll was run with Josh Smith rather
than Al Horford Here the Hawks run a version of the side pick-and-roll with Horford rolling to the hoop for an alley-
oop dunk
The largest difference in the two plays is the timing For the Hawks to be as successful with the pick-and-roll on a
consistent basis they will have to have a point guard making quick decisions coming off the screen to either attack the
rim or make an early pass and Horford will have to look to get the ball earlier rather than looking for lobs
As for the pick-and-pop Horford will be right at home The Spurs took 307 shots from the left elbow Duncan took
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1425
111 of those attempts shooting 486 Horford took 61 of the Hawks 308 attempts from the same spot (glares at
Smoove) and shot 475 Horford can expect to operate more from the left side of the floor than he did last year
(inexplicably Drew insisted on playing Smoove on the left despite him being more effective on the right block) which
should help his efficiency 238 of Duncans attempts on the year came from the left elbow and left baseline compared to
just 97 attempts from those same spots for Horford In those 97 attempts Horford shot 495 compared to 423
from the same spots on the right side of the floor in 137 attempts
Pin-Downs
The attempts created at the elbow in Budenholzers offense do not just come from pick-and-pop looks but are also
created through pin-downs in transition and clear-outs We can expect to see more pin-downs for Horford this season
than last year (where they were extremely rare) and they do this to set up their pick-and-roll game Here the Spurs run
a pin-down for Duncan with Ginobili
The Spurs create great floor spacing with the two wing players in the corners and Duncan flattened out on the baseline
Duncan fakes the back-screen for Parker to hold his man on the baseline before coming off of Ginobilis screen for a
wide open elbow jumper With Horfords skill set this would be run for him to create open space for him to operate
and Horford has shown the ability (displayed in the video below on a pick-and-pop) to get defenders in the air on thepump fake and then drive to the basket
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1525
Budenholzers offense will create more open looks for Horford on the perimeter which means he will not only have a
chance for more jump shots but also will be able to take advantage of bigs closing out on him and drive to the basket
Transition
The transition game is where Al Horford excels Horford has stated many times that he enjoys running the floor and feels
like his ability to run the floor is his biggest advantage Horford is an extremely gifted transition player making rim-runs
catching and finishing lobs and outlet passes In semi-transition Horford often went to the post in an effort to make aquick catch and post before the defense was set I expect Budenholzer to add another wrinkle to Horfords semi-
transition game and have him spot up from the mid-range in the same way Duncan did in San Antonio Here we see
Duncan come down and feign a screen look for Ginobili who drives baseline drawing both defenders and kicks it out
to the open Duncan
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1625
The fake screen action draws Ginobilis defender up the floor to prepare for what looks like the same side pick-and-roll
action as we saw in the first video clip Instead Ginobili keeps driving which pulls Duncans man towards the basket
leaving Duncan open for a jumper We can expect to see this same look here in Atlanta in order to keep the opposition
from jumping the side pick-and-roll in semi-transition
Hand-off Plays
Hand-off plays are also staples of the Spurs system The Spurs will get the ball to Duncan in the high post and run a
guard tight off of Duncan to either get an easy lay-up or to clear out defenders for an isolation Here we see a hand-off
play with Manu Ginobili where Duncan comes takes the ball and makes a quick hand-off to Ginobili who gets doubled
quickly and passes it out for an open jumper
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1725
In this second example they post Duncan on the baseline and run Parker down the baseline for the fake hand-off This
action forces Duncans defender to disengage and step back to protect against the hand-off giving Duncan space to get
off the shot
Horfords isolation plays were often just that isolations without any movment around him to force his defender toprotect against a cutter Horford should benefit from better looks from these subtle off-ball actions from his teammates
that help create space for his shot
Post-Ups
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1825
Assuming Tim Duncans role in an offense is not an easy task and Horford cannot do everything Duncan does Horford
is an efficient shooter but needs to be more decisive when taking open shots Budenholzers offense is meant to create
small open shot windows and Horford will have to be quicker with his decision making if he is going to succeed Also
his post-game will need to continue to improve Duncan is one of the elite post-players in the NBA because he has
multiple moves Horford is very good at one particular move turning over his left shoulder to get off his hook shot but
lacks a reliable counter move off of it Here is Horfords driving hook in the lane
Horford is effective with this move because he creates contact and is able to get his shot off but it becomes predictable
and even in the clip above defenders are able to get in front of him to contest it
Here we can see Duncan utilizing the perfect counter to the Horfords go-to move
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1925
Duncan puts the ball on the floor and drives towards the lane like Horford but instead of going in for the hook he picks
up his dribble and hits a spin move to the baseline for the turnaround bank shot If Horford adopted that counter move
he would become a much improved post-player because he would no longer be predictable
Al Horford is not Tim Duncan I cannot repeat that enough Duncan is a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer and may well go
down as the best power forward in NBA history However Horford possesses many skills that are similar to Duncan
and that will allow him to be very effective in Duncans role in Budenholzers offense and he has room (and I believe the
desirecapability) to develop into a better player Horford must improve his post-game by adding a more reliable countermove and developing a secondary post move He also must become more comfortable rolling to the hoop on pick-and-
rolls rather than just setting up for the mid-range shot or running to the rim for a lob However I have faith that Horford
will continue to grow and improve as a player and under Budenholzer and his staffs tutelage Horford will flourish
developing even further and emerge as an imposing offensive weapon in this system
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6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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Recent Posts
Hawks Season in Review - Al Horford
Hawks Season in Review - Jeff Teague
2013 NBA Mock Draft Chad Ford projects Rudy Gobert Jamaal Franklin to the Atlanta Hawks
Hawks given permission to talk with Darvin Ham about joining coaching staff
Tampering charge likely coming for the Atlanta Hawks
Hawks Season in Review - Kyle Korver
Josh Smith drawing interest from Rockets Sixers
Hawks Season in Review - Devin Harris
2013-14 NBA salary cap to be $585 million according to report
Dwayne Davis to work out for the Atlanta Hawks
In This Article
Teams
San Antonio Spurs
Atlanta Hawks
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 2125
69SpursHeatFrom $2555611HeatSpursFrom $35172613HeatSpursFrom $36966616HeatSpursFrom $34425
Stay connected for news and updates Follow Follow peachtreehoopspeachtreehoops 2145 fo llowers
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Examining the rebuilding process without Howard
This Week in Alternate Sports Illustrated Covers
Chandler Parsons Season in 25 GIFS
Like 198
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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Spurs shot distribution
Those areas of the floor were more popular in the Spurs offense because of the positioning of the offense and the plays
the Spurs run [Note Personnel also has an impact but the positioning of that personnel had the larger impact] Pick-
and-roll will be the most common play-type in Budenholzers system and will be much more prevalent than in Drews
offense The Spurs ran pick-and-roll 2226 (092 Points Per Possession 5th) of the time last season compared to the
Hawks who ran pick-and-roll 1815 (084 PPP 18th) of the time Spot-up shots will continue to be a major factor
under Budenholzer as spot-up attempts accounted for 2148 (104 PPP 6th) of the Spurs offense
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1225
While Budenholzer wants to push the pace transition buckets will not be as large a part of the offense Transition
attempts accounted for 1666 (118 PPP 5th) for the Hawks while just 1368 (111 PPP 19th) for the SpursWith younger personnel more suited for playing up-tempo the Hawks will likely do better than the Spurs in getting out
on the break but Budenholzer also asks for a greater commitment from the entire team to crash the defensive glass
which cuts down on transition opportunities
Due to the uncertainty about who all will be on the roster the only player with a defined role as of now is Al Horford
We know Horford will be used in the same manner as Tim Duncan That is not to say Horford has all of the same skills
as Duncan or will be as effective in certain areas as Duncan but Horford will be utilized in the same position This role
will not be a major departure from how Horford was utilized last year
Horford and Duncan each had about the same number of touches as the roll man in pick-and-roll (297 for Horford 320
for Duncan) and Horford was more effective on a per possession basis than Duncan was scoring 101 PPP (514
FG) to Duncans 095 PPP (472) Horford should see a more significant jump in his spot-up attempts as Duncan had
43 more spot-up touches than Al did (192 to 149) Horford shot a better percentage on spot-up opportunities (432
to 429) but his PPP was slightly lower (083 to 088) because Duncan got to the free throw line more than twice as
often on spot-up looks A boost in spot-up looks which will mostly come via the pick-and-pop should be a positive
both for Horford and the Hawks offense
The biggest change for Horford will be the number of post touches Duncan received 420 post touches and was 22nd in
the NBA with 094 PPP on 466 shooting along with a 98 foul percentage Horford had 327 post touches and was
67th in the NBA with 085 PPP on 455 shooting with an 85 foul percentage Horford will have to improve his
footwork in the post and develop a more consistent counter move if he is going to be effective in what should be an
expanded role as a post player
To illustrate the different nuances in how the Hawks offense will utilize Horford under Budenholzer I have pulled manyvideos from the NBA Media Stats site showing plays run by the Spurs this past year and comparable plays in the
Hawks playbook under Drews guidance I will put plays that are similar together and explain the differences that
Horford will have to adapt to under Budenholzer
Pick-and-Roll Sets
Finding pick-and-roll sets that result in an Al Horford lay-up or dunk are few and far between especially if you want to
see one not run with Josh Smith via the highly successful 4-5 pick-and-roll Horford was primarily a pick-and-pop
player last season which is something he will be asked to continue in Budenholzers offense Budenholzers offense will
be a more balanced mix of pick-and-pop and pick-and-roll for Horford than was Drews which should benefit Horford
because of the speed advantage he has over most of his opponents (especially at the five)
The side pick-and-roll is a favorite of Budenholzers offense especially in semi-transition or early in the clock (like in the
video below) to take advantage of the defense being out of position It is a basic side pick-and-roll with a small twist
Like a normal side pick-and-roll the point guard comes from the break of the three-point line towards the free throw line
and the big slips the screen and rolling down the baseline to the basket However the Spurs bring their small forward up
to the top of the key to chip Duncans man prior to Duncans screen which frees Duncan up for just enough room to
turn the corner to the basket undeterred The key is how quickly Parker recognizes that both defenders have stepped
towards him and the speed with which Duncan slips the screen and gets moving to the hoop
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1325
The Hawks occasionally ran similar sets last year but normally the side pick-and-roll was run with Josh Smith rather
than Al Horford Here the Hawks run a version of the side pick-and-roll with Horford rolling to the hoop for an alley-
oop dunk
The largest difference in the two plays is the timing For the Hawks to be as successful with the pick-and-roll on a
consistent basis they will have to have a point guard making quick decisions coming off the screen to either attack the
rim or make an early pass and Horford will have to look to get the ball earlier rather than looking for lobs
As for the pick-and-pop Horford will be right at home The Spurs took 307 shots from the left elbow Duncan took
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1425
111 of those attempts shooting 486 Horford took 61 of the Hawks 308 attempts from the same spot (glares at
Smoove) and shot 475 Horford can expect to operate more from the left side of the floor than he did last year
(inexplicably Drew insisted on playing Smoove on the left despite him being more effective on the right block) which
should help his efficiency 238 of Duncans attempts on the year came from the left elbow and left baseline compared to
just 97 attempts from those same spots for Horford In those 97 attempts Horford shot 495 compared to 423
from the same spots on the right side of the floor in 137 attempts
Pin-Downs
The attempts created at the elbow in Budenholzers offense do not just come from pick-and-pop looks but are also
created through pin-downs in transition and clear-outs We can expect to see more pin-downs for Horford this season
than last year (where they were extremely rare) and they do this to set up their pick-and-roll game Here the Spurs run
a pin-down for Duncan with Ginobili
The Spurs create great floor spacing with the two wing players in the corners and Duncan flattened out on the baseline
Duncan fakes the back-screen for Parker to hold his man on the baseline before coming off of Ginobilis screen for a
wide open elbow jumper With Horfords skill set this would be run for him to create open space for him to operate
and Horford has shown the ability (displayed in the video below on a pick-and-pop) to get defenders in the air on thepump fake and then drive to the basket
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1525
Budenholzers offense will create more open looks for Horford on the perimeter which means he will not only have a
chance for more jump shots but also will be able to take advantage of bigs closing out on him and drive to the basket
Transition
The transition game is where Al Horford excels Horford has stated many times that he enjoys running the floor and feels
like his ability to run the floor is his biggest advantage Horford is an extremely gifted transition player making rim-runs
catching and finishing lobs and outlet passes In semi-transition Horford often went to the post in an effort to make aquick catch and post before the defense was set I expect Budenholzer to add another wrinkle to Horfords semi-
transition game and have him spot up from the mid-range in the same way Duncan did in San Antonio Here we see
Duncan come down and feign a screen look for Ginobili who drives baseline drawing both defenders and kicks it out
to the open Duncan
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1625
The fake screen action draws Ginobilis defender up the floor to prepare for what looks like the same side pick-and-roll
action as we saw in the first video clip Instead Ginobili keeps driving which pulls Duncans man towards the basket
leaving Duncan open for a jumper We can expect to see this same look here in Atlanta in order to keep the opposition
from jumping the side pick-and-roll in semi-transition
Hand-off Plays
Hand-off plays are also staples of the Spurs system The Spurs will get the ball to Duncan in the high post and run a
guard tight off of Duncan to either get an easy lay-up or to clear out defenders for an isolation Here we see a hand-off
play with Manu Ginobili where Duncan comes takes the ball and makes a quick hand-off to Ginobili who gets doubled
quickly and passes it out for an open jumper
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1725
In this second example they post Duncan on the baseline and run Parker down the baseline for the fake hand-off This
action forces Duncans defender to disengage and step back to protect against the hand-off giving Duncan space to get
off the shot
Horfords isolation plays were often just that isolations without any movment around him to force his defender toprotect against a cutter Horford should benefit from better looks from these subtle off-ball actions from his teammates
that help create space for his shot
Post-Ups
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1825
Assuming Tim Duncans role in an offense is not an easy task and Horford cannot do everything Duncan does Horford
is an efficient shooter but needs to be more decisive when taking open shots Budenholzers offense is meant to create
small open shot windows and Horford will have to be quicker with his decision making if he is going to succeed Also
his post-game will need to continue to improve Duncan is one of the elite post-players in the NBA because he has
multiple moves Horford is very good at one particular move turning over his left shoulder to get off his hook shot but
lacks a reliable counter move off of it Here is Horfords driving hook in the lane
Horford is effective with this move because he creates contact and is able to get his shot off but it becomes predictable
and even in the clip above defenders are able to get in front of him to contest it
Here we can see Duncan utilizing the perfect counter to the Horfords go-to move
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1925
Duncan puts the ball on the floor and drives towards the lane like Horford but instead of going in for the hook he picks
up his dribble and hits a spin move to the baseline for the turnaround bank shot If Horford adopted that counter move
he would become a much improved post-player because he would no longer be predictable
Al Horford is not Tim Duncan I cannot repeat that enough Duncan is a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer and may well go
down as the best power forward in NBA history However Horford possesses many skills that are similar to Duncan
and that will allow him to be very effective in Duncans role in Budenholzers offense and he has room (and I believe the
desirecapability) to develop into a better player Horford must improve his post-game by adding a more reliable countermove and developing a secondary post move He also must become more comfortable rolling to the hoop on pick-and-
rolls rather than just setting up for the mid-range shot or running to the rim for a lob However I have faith that Horford
will continue to grow and improve as a player and under Budenholzer and his staffs tutelage Horford will flourish
developing even further and emerge as an imposing offensive weapon in this system
Share on Facebook (1)
Tweet post (20)
2 Comments
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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Recent Posts
Hawks Season in Review - Al Horford
Hawks Season in Review - Jeff Teague
2013 NBA Mock Draft Chad Ford projects Rudy Gobert Jamaal Franklin to the Atlanta Hawks
Hawks given permission to talk with Darvin Ham about joining coaching staff
Tampering charge likely coming for the Atlanta Hawks
Hawks Season in Review - Kyle Korver
Josh Smith drawing interest from Rockets Sixers
Hawks Season in Review - Devin Harris
2013-14 NBA salary cap to be $585 million according to report
Dwayne Davis to work out for the Atlanta Hawks
In This Article
Teams
San Antonio Spurs
Atlanta Hawks
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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While Budenholzer wants to push the pace transition buckets will not be as large a part of the offense Transition
attempts accounted for 1666 (118 PPP 5th) for the Hawks while just 1368 (111 PPP 19th) for the SpursWith younger personnel more suited for playing up-tempo the Hawks will likely do better than the Spurs in getting out
on the break but Budenholzer also asks for a greater commitment from the entire team to crash the defensive glass
which cuts down on transition opportunities
Due to the uncertainty about who all will be on the roster the only player with a defined role as of now is Al Horford
We know Horford will be used in the same manner as Tim Duncan That is not to say Horford has all of the same skills
as Duncan or will be as effective in certain areas as Duncan but Horford will be utilized in the same position This role
will not be a major departure from how Horford was utilized last year
Horford and Duncan each had about the same number of touches as the roll man in pick-and-roll (297 for Horford 320
for Duncan) and Horford was more effective on a per possession basis than Duncan was scoring 101 PPP (514
FG) to Duncans 095 PPP (472) Horford should see a more significant jump in his spot-up attempts as Duncan had
43 more spot-up touches than Al did (192 to 149) Horford shot a better percentage on spot-up opportunities (432
to 429) but his PPP was slightly lower (083 to 088) because Duncan got to the free throw line more than twice as
often on spot-up looks A boost in spot-up looks which will mostly come via the pick-and-pop should be a positive
both for Horford and the Hawks offense
The biggest change for Horford will be the number of post touches Duncan received 420 post touches and was 22nd in
the NBA with 094 PPP on 466 shooting along with a 98 foul percentage Horford had 327 post touches and was
67th in the NBA with 085 PPP on 455 shooting with an 85 foul percentage Horford will have to improve his
footwork in the post and develop a more consistent counter move if he is going to be effective in what should be an
expanded role as a post player
To illustrate the different nuances in how the Hawks offense will utilize Horford under Budenholzer I have pulled manyvideos from the NBA Media Stats site showing plays run by the Spurs this past year and comparable plays in the
Hawks playbook under Drews guidance I will put plays that are similar together and explain the differences that
Horford will have to adapt to under Budenholzer
Pick-and-Roll Sets
Finding pick-and-roll sets that result in an Al Horford lay-up or dunk are few and far between especially if you want to
see one not run with Josh Smith via the highly successful 4-5 pick-and-roll Horford was primarily a pick-and-pop
player last season which is something he will be asked to continue in Budenholzers offense Budenholzers offense will
be a more balanced mix of pick-and-pop and pick-and-roll for Horford than was Drews which should benefit Horford
because of the speed advantage he has over most of his opponents (especially at the five)
The side pick-and-roll is a favorite of Budenholzers offense especially in semi-transition or early in the clock (like in the
video below) to take advantage of the defense being out of position It is a basic side pick-and-roll with a small twist
Like a normal side pick-and-roll the point guard comes from the break of the three-point line towards the free throw line
and the big slips the screen and rolling down the baseline to the basket However the Spurs bring their small forward up
to the top of the key to chip Duncans man prior to Duncans screen which frees Duncan up for just enough room to
turn the corner to the basket undeterred The key is how quickly Parker recognizes that both defenders have stepped
towards him and the speed with which Duncan slips the screen and gets moving to the hoop
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1325
The Hawks occasionally ran similar sets last year but normally the side pick-and-roll was run with Josh Smith rather
than Al Horford Here the Hawks run a version of the side pick-and-roll with Horford rolling to the hoop for an alley-
oop dunk
The largest difference in the two plays is the timing For the Hawks to be as successful with the pick-and-roll on a
consistent basis they will have to have a point guard making quick decisions coming off the screen to either attack the
rim or make an early pass and Horford will have to look to get the ball earlier rather than looking for lobs
As for the pick-and-pop Horford will be right at home The Spurs took 307 shots from the left elbow Duncan took
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1425
111 of those attempts shooting 486 Horford took 61 of the Hawks 308 attempts from the same spot (glares at
Smoove) and shot 475 Horford can expect to operate more from the left side of the floor than he did last year
(inexplicably Drew insisted on playing Smoove on the left despite him being more effective on the right block) which
should help his efficiency 238 of Duncans attempts on the year came from the left elbow and left baseline compared to
just 97 attempts from those same spots for Horford In those 97 attempts Horford shot 495 compared to 423
from the same spots on the right side of the floor in 137 attempts
Pin-Downs
The attempts created at the elbow in Budenholzers offense do not just come from pick-and-pop looks but are also
created through pin-downs in transition and clear-outs We can expect to see more pin-downs for Horford this season
than last year (where they were extremely rare) and they do this to set up their pick-and-roll game Here the Spurs run
a pin-down for Duncan with Ginobili
The Spurs create great floor spacing with the two wing players in the corners and Duncan flattened out on the baseline
Duncan fakes the back-screen for Parker to hold his man on the baseline before coming off of Ginobilis screen for a
wide open elbow jumper With Horfords skill set this would be run for him to create open space for him to operate
and Horford has shown the ability (displayed in the video below on a pick-and-pop) to get defenders in the air on thepump fake and then drive to the basket
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1525
Budenholzers offense will create more open looks for Horford on the perimeter which means he will not only have a
chance for more jump shots but also will be able to take advantage of bigs closing out on him and drive to the basket
Transition
The transition game is where Al Horford excels Horford has stated many times that he enjoys running the floor and feels
like his ability to run the floor is his biggest advantage Horford is an extremely gifted transition player making rim-runs
catching and finishing lobs and outlet passes In semi-transition Horford often went to the post in an effort to make aquick catch and post before the defense was set I expect Budenholzer to add another wrinkle to Horfords semi-
transition game and have him spot up from the mid-range in the same way Duncan did in San Antonio Here we see
Duncan come down and feign a screen look for Ginobili who drives baseline drawing both defenders and kicks it out
to the open Duncan
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1625
The fake screen action draws Ginobilis defender up the floor to prepare for what looks like the same side pick-and-roll
action as we saw in the first video clip Instead Ginobili keeps driving which pulls Duncans man towards the basket
leaving Duncan open for a jumper We can expect to see this same look here in Atlanta in order to keep the opposition
from jumping the side pick-and-roll in semi-transition
Hand-off Plays
Hand-off plays are also staples of the Spurs system The Spurs will get the ball to Duncan in the high post and run a
guard tight off of Duncan to either get an easy lay-up or to clear out defenders for an isolation Here we see a hand-off
play with Manu Ginobili where Duncan comes takes the ball and makes a quick hand-off to Ginobili who gets doubled
quickly and passes it out for an open jumper
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1725
In this second example they post Duncan on the baseline and run Parker down the baseline for the fake hand-off This
action forces Duncans defender to disengage and step back to protect against the hand-off giving Duncan space to get
off the shot
Horfords isolation plays were often just that isolations without any movment around him to force his defender toprotect against a cutter Horford should benefit from better looks from these subtle off-ball actions from his teammates
that help create space for his shot
Post-Ups
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1825
Assuming Tim Duncans role in an offense is not an easy task and Horford cannot do everything Duncan does Horford
is an efficient shooter but needs to be more decisive when taking open shots Budenholzers offense is meant to create
small open shot windows and Horford will have to be quicker with his decision making if he is going to succeed Also
his post-game will need to continue to improve Duncan is one of the elite post-players in the NBA because he has
multiple moves Horford is very good at one particular move turning over his left shoulder to get off his hook shot but
lacks a reliable counter move off of it Here is Horfords driving hook in the lane
Horford is effective with this move because he creates contact and is able to get his shot off but it becomes predictable
and even in the clip above defenders are able to get in front of him to contest it
Here we can see Duncan utilizing the perfect counter to the Horfords go-to move
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1925
Duncan puts the ball on the floor and drives towards the lane like Horford but instead of going in for the hook he picks
up his dribble and hits a spin move to the baseline for the turnaround bank shot If Horford adopted that counter move
he would become a much improved post-player because he would no longer be predictable
Al Horford is not Tim Duncan I cannot repeat that enough Duncan is a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer and may well go
down as the best power forward in NBA history However Horford possesses many skills that are similar to Duncan
and that will allow him to be very effective in Duncans role in Budenholzers offense and he has room (and I believe the
desirecapability) to develop into a better player Horford must improve his post-game by adding a more reliable countermove and developing a secondary post move He also must become more comfortable rolling to the hoop on pick-and-
rolls rather than just setting up for the mid-range shot or running to the rim for a lob However I have faith that Horford
will continue to grow and improve as a player and under Budenholzer and his staffs tutelage Horford will flourish
developing even further and emerge as an imposing offensive weapon in this system
Share on Facebook (1)
Tweet post (20)
2 Comments
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 2025
Recent Posts
Hawks Season in Review - Al Horford
Hawks Season in Review - Jeff Teague
2013 NBA Mock Draft Chad Ford projects Rudy Gobert Jamaal Franklin to the Atlanta Hawks
Hawks given permission to talk with Darvin Ham about joining coaching staff
Tampering charge likely coming for the Atlanta Hawks
Hawks Season in Review - Kyle Korver
Josh Smith drawing interest from Rockets Sixers
Hawks Season in Review - Devin Harris
2013-14 NBA salary cap to be $585 million according to report
Dwayne Davis to work out for the Atlanta Hawks
In This Article
Teams
San Antonio Spurs
Atlanta Hawks
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 2125
69SpursHeatFrom $2555611HeatSpursFrom $35172613HeatSpursFrom $36966616HeatSpursFrom $34425
Stay connected for news and updates Follow Follow peachtreehoopspeachtreehoops 2145 fo llowers
Best of SB Nation NBA
Examining the rebuilding process without Howard
This Week in Alternate Sports Illustrated Covers
Chandler Parsons Season in 25 GIFS
Like 198
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 2225
Trending
MLB Draft 2013 results Thursdays 2 rounds
Biogenesis Is MLB going too far
King of the mountains
Mock draft Lets collaborate
The Next Read
about 16 hours ago 113 comments
NBA Finals Game 1 open thread
O X
Next unread Unmark all
There are 2 Comments Add yours Load Now
Show speed reading tips and settings darr
Shortcuts to mastering the comment thread Use wisely
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6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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Peachtree Hoops
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browse blogs
About SBN
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6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 2525
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Back to Top uarr
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1325
The Hawks occasionally ran similar sets last year but normally the side pick-and-roll was run with Josh Smith rather
than Al Horford Here the Hawks run a version of the side pick-and-roll with Horford rolling to the hoop for an alley-
oop dunk
The largest difference in the two plays is the timing For the Hawks to be as successful with the pick-and-roll on a
consistent basis they will have to have a point guard making quick decisions coming off the screen to either attack the
rim or make an early pass and Horford will have to look to get the ball earlier rather than looking for lobs
As for the pick-and-pop Horford will be right at home The Spurs took 307 shots from the left elbow Duncan took
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1425
111 of those attempts shooting 486 Horford took 61 of the Hawks 308 attempts from the same spot (glares at
Smoove) and shot 475 Horford can expect to operate more from the left side of the floor than he did last year
(inexplicably Drew insisted on playing Smoove on the left despite him being more effective on the right block) which
should help his efficiency 238 of Duncans attempts on the year came from the left elbow and left baseline compared to
just 97 attempts from those same spots for Horford In those 97 attempts Horford shot 495 compared to 423
from the same spots on the right side of the floor in 137 attempts
Pin-Downs
The attempts created at the elbow in Budenholzers offense do not just come from pick-and-pop looks but are also
created through pin-downs in transition and clear-outs We can expect to see more pin-downs for Horford this season
than last year (where they were extremely rare) and they do this to set up their pick-and-roll game Here the Spurs run
a pin-down for Duncan with Ginobili
The Spurs create great floor spacing with the two wing players in the corners and Duncan flattened out on the baseline
Duncan fakes the back-screen for Parker to hold his man on the baseline before coming off of Ginobilis screen for a
wide open elbow jumper With Horfords skill set this would be run for him to create open space for him to operate
and Horford has shown the ability (displayed in the video below on a pick-and-pop) to get defenders in the air on thepump fake and then drive to the basket
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1525
Budenholzers offense will create more open looks for Horford on the perimeter which means he will not only have a
chance for more jump shots but also will be able to take advantage of bigs closing out on him and drive to the basket
Transition
The transition game is where Al Horford excels Horford has stated many times that he enjoys running the floor and feels
like his ability to run the floor is his biggest advantage Horford is an extremely gifted transition player making rim-runs
catching and finishing lobs and outlet passes In semi-transition Horford often went to the post in an effort to make aquick catch and post before the defense was set I expect Budenholzer to add another wrinkle to Horfords semi-
transition game and have him spot up from the mid-range in the same way Duncan did in San Antonio Here we see
Duncan come down and feign a screen look for Ginobili who drives baseline drawing both defenders and kicks it out
to the open Duncan
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1625
The fake screen action draws Ginobilis defender up the floor to prepare for what looks like the same side pick-and-roll
action as we saw in the first video clip Instead Ginobili keeps driving which pulls Duncans man towards the basket
leaving Duncan open for a jumper We can expect to see this same look here in Atlanta in order to keep the opposition
from jumping the side pick-and-roll in semi-transition
Hand-off Plays
Hand-off plays are also staples of the Spurs system The Spurs will get the ball to Duncan in the high post and run a
guard tight off of Duncan to either get an easy lay-up or to clear out defenders for an isolation Here we see a hand-off
play with Manu Ginobili where Duncan comes takes the ball and makes a quick hand-off to Ginobili who gets doubled
quickly and passes it out for an open jumper
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1725
In this second example they post Duncan on the baseline and run Parker down the baseline for the fake hand-off This
action forces Duncans defender to disengage and step back to protect against the hand-off giving Duncan space to get
off the shot
Horfords isolation plays were often just that isolations without any movment around him to force his defender toprotect against a cutter Horford should benefit from better looks from these subtle off-ball actions from his teammates
that help create space for his shot
Post-Ups
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1825
Assuming Tim Duncans role in an offense is not an easy task and Horford cannot do everything Duncan does Horford
is an efficient shooter but needs to be more decisive when taking open shots Budenholzers offense is meant to create
small open shot windows and Horford will have to be quicker with his decision making if he is going to succeed Also
his post-game will need to continue to improve Duncan is one of the elite post-players in the NBA because he has
multiple moves Horford is very good at one particular move turning over his left shoulder to get off his hook shot but
lacks a reliable counter move off of it Here is Horfords driving hook in the lane
Horford is effective with this move because he creates contact and is able to get his shot off but it becomes predictable
and even in the clip above defenders are able to get in front of him to contest it
Here we can see Duncan utilizing the perfect counter to the Horfords go-to move
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1925
Duncan puts the ball on the floor and drives towards the lane like Horford but instead of going in for the hook he picks
up his dribble and hits a spin move to the baseline for the turnaround bank shot If Horford adopted that counter move
he would become a much improved post-player because he would no longer be predictable
Al Horford is not Tim Duncan I cannot repeat that enough Duncan is a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer and may well go
down as the best power forward in NBA history However Horford possesses many skills that are similar to Duncan
and that will allow him to be very effective in Duncans role in Budenholzers offense and he has room (and I believe the
desirecapability) to develop into a better player Horford must improve his post-game by adding a more reliable countermove and developing a secondary post move He also must become more comfortable rolling to the hoop on pick-and-
rolls rather than just setting up for the mid-range shot or running to the rim for a lob However I have faith that Horford
will continue to grow and improve as a player and under Budenholzer and his staffs tutelage Horford will flourish
developing even further and emerge as an imposing offensive weapon in this system
Share on Facebook (1)
Tweet post (20)
2 Comments
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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Recent Posts
Hawks Season in Review - Al Horford
Hawks Season in Review - Jeff Teague
2013 NBA Mock Draft Chad Ford projects Rudy Gobert Jamaal Franklin to the Atlanta Hawks
Hawks given permission to talk with Darvin Ham about joining coaching staff
Tampering charge likely coming for the Atlanta Hawks
Hawks Season in Review - Kyle Korver
Josh Smith drawing interest from Rockets Sixers
Hawks Season in Review - Devin Harris
2013-14 NBA salary cap to be $585 million according to report
Dwayne Davis to work out for the Atlanta Hawks
In This Article
Teams
San Antonio Spurs
Atlanta Hawks
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 2125
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6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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111 of those attempts shooting 486 Horford took 61 of the Hawks 308 attempts from the same spot (glares at
Smoove) and shot 475 Horford can expect to operate more from the left side of the floor than he did last year
(inexplicably Drew insisted on playing Smoove on the left despite him being more effective on the right block) which
should help his efficiency 238 of Duncans attempts on the year came from the left elbow and left baseline compared to
just 97 attempts from those same spots for Horford In those 97 attempts Horford shot 495 compared to 423
from the same spots on the right side of the floor in 137 attempts
Pin-Downs
The attempts created at the elbow in Budenholzers offense do not just come from pick-and-pop looks but are also
created through pin-downs in transition and clear-outs We can expect to see more pin-downs for Horford this season
than last year (where they were extremely rare) and they do this to set up their pick-and-roll game Here the Spurs run
a pin-down for Duncan with Ginobili
The Spurs create great floor spacing with the two wing players in the corners and Duncan flattened out on the baseline
Duncan fakes the back-screen for Parker to hold his man on the baseline before coming off of Ginobilis screen for a
wide open elbow jumper With Horfords skill set this would be run for him to create open space for him to operate
and Horford has shown the ability (displayed in the video below on a pick-and-pop) to get defenders in the air on thepump fake and then drive to the basket
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1525
Budenholzers offense will create more open looks for Horford on the perimeter which means he will not only have a
chance for more jump shots but also will be able to take advantage of bigs closing out on him and drive to the basket
Transition
The transition game is where Al Horford excels Horford has stated many times that he enjoys running the floor and feels
like his ability to run the floor is his biggest advantage Horford is an extremely gifted transition player making rim-runs
catching and finishing lobs and outlet passes In semi-transition Horford often went to the post in an effort to make aquick catch and post before the defense was set I expect Budenholzer to add another wrinkle to Horfords semi-
transition game and have him spot up from the mid-range in the same way Duncan did in San Antonio Here we see
Duncan come down and feign a screen look for Ginobili who drives baseline drawing both defenders and kicks it out
to the open Duncan
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1625
The fake screen action draws Ginobilis defender up the floor to prepare for what looks like the same side pick-and-roll
action as we saw in the first video clip Instead Ginobili keeps driving which pulls Duncans man towards the basket
leaving Duncan open for a jumper We can expect to see this same look here in Atlanta in order to keep the opposition
from jumping the side pick-and-roll in semi-transition
Hand-off Plays
Hand-off plays are also staples of the Spurs system The Spurs will get the ball to Duncan in the high post and run a
guard tight off of Duncan to either get an easy lay-up or to clear out defenders for an isolation Here we see a hand-off
play with Manu Ginobili where Duncan comes takes the ball and makes a quick hand-off to Ginobili who gets doubled
quickly and passes it out for an open jumper
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1725
In this second example they post Duncan on the baseline and run Parker down the baseline for the fake hand-off This
action forces Duncans defender to disengage and step back to protect against the hand-off giving Duncan space to get
off the shot
Horfords isolation plays were often just that isolations without any movment around him to force his defender toprotect against a cutter Horford should benefit from better looks from these subtle off-ball actions from his teammates
that help create space for his shot
Post-Ups
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1825
Assuming Tim Duncans role in an offense is not an easy task and Horford cannot do everything Duncan does Horford
is an efficient shooter but needs to be more decisive when taking open shots Budenholzers offense is meant to create
small open shot windows and Horford will have to be quicker with his decision making if he is going to succeed Also
his post-game will need to continue to improve Duncan is one of the elite post-players in the NBA because he has
multiple moves Horford is very good at one particular move turning over his left shoulder to get off his hook shot but
lacks a reliable counter move off of it Here is Horfords driving hook in the lane
Horford is effective with this move because he creates contact and is able to get his shot off but it becomes predictable
and even in the clip above defenders are able to get in front of him to contest it
Here we can see Duncan utilizing the perfect counter to the Horfords go-to move
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1925
Duncan puts the ball on the floor and drives towards the lane like Horford but instead of going in for the hook he picks
up his dribble and hits a spin move to the baseline for the turnaround bank shot If Horford adopted that counter move
he would become a much improved post-player because he would no longer be predictable
Al Horford is not Tim Duncan I cannot repeat that enough Duncan is a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer and may well go
down as the best power forward in NBA history However Horford possesses many skills that are similar to Duncan
and that will allow him to be very effective in Duncans role in Budenholzers offense and he has room (and I believe the
desirecapability) to develop into a better player Horford must improve his post-game by adding a more reliable countermove and developing a secondary post move He also must become more comfortable rolling to the hoop on pick-and-
rolls rather than just setting up for the mid-range shot or running to the rim for a lob However I have faith that Horford
will continue to grow and improve as a player and under Budenholzer and his staffs tutelage Horford will flourish
developing even further and emerge as an imposing offensive weapon in this system
Share on Facebook (1)
Tweet post (20)
2 Comments
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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Recent Posts
Hawks Season in Review - Al Horford
Hawks Season in Review - Jeff Teague
2013 NBA Mock Draft Chad Ford projects Rudy Gobert Jamaal Franklin to the Atlanta Hawks
Hawks given permission to talk with Darvin Ham about joining coaching staff
Tampering charge likely coming for the Atlanta Hawks
Hawks Season in Review - Kyle Korver
Josh Smith drawing interest from Rockets Sixers
Hawks Season in Review - Devin Harris
2013-14 NBA salary cap to be $585 million according to report
Dwayne Davis to work out for the Atlanta Hawks
In This Article
Teams
San Antonio Spurs
Atlanta Hawks
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 2125
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Stay connected for news and updates Follow Follow peachtreehoopspeachtreehoops 2145 fo llowers
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This Week in Alternate Sports Illustrated Covers
Chandler Parsons Season in 25 GIFS
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6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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Trending
MLB Draft 2013 results Thursdays 2 rounds
Biogenesis Is MLB going too far
King of the mountains
Mock draft Lets collaborate
The Next Read
about 16 hours ago 113 comments
NBA Finals Game 1 open thread
O X
Next unread Unmark all
There are 2 Comments Add yours Load Now
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6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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Budenholzers offense will create more open looks for Horford on the perimeter which means he will not only have a
chance for more jump shots but also will be able to take advantage of bigs closing out on him and drive to the basket
Transition
The transition game is where Al Horford excels Horford has stated many times that he enjoys running the floor and feels
like his ability to run the floor is his biggest advantage Horford is an extremely gifted transition player making rim-runs
catching and finishing lobs and outlet passes In semi-transition Horford often went to the post in an effort to make aquick catch and post before the defense was set I expect Budenholzer to add another wrinkle to Horfords semi-
transition game and have him spot up from the mid-range in the same way Duncan did in San Antonio Here we see
Duncan come down and feign a screen look for Ginobili who drives baseline drawing both defenders and kicks it out
to the open Duncan
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1625
The fake screen action draws Ginobilis defender up the floor to prepare for what looks like the same side pick-and-roll
action as we saw in the first video clip Instead Ginobili keeps driving which pulls Duncans man towards the basket
leaving Duncan open for a jumper We can expect to see this same look here in Atlanta in order to keep the opposition
from jumping the side pick-and-roll in semi-transition
Hand-off Plays
Hand-off plays are also staples of the Spurs system The Spurs will get the ball to Duncan in the high post and run a
guard tight off of Duncan to either get an easy lay-up or to clear out defenders for an isolation Here we see a hand-off
play with Manu Ginobili where Duncan comes takes the ball and makes a quick hand-off to Ginobili who gets doubled
quickly and passes it out for an open jumper
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1725
In this second example they post Duncan on the baseline and run Parker down the baseline for the fake hand-off This
action forces Duncans defender to disengage and step back to protect against the hand-off giving Duncan space to get
off the shot
Horfords isolation plays were often just that isolations without any movment around him to force his defender toprotect against a cutter Horford should benefit from better looks from these subtle off-ball actions from his teammates
that help create space for his shot
Post-Ups
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1825
Assuming Tim Duncans role in an offense is not an easy task and Horford cannot do everything Duncan does Horford
is an efficient shooter but needs to be more decisive when taking open shots Budenholzers offense is meant to create
small open shot windows and Horford will have to be quicker with his decision making if he is going to succeed Also
his post-game will need to continue to improve Duncan is one of the elite post-players in the NBA because he has
multiple moves Horford is very good at one particular move turning over his left shoulder to get off his hook shot but
lacks a reliable counter move off of it Here is Horfords driving hook in the lane
Horford is effective with this move because he creates contact and is able to get his shot off but it becomes predictable
and even in the clip above defenders are able to get in front of him to contest it
Here we can see Duncan utilizing the perfect counter to the Horfords go-to move
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1925
Duncan puts the ball on the floor and drives towards the lane like Horford but instead of going in for the hook he picks
up his dribble and hits a spin move to the baseline for the turnaround bank shot If Horford adopted that counter move
he would become a much improved post-player because he would no longer be predictable
Al Horford is not Tim Duncan I cannot repeat that enough Duncan is a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer and may well go
down as the best power forward in NBA history However Horford possesses many skills that are similar to Duncan
and that will allow him to be very effective in Duncans role in Budenholzers offense and he has room (and I believe the
desirecapability) to develop into a better player Horford must improve his post-game by adding a more reliable countermove and developing a secondary post move He also must become more comfortable rolling to the hoop on pick-and-
rolls rather than just setting up for the mid-range shot or running to the rim for a lob However I have faith that Horford
will continue to grow and improve as a player and under Budenholzer and his staffs tutelage Horford will flourish
developing even further and emerge as an imposing offensive weapon in this system
Share on Facebook (1)
Tweet post (20)
2 Comments
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 2025
Recent Posts
Hawks Season in Review - Al Horford
Hawks Season in Review - Jeff Teague
2013 NBA Mock Draft Chad Ford projects Rudy Gobert Jamaal Franklin to the Atlanta Hawks
Hawks given permission to talk with Darvin Ham about joining coaching staff
Tampering charge likely coming for the Atlanta Hawks
Hawks Season in Review - Kyle Korver
Josh Smith drawing interest from Rockets Sixers
Hawks Season in Review - Devin Harris
2013-14 NBA salary cap to be $585 million according to report
Dwayne Davis to work out for the Atlanta Hawks
In This Article
Teams
San Antonio Spurs
Atlanta Hawks
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 2125
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Stay connected for news and updates Follow Follow peachtreehoopspeachtreehoops 2145 fo llowers
Best of SB Nation NBA
Examining the rebuilding process without Howard
This Week in Alternate Sports Illustrated Covers
Chandler Parsons Season in 25 GIFS
Like 198
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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Trending
MLB Draft 2013 results Thursdays 2 rounds
Biogenesis Is MLB going too far
King of the mountains
Mock draft Lets collaborate
The Next Read
about 16 hours ago 113 comments
NBA Finals Game 1 open thread
O X
Next unread Unmark all
There are 2 Comments Add yours Load Now
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raquo Create a new SB Nation account
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6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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About SBN
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6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1625
The fake screen action draws Ginobilis defender up the floor to prepare for what looks like the same side pick-and-roll
action as we saw in the first video clip Instead Ginobili keeps driving which pulls Duncans man towards the basket
leaving Duncan open for a jumper We can expect to see this same look here in Atlanta in order to keep the opposition
from jumping the side pick-and-roll in semi-transition
Hand-off Plays
Hand-off plays are also staples of the Spurs system The Spurs will get the ball to Duncan in the high post and run a
guard tight off of Duncan to either get an easy lay-up or to clear out defenders for an isolation Here we see a hand-off
play with Manu Ginobili where Duncan comes takes the ball and makes a quick hand-off to Ginobili who gets doubled
quickly and passes it out for an open jumper
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1725
In this second example they post Duncan on the baseline and run Parker down the baseline for the fake hand-off This
action forces Duncans defender to disengage and step back to protect against the hand-off giving Duncan space to get
off the shot
Horfords isolation plays were often just that isolations without any movment around him to force his defender toprotect against a cutter Horford should benefit from better looks from these subtle off-ball actions from his teammates
that help create space for his shot
Post-Ups
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1825
Assuming Tim Duncans role in an offense is not an easy task and Horford cannot do everything Duncan does Horford
is an efficient shooter but needs to be more decisive when taking open shots Budenholzers offense is meant to create
small open shot windows and Horford will have to be quicker with his decision making if he is going to succeed Also
his post-game will need to continue to improve Duncan is one of the elite post-players in the NBA because he has
multiple moves Horford is very good at one particular move turning over his left shoulder to get off his hook shot but
lacks a reliable counter move off of it Here is Horfords driving hook in the lane
Horford is effective with this move because he creates contact and is able to get his shot off but it becomes predictable
and even in the clip above defenders are able to get in front of him to contest it
Here we can see Duncan utilizing the perfect counter to the Horfords go-to move
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1925
Duncan puts the ball on the floor and drives towards the lane like Horford but instead of going in for the hook he picks
up his dribble and hits a spin move to the baseline for the turnaround bank shot If Horford adopted that counter move
he would become a much improved post-player because he would no longer be predictable
Al Horford is not Tim Duncan I cannot repeat that enough Duncan is a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer and may well go
down as the best power forward in NBA history However Horford possesses many skills that are similar to Duncan
and that will allow him to be very effective in Duncans role in Budenholzers offense and he has room (and I believe the
desirecapability) to develop into a better player Horford must improve his post-game by adding a more reliable countermove and developing a secondary post move He also must become more comfortable rolling to the hoop on pick-and-
rolls rather than just setting up for the mid-range shot or running to the rim for a lob However I have faith that Horford
will continue to grow and improve as a player and under Budenholzer and his staffs tutelage Horford will flourish
developing even further and emerge as an imposing offensive weapon in this system
Share on Facebook (1)
Tweet post (20)
2 Comments
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 2025
Recent Posts
Hawks Season in Review - Al Horford
Hawks Season in Review - Jeff Teague
2013 NBA Mock Draft Chad Ford projects Rudy Gobert Jamaal Franklin to the Atlanta Hawks
Hawks given permission to talk with Darvin Ham about joining coaching staff
Tampering charge likely coming for the Atlanta Hawks
Hawks Season in Review - Kyle Korver
Josh Smith drawing interest from Rockets Sixers
Hawks Season in Review - Devin Harris
2013-14 NBA salary cap to be $585 million according to report
Dwayne Davis to work out for the Atlanta Hawks
In This Article
Teams
San Antonio Spurs
Atlanta Hawks
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 2125
69SpursHeatFrom $2555611HeatSpursFrom $35172613HeatSpursFrom $36966616HeatSpursFrom $34425
Stay connected for news and updates Follow Follow peachtreehoopspeachtreehoops 2145 fo llowers
Best of SB Nation NBA
Examining the rebuilding process without Howard
This Week in Alternate Sports Illustrated Covers
Chandler Parsons Season in 25 GIFS
Like 198
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6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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In this second example they post Duncan on the baseline and run Parker down the baseline for the fake hand-off This
action forces Duncans defender to disengage and step back to protect against the hand-off giving Duncan space to get
off the shot
Horfords isolation plays were often just that isolations without any movment around him to force his defender toprotect against a cutter Horford should benefit from better looks from these subtle off-ball actions from his teammates
that help create space for his shot
Post-Ups
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1825
Assuming Tim Duncans role in an offense is not an easy task and Horford cannot do everything Duncan does Horford
is an efficient shooter but needs to be more decisive when taking open shots Budenholzers offense is meant to create
small open shot windows and Horford will have to be quicker with his decision making if he is going to succeed Also
his post-game will need to continue to improve Duncan is one of the elite post-players in the NBA because he has
multiple moves Horford is very good at one particular move turning over his left shoulder to get off his hook shot but
lacks a reliable counter move off of it Here is Horfords driving hook in the lane
Horford is effective with this move because he creates contact and is able to get his shot off but it becomes predictable
and even in the clip above defenders are able to get in front of him to contest it
Here we can see Duncan utilizing the perfect counter to the Horfords go-to move
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1925
Duncan puts the ball on the floor and drives towards the lane like Horford but instead of going in for the hook he picks
up his dribble and hits a spin move to the baseline for the turnaround bank shot If Horford adopted that counter move
he would become a much improved post-player because he would no longer be predictable
Al Horford is not Tim Duncan I cannot repeat that enough Duncan is a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer and may well go
down as the best power forward in NBA history However Horford possesses many skills that are similar to Duncan
and that will allow him to be very effective in Duncans role in Budenholzers offense and he has room (and I believe the
desirecapability) to develop into a better player Horford must improve his post-game by adding a more reliable countermove and developing a secondary post move He also must become more comfortable rolling to the hoop on pick-and-
rolls rather than just setting up for the mid-range shot or running to the rim for a lob However I have faith that Horford
will continue to grow and improve as a player and under Budenholzer and his staffs tutelage Horford will flourish
developing even further and emerge as an imposing offensive weapon in this system
Share on Facebook (1)
Tweet post (20)
2 Comments
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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Recent Posts
Hawks Season in Review - Al Horford
Hawks Season in Review - Jeff Teague
2013 NBA Mock Draft Chad Ford projects Rudy Gobert Jamaal Franklin to the Atlanta Hawks
Hawks given permission to talk with Darvin Ham about joining coaching staff
Tampering charge likely coming for the Atlanta Hawks
Hawks Season in Review - Kyle Korver
Josh Smith drawing interest from Rockets Sixers
Hawks Season in Review - Devin Harris
2013-14 NBA salary cap to be $585 million according to report
Dwayne Davis to work out for the Atlanta Hawks
In This Article
Teams
San Antonio Spurs
Atlanta Hawks
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 2125
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This Week in Alternate Sports Illustrated Covers
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Trending
MLB Draft 2013 results Thursdays 2 rounds
Biogenesis Is MLB going too far
King of the mountains
Mock draft Lets collaborate
The Next Read
about 16 hours ago 113 comments
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O X
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6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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Assuming Tim Duncans role in an offense is not an easy task and Horford cannot do everything Duncan does Horford
is an efficient shooter but needs to be more decisive when taking open shots Budenholzers offense is meant to create
small open shot windows and Horford will have to be quicker with his decision making if he is going to succeed Also
his post-game will need to continue to improve Duncan is one of the elite post-players in the NBA because he has
multiple moves Horford is very good at one particular move turning over his left shoulder to get off his hook shot but
lacks a reliable counter move off of it Here is Horfords driving hook in the lane
Horford is effective with this move because he creates contact and is able to get his shot off but it becomes predictable
and even in the clip above defenders are able to get in front of him to contest it
Here we can see Duncan utilizing the perfect counter to the Horfords go-to move
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1925
Duncan puts the ball on the floor and drives towards the lane like Horford but instead of going in for the hook he picks
up his dribble and hits a spin move to the baseline for the turnaround bank shot If Horford adopted that counter move
he would become a much improved post-player because he would no longer be predictable
Al Horford is not Tim Duncan I cannot repeat that enough Duncan is a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer and may well go
down as the best power forward in NBA history However Horford possesses many skills that are similar to Duncan
and that will allow him to be very effective in Duncans role in Budenholzers offense and he has room (and I believe the
desirecapability) to develop into a better player Horford must improve his post-game by adding a more reliable countermove and developing a secondary post move He also must become more comfortable rolling to the hoop on pick-and-
rolls rather than just setting up for the mid-range shot or running to the rim for a lob However I have faith that Horford
will continue to grow and improve as a player and under Budenholzer and his staffs tutelage Horford will flourish
developing even further and emerge as an imposing offensive weapon in this system
Share on Facebook (1)
Tweet post (20)
2 Comments
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 2025
Recent Posts
Hawks Season in Review - Al Horford
Hawks Season in Review - Jeff Teague
2013 NBA Mock Draft Chad Ford projects Rudy Gobert Jamaal Franklin to the Atlanta Hawks
Hawks given permission to talk with Darvin Ham about joining coaching staff
Tampering charge likely coming for the Atlanta Hawks
Hawks Season in Review - Kyle Korver
Josh Smith drawing interest from Rockets Sixers
Hawks Season in Review - Devin Harris
2013-14 NBA salary cap to be $585 million according to report
Dwayne Davis to work out for the Atlanta Hawks
In This Article
Teams
San Antonio Spurs
Atlanta Hawks
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 2125
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Stay connected for news and updates Follow Follow peachtreehoopspeachtreehoops 2145 fo llowers
Best of SB Nation NBA
Examining the rebuilding process without Howard
This Week in Alternate Sports Illustrated Covers
Chandler Parsons Season in 25 GIFS
Like 198
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 2225
Trending
MLB Draft 2013 results Thursdays 2 rounds
Biogenesis Is MLB going too far
King of the mountains
Mock draft Lets collaborate
The Next Read
about 16 hours ago 113 comments
NBA Finals Game 1 open thread
O X
Next unread Unmark all
There are 2 Comments Add yours Load Now
Show speed reading tips and settings darr
Shortcuts to mastering the comment thread Use wisely
C - Next Comment
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6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 2325
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 2425
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6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 1925
Duncan puts the ball on the floor and drives towards the lane like Horford but instead of going in for the hook he picks
up his dribble and hits a spin move to the baseline for the turnaround bank shot If Horford adopted that counter move
he would become a much improved post-player because he would no longer be predictable
Al Horford is not Tim Duncan I cannot repeat that enough Duncan is a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer and may well go
down as the best power forward in NBA history However Horford possesses many skills that are similar to Duncan
and that will allow him to be very effective in Duncans role in Budenholzers offense and he has room (and I believe the
desirecapability) to develop into a better player Horford must improve his post-game by adding a more reliable countermove and developing a secondary post move He also must become more comfortable rolling to the hoop on pick-and-
rolls rather than just setting up for the mid-range shot or running to the rim for a lob However I have faith that Horford
will continue to grow and improve as a player and under Budenholzer and his staffs tutelage Horford will flourish
developing even further and emerge as an imposing offensive weapon in this system
Share on Facebook (1)
Tweet post (20)
2 Comments
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 2025
Recent Posts
Hawks Season in Review - Al Horford
Hawks Season in Review - Jeff Teague
2013 NBA Mock Draft Chad Ford projects Rudy Gobert Jamaal Franklin to the Atlanta Hawks
Hawks given permission to talk with Darvin Ham about joining coaching staff
Tampering charge likely coming for the Atlanta Hawks
Hawks Season in Review - Kyle Korver
Josh Smith drawing interest from Rockets Sixers
Hawks Season in Review - Devin Harris
2013-14 NBA salary cap to be $585 million according to report
Dwayne Davis to work out for the Atlanta Hawks
In This Article
Teams
San Antonio Spurs
Atlanta Hawks
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 2125
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Stay connected for news and updates Follow Follow peachtreehoopspeachtreehoops 2145 fo llowers
Best of SB Nation NBA
Examining the rebuilding process without Howard
This Week in Alternate Sports Illustrated Covers
Chandler Parsons Season in 25 GIFS
Like 198
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 2225
Trending
MLB Draft 2013 results Thursdays 2 rounds
Biogenesis Is MLB going too far
King of the mountains
Mock draft Lets collaborate
The Next Read
about 16 hours ago 113 comments
NBA Finals Game 1 open thread
O X
Next unread Unmark all
There are 2 Comments Add yours Load Now
Show speed reading tips and settings darr
Shortcuts to mastering the comment thread Use wisely
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6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 2325
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 2425
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6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 2025
Recent Posts
Hawks Season in Review - Al Horford
Hawks Season in Review - Jeff Teague
2013 NBA Mock Draft Chad Ford projects Rudy Gobert Jamaal Franklin to the Atlanta Hawks
Hawks given permission to talk with Darvin Ham about joining coaching staff
Tampering charge likely coming for the Atlanta Hawks
Hawks Season in Review - Kyle Korver
Josh Smith drawing interest from Rockets Sixers
Hawks Season in Review - Devin Harris
2013-14 NBA salary cap to be $585 million according to report
Dwayne Davis to work out for the Atlanta Hawks
In This Article
Teams
San Antonio Spurs
Atlanta Hawks
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 2125
69SpursHeatFrom $2555611HeatSpursFrom $35172613HeatSpursFrom $36966616HeatSpursFrom $34425
Stay connected for news and updates Follow Follow peachtreehoopspeachtreehoops 2145 fo llowers
Best of SB Nation NBA
Examining the rebuilding process without Howard
This Week in Alternate Sports Illustrated Covers
Chandler Parsons Season in 25 GIFS
Like 198
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 2225
Trending
MLB Draft 2013 results Thursdays 2 rounds
Biogenesis Is MLB going too far
King of the mountains
Mock draft Lets collaborate
The Next Read
about 16 hours ago 113 comments
NBA Finals Game 1 open thread
O X
Next unread Unmark all
There are 2 Comments Add yours Load Now
Show speed reading tips and settings darr
Shortcuts to mastering the comment thread Use wisely
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6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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Stay connected for news and updates Follow Follow peachtreehoopspeachtreehoops 2145 fo llowers
Best of SB Nation NBA
Examining the rebuilding process without Howard
This Week in Alternate Sports Illustrated Covers
Chandler Parsons Season in 25 GIFS
Like 198
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 2225
Trending
MLB Draft 2013 results Thursdays 2 rounds
Biogenesis Is MLB going too far
King of the mountains
Mock draft Lets collaborate
The Next Read
about 16 hours ago 113 comments
NBA Finals Game 1 open thread
O X
Next unread Unmark all
There are 2 Comments Add yours Load Now
Show speed reading tips and settings darr
Shortcuts to mastering the comment thread Use wisely
C - Next Comment
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6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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Trending
MLB Draft 2013 results Thursdays 2 rounds
Biogenesis Is MLB going too far
King of the mountains
Mock draft Lets collaborate
The Next Read
about 16 hours ago 113 comments
NBA Finals Game 1 open thread
O X
Next unread Unmark all
There are 2 Comments Add yours Load Now
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6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
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6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 2425
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6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 2525
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Back to Top uarr
6713 Video Analysis How Al Horford will flourish in Mike Budenholzers offense - Peachtree Hoops
wwwpeachtreehoopscom2013674385154video-analysis-al-horford-mike-budenholzer-offense-atlanta-hawks 2525
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