Digital Chalkboard: Connecticut inbounds play
UConn showed that they can execute inbounds plays to get open baskets, as we saw several times in their postseason run from last season. In their game against Wagner, they showed a different inbounds play from the two highlighted above and were able to get a layup for Alex Oriakhi.
The Huskies are aligned in a three player stack on the right elbow, with Jeremy Lamb taking the ball out. After an initial cut by DeAndre Daniels, Oriakhi flashes to receive the entry pass from Lamb. Shabazz Napier then makes himself open so that Oriakhi can reverse the ball to the top of the key.
After swinging the ball to Napier, Oriakhi sets a screen for Lamb, who initially inbounded the ball. Lamb’s defender is in his chest as he steps onto the court, so Lamb curls off the screen as his defender trails him.
With Lamb’s defender screened by Oriakhi, the help defender has to slide over Oriakhi and cut off Lamb before he can cut through the paint to get to the rim. However, this leaves Oriakhi open and he shapes up after setting the screen. Lamb doesn’t deliver the best pass as he gets caught in the air but Oriakhi is able to handle the pass after a brief bobble and convert the layup.
This is a pretty standard inbounds play and the poor defense by Lamb’s man is the reason this play works. After the initial pass to Oriakhi is made, the defender should be repositioning himself to be able to react to the action. Instead, he stands still in Lamb’s face and Lamb’s quick burst to use the screen puts the defender a step behind him off the screen.
