OKC Thunder: Ranking the Most Intriguing Pick & Roll Combos
By Tony Heim
5. Alex Abrines and Ersan Ilyasova
Okay maybe this isn’t a true pick & roll. Well I say pick & pop is close enough for this presentation. We saw this combination only once in the opener; I sensed something magical in that fair play.
Alex Abrines came to Oklahoma City to be The Shooter. He lived up to that billing against Real Madrid, going 4-5 from behind the arc. Ersan Ilyasova was thrown into the Serge Ibaka trade for salary cap purposes; Ilyasova is widely regarded as one of the best stretch 4’s in the league. The Turk shot 2-4 from three-point range in his first game in a Thunder uniform.
There first in-game interaction may have resulted in a turnover, but the potential for a deadly pick & pop combo is higher than Victor Oladipo’s vertical.
Victor Oladipo's poster SLAM in Madrid, from all of the angles! #NBAGlobalGames pic.twitter.com/ewJVL6ZXgN
— NBA (@NBA) October 5, 2016
Yeah.
If Abrines’ defender goes overtop Ilyasova’s screen, Ersan can easily pop out to an open three; his defender will be too busy worrying about a driving Abrines.
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If Abrines’ defender goes underneath Ilyasova’s screen, Abrines will have the space for a pullup jumper. All of this is mandated on the chemistry between the two. They’ve got to learn each others tendencies.
Ilyasova must learn where Abrines likes his screens, when he’s committed to a drive/jumper and where the sweet spot is. Abrines must learn where Ilyasova likes to receive the pass and where he’s going to slide.
The good thing is there’s hope. Both players learned the game on the international circuit where fundamentals are taught more heavily. Even better, they both spent two years playing for FC Barcelona before jumping to the league.
I imagine we’re going to hear from this pair at some point this season.