Jamal Murray is having a terrific rookie season and has forced his way into Michael Malone’s rotation despite the Nuggets having a bit of a logjam in the back court. His hot shooting and quick release make him a big threat on the offensive end of the court and help the Nuggets create a lot of gravity by using him off of weak side pindown screens.
One action that the Nuggets use t get Jamal Murray open is a play called “Elbow Boston.” The play begins by having Murray set a pindown screen for another three-point threat who comes off of Murray’s screen and a second screen, usually by one of Denver’s bigs. The play works best when he sets the screen for Wilson Chandler since Chandler is a reliable catch and shoot threat and, more importantly, great at making reads about when to curl around the stagger screen and when to short cut the second screen. For example, in the first clip, Chandler short cuts the second screen and goes right into a strong side post up. In the second clip, he comes off of the stagger and then curls.
After setting the pindown, Murray then comes off of the same big that helped set the stagger screen, usually finding himself open at the top of the key. Nikola Jokic quarterbacks the play and this perfectly fits his skill set. If Murray is open, Jokic has an easy read to make but what makes Jokic special is his ability to make quick reads when the other two options on the play shake free off of short cuts or rolls. If the defense overplays Murray or switches out onto the perimeter, the screener is usually open for a split second.
This action is really effective when Murray is in that spot and both Chandler and Juancho Hernangomez have been good as the other option out of this play. Gary Harris will be another guy that run this set, both alongside Murray and in his place, especially in situations when (and if) the team runs Will Barton as a sort of point-small forward alongside Harris and Murray.
The Warriors run this action for their back court of Klay Thompson and Steph Curry and it works incredibly well. Draymond Green quarterbacks the offense as well as any “big” and Curry and Klay have enough gravity to pull apart the universe. The play becomes even more unguardable when you add Kevin Durant as the screener. The Warriors are not fair.
Imagine a lineup of Jokic, Murray, Harris, and Chandler running this set, with Jokic making the reads with the ball and those three running the action on the weak side. All three are great cutters, finishers, and shooters. Add in Gallinari bringing the ball up the court and you have a nice offensive weapon for a very potent five-man offense.
