Stats review: The EuroCup’s best at the pick-and-roll game

Several teams have leaned on pick-and-roll play as the engine of their offense this season

Round 5 of the BKT EuroCup featured an all-time offensive performance by Dreamland Gran Canaria as it exploded for a record 125 points in regulation to punish a shorthanded ratiopharm Ulm team. While there is no shortage of superlatives to throw around about the performance Coach Jaka Lakovic’s team put together, their efficiency in the pick-and-roll stood out.

Generating 49 points over 36 possessions created out of ball screens – including 17 over eight possessions used by their roll men, Gran Canaria punished the defense repeatedly in the two-man game as it scored 1.41 points per possession in the half court overall. Given a possession against a set defense has been worth around 0.94 points this season, Gran Canaria played almost exactly 50% more efficiently than average on its way to its fourth win of the season.

While that game was an extreme example, there are several teams who have been able to lean on pick-and-roll play as the engine of their offense through the early part of the season. The table above lists the teams who have found the most success in terms of points per possession created out of ball screens through Round 5. For reference, the average pick-and-roll possession has been converted for 0.97 points per possession this season with the shots created for a team’s shooters and roll men proving more valuable than those used by ball handlers themselves.

Striking a balance there can be tricky, but in the early going, U-BT Cluj Napoca, Valencia Basket, and Bahcesehir College Istanbul have been able to set themselves apart from the rest of the field in what they have produced when they have played pick-and-roll. That’s been especially notable for Valencia, which is one of 11 teams creating right around half of its scoring opportunities in the half-court with ball screens.

Cluj has gotten back on track in recent weeks after starting the season 0-3 against what may wind up being the top three teams in Group B by the end of the season. The team's ability to generate quality looks with pick-and-rolls has been key to its strong start offensively against a grueling slate and Zavier Simpson has led that charge. In his first season in Europe, the true floor general is making the game easy for his teammates by creating almost 15 points per game with his passes out of pick-and-rolls.

His combination of vision and creativity shines when the game slows down and, despite his preference for getting teammates involved, he has been effective looking for his own shot too. With Simpson leading the EuroCup in points created out of pick-and-rolls, Adam Mokoka, Patrick Richard, and Dennis Seeley have all been effective as secondary ball handlers to give Cluj something to build on offensively despite the tough start.

Jean Montero has been just as productive as Simpson on a per-minute basis and the 21-year-old is a big reason Valencia has leaned so heavily on pick-and-roll play this season. With Brancou Badio and swingman Xabi Lopez-Arostegui finding some success looking for their own offense, Stefan Jovic providing a veteran presence with his passing, and Matt Costello proving to be by far the EuroCup’s most productive roll man early on, pick-and-roll play has contributed to Valencia’s dominant start to the season.

Unlike Cluj and Valencia, Bahcesehir College Istanbul spreads the ball around a bit more liberally with Jaleen Smith and CJ Massinburg splitting time on the ball and both Sehmus Hazer and Mateusz Ponitka both getting involved regularly off the bench as well.

Though each of these teams has scored the ball at a high level in pick-and-rolls, they have taken different paths to get there with Valencia getting their screeners involved most often, Bahcesehir’s ball handlers scoring at a tremendous rate looking for their own shots, and Cluj committing few turnovers despite their efforts to put pressure on the rim.

Umana Reyer Venice warrants mention for its efficiency as well with Gran Canaria jumping into this conversation based largely on last week’s outburst. At this point, an effective EuroCup offense starts in pick-and-rolls and these teams have put themselves in a position to rank among the best overall with their efficiency in the early going.