The Kelsey Plum and Dearica Hamby pick-and-roll game has been a staple of the Sparks’ offense, showing flashes of success and areas of needed improvement.
After blowing a double-digit halftime lead on Sunday, the Sparks lost to the Phoenix Mercury in a close contest late, falling to 2-6 on the season.
The absence of key rotational players highlights this rough start, but their two star players in Kelsey Plum and Dearica Hamby have suited up for every game. Their screen game is the foundation of the current offense and against the Mercury, it showed flashes of what it could be while revealing key areas for improvement.
In her first season with the Sparks, Plum is averaging 22.9 points, 4.8 assists, 2.5 steals on 37% shooting on 3-pointers. She leads the team in points, assists, steals and 3-pointers made. Hamby has picked up right where she left off from her All-Star season a year ago with 17.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, and two steals per game.
They both put up productive numbers, but how they collaborate determines the team’s success. Their actions typically begin at the top of the key, with Plum setting a back screen before then receiving the ball on a handoff. Watch below as Plum drives off the screen, compromising the defense, which leads to an open three for Odyssey Sims.
Here’s another, this time with a pocket pass by Plum to Hamby on the roll. Notice how the timing is still off, as Hamby holds the screen a second too long. Being out of sync allows for the defender to recover back and contest, while the rest of the defense is never forced into rotation.
Even with the miss above, this middle pick and roll action should breed good offense in the future. When Plum forces the opposite big to engage, it gets Hamby a downhill attack to the rim.
Before the game, Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts spoke on their relationship.
“They obviously have on-the-court chemistry together,” Roberts said. “They look for each other out there which is great. I think both of them are going to have to adjust a little bit to where, because they are the other team’s defensive focus, they’re going to have to get other people involved in those pick and rolls too.
“What’s happening now is everyone’s collapsing, and so I think the more we can get other players involved in that action, off of rotation, it’s going to open things up for them in the future.”
A few ways they’ve opened the playbook is using each other to leverage their strengths. Plum was just 4-19 from the field and 2-10 on 3-pointers against the Mercury. One of her two makes from downtown came off using Hamby’s screen, shown below. The defender attempts to cheat under and she burns her from downtown.
In another example shown below, Hamby uses a keep action where a screener fakes the hand off to the guard and attacks the defense themselves. This action leverages the unique ball-handling ability of Hamby and takes advantage of Plum being a threat as a shooter.
The above play doesn’t result in points, as Hamby is denied at the rim, but these actions are ones the Sparks will need going forward. The timing on screens, when to cut off of each other and what spots they like the basketball will need time and reps on the floor, especially against a solid defense.
Even with the up and down play, they created good looks in the second half like the one below, but just couldn’t convert.
Plum comes off the handoff from Hamby, drives in the lane while the defense tags the roll. This opens up the open three for Emma Cannon, who can’t convert.
Following the loss, Plum spoke on their screen game :
“I don’t think we connected that well tonight,” said Plum. “I got to go back and watch the film. Sometimes you’re not seeing it in the game and you go back and it makes sense.
Credit to Phoenix, they do a good job of dropping to the level of the ball, tagging on the roller. In the first half we were in and out for three. Second half I still feel like we moved the ball well, we just couldn’t make shots.”
In the first half, the Sparks were 8-20 from 3-point land…and then went 0-15 in the second half against the third-ranked defense in the league. It was a miserable shooting performance to close it out, leaving more attention on the two stars against a physical Mercury defense.
Per WNBA’s tracking data, lineups with Hamby and Plum are neutral 0.4 net rating, a slight jump from the team’s overall -2.6 net rating, but not good enough to contend nightly.
It’s only eight games so far for the duo, with a lot of time left for their connection and timing to improve. The faster they do, the quicker the Sparks can climb the standings.
You can follow Raj on Twitter at @RajChipalu.