Film Study: How Steph, KD and Klay are so successful on the court in such different ways
Yesterday was Halloween, and for the second year in a row I dressed up as an 80s rapper. It was half MC Hammer, half Run DMC, but nobody questioned it. They saw the extra loose purple pants, the gold chain and Adidas track jacket and shoes, and the costume spoke for itself. More than being a huge fan of 1980s hip-hop – they call it the Golden Era for a reason – I admire the confidence, the moxie, the authenticity of those rappers. They were unapologetically themselves, even in the face of criticism and hate, and they were iconic. So I embodied that persona when I put on the costume. Although I will say, Headband Klay was a close second, but my Thompson jersey was a little worse for wear.
Much like these rappers, each of the Warriors stars is very much themselves. That is why they are where they are in their careers because each of them plays their own game. So much so to the point that young players – both at the start of their careers and already set in them – are adopting parts of their games to their arsenal. Much like Jordan and Kobe, an entire generation of budding basketball players are molding their games after Stephen Curry. The same kid that was ignored by all major DI programs and told he was too shooty to be a point guard.
This last week of Warriors basketball was emblematic of what these players are and have become: superstars that each play their own brand of basketball, but are each loudly successful in that brand.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at a few plays from each game to show why Steph, Kevin Durant, and Klay Thompson are such forces of nature.
Steph’s 51
Curry’s 51-piece against the Wizards was put together with two huge bursts late in the first and third quarters.
But he started early, on this three off of a switch.
Draymond gives him a screen to switch the bigger Morris onto him, and Steph pulls him out to the wing right in front of his bench. Once Porter peels off to cover Draymond in the corner, he has a favorable one-on-one. Morris’ hands are down, which is clearly a mistake. He has a couple of choices, but with his hands down, the answer is clear: drop in a three.
Later in the first quarter, already in the midst of his run, Steph gives us this transition gem. He’s picked up by a defender before he even reaches halfcourt. There are, in fact, three around him. They are all really in no man’s land, though, because none press him enough once he gets into his zone, which is about a 30-footer straight on. He takes his gait step at the logo, and he has a choice: weave the defenders – there is a lane – or pull up. You can see what he does here.
His potency from behind the arc creates a lot of opportunities at the rim as well. Here, already having established that he isn’t going to miss from that distance, the defender runs at him on the pass from Looney. He gives the tiniest of pump fakes – barely even moving his hands – and blows by the approaching defender. Another fake about 10 feet from the basket creates a little window on the right side and he glides in for an easy layin. He’ll get three or four of these, if not more, a game just because of his skill from three.
This next play here is probably my favorite from the whole night. He gives Durant a lob, but he keeps his eye on the play. Oubre, who was on him, runs off the court, but Steph stays with the play and gets to his spot. Not only that, but he gathers the offensive rebound quickly enough to put up the shot right before the approaching defender, absorbing the contact and counting the four-point play. He beat four defenders on this play alone, simply because he was attentive enough to keep his eye on the play, even up 12 throwing a lob to the greatest offensive player in NBA history.
This was his last three of the night. Already up 19, he’s been in the zone all night, so a nice heat check is in order. In transition, he gets the defender just enough off balance to get the inch of space he needs. Again, Rivers’ hand goes up too late, and yet another 30-footer goes down with the flick of his wrist. And as far as Steph celebrations goes, the quick backpedal is one of my favorites.
KD at MSG
Unlike Steph’s game, with is based a lot off of energy, quick motion and being the greatest shooter of all time, Durant is a completely dominant offensive player. Above we saw several variations of what amounts to the same play: a deep three against a late defender. Durant’s repertoire is much more complete, and he can hit anywhere on the court, which we saw during his 41-point outing against the Knicks.
This first play was early in the first quarter. He gives a small pump, and the defender blows by. The Knick waiting in the paint doesn’t approach, so Kevin has a lot of options here; drive to the basket, pull up for a deep two, or what he ultimately does, get a mid-range look. From there, he’s not going to miss.
This play shows the one facet that sets his apart from most players: his complete control. He knows exactly what he’s going to do once he jets around the screen. Kanter is moving, so he knows he can draw a foul. Durant bumps into him, stays in the air long enough to get his balance, and banks in what ends up being an uncontested layup. Complete. Control.
What did JB say about this play? He looked like Dr. J? Durant pushes in transition and uses his length and speed here to render the circle of defenders useless. He picks up the ball right between the three-point line and the free-throw line and glides in, finger-rolling the ball in. If the last play was control, this is grace.
Don’t be fooled, though, he’s just as effective from three. Here, much like with the Steph heat check, Durant is already in the middle of his 25-point fourth quarter, so he’s playing games with the defender, whichever one is unlucky enough to end up on him. He’s trying to get the defender to reach on his dribble, lulls him to sleep, and raises for an unblockable jumper.
Each of the plays above has shown in one way or another his finesse and ability to score from any spot on the floor. But the basis of all of this is his utterly awesome athleticism. He’s a thoroughbred, and when he gets out in the open like he does here, he shows off. He gets a pass at halfcourt and gets to the rim on one dribble, throwing it down. At the risk of sounding like a fanboy, I will say I am awestruck. There are really only two players in the NBA who can do this, and maybe five or six in the game’s history who could, and one of them is Kevin Durant.
Klay’s 14 threes
I really only have one word for Klay’s game: volatile. He’s like a volcano. He builds up and builds up and then once in a while he’ll erupt. It’s not by any means conventional or beautiful, at least in the same way that Curry and Durant’s games are. But show me another player who’s hot is as hot as Klay Thompson’s.
This shot was his record-breaking three. The one dribble he used to find his open spot and force the defender into a blow-by is the most he needs on any given play. In fact, he only used five dribbles on his 14 threes, much like when he used 11 dribbles to score 60 points against the Pacers. Also peep the headband and Steph’s celebratory arm raise.
Klay’s movement off the ball is what gets him open 90 percent of the time. With the firepower of the rest of the offense, all he has to do is move until one of the many other weapons draws a double or his defender peels off him to cover Steph or KD or, in due time, Demarcus Cousins. On this play, he drives and kicks to KD, never stops running, and ends up getting a wide-open shot in the corner, featuring a great screen from Curry.
The best way that I can describe Klay is the Tazmanian Devil. He seems to have boubdless energy both on offense and defense, and he’ll circles around the court till he gets open, running his defender dry. Here again he moves to his spot, the defender is late on the contest, and he drains another three.
This shot was not a three, but it was quintessencial Klay off the dribble. Gets Lavine, a shoddy defender, off the switch, finds a spot right outside of the paint, and puts up an unorthodox mid-range jumper. His body isn’t even facing the basket when he puts the shot up, but he re-directs mid-air, and because of his positioning the defender has no shot at a contest. He may not have taken this shot if there was more than three seconds on the shot clock, but I’m glad he did.
Klay is not only one of the greatest shooters of all-time, but he also has the quickest release of all-time. Here, already 12 threes in, his defender is inexplicably five feet off of him. Seeing this, Steph feeds him in the corner, and with a rapid release, gets the shot off before teh defender can even put a hand up. The prevailing theory is that nobody can get a shot up in less than 0.3 seconds, but if anyone could it would undoubtably be Klay Thompson.