Ray Allen Open Looks

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Ray Allen will soon become the most prolific three-point shooter in NBA history. How do the Celtics work to get him open? Sebastian Pruiti digs in.

As Ray Allen approaches Reggie Miller's all-time record for three-pointers made, it's safe to say that Allen is one of the best, if not the best, shooters in the history of the NBA. Because he is such a great shooter, it is safe to say that defense tend to pay attention to him when he is on the court. This is why I think Doc Rivers is one of the best coaches in the game. Time after time, Rivers is able to create open looks for Allen out of halfcourt sets.

In fact, according to Synergy Sports Technology, 52.5 percent of Ray Allen's 284 catch-and-shoot jumpers are considered unguarded. That is absolutely mindboggling. Sure, some of that has to do with the talent around him, but a lot of it is the Celtics' coaching staff and their creativity in the halfcourt.

Excluding transition (we are looking at the halfcourt exclusively in this post), the Celtics have three ways to get Ray Allen in position to score. Those are, as described by Synergy, off screens (33.9 percent of Allen's total possessions), spot-ups (19 percent of Allen's total possessions), and pick-and-rolls with Allen as the ballhandler (9.2 percent of Allen's total possessions).


Article Source:
http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2011/2/10/1985741/ray-allen-boston-celtics