The Golden State Warriors have climbed to the top. So naturally, there are plenty of people trying to pull them back down. We call these people haters, and the have an amazing capacity for pointing out every potential flaw in a team that just won a record 73 regular season games.
One of the most common criticisms the Warriors get accused of is the high number of illegal screens they set and somehow don’t get called for. The question is whether this is a depiction of reality, or the product of the haters being tired of hearing about Steph Curry looking for any reason they can to discount the Warriors' success.
As it turns out, it’s more likely a misunderstanding of the NBA rulebook, according to a recent article done by SB Nation's Jesus Gomez.
Once a player sets a screen, it is generally believed that said player must remain stationary at the point where they set the screen. But according to the NBA rulebook, that is not actually the case.
A player who sets a screen shall not (1) assume a position nearer than a normal step from an opponent, if that opponent is stationary and unaware of the screener's position, or (2) make illegal contact with an opponent when he assumes a position at the side or front of an opponent, or (3) assume a position so near to a moving opponent that he is not given an opportunity to stop and/or change direction before making illegal contact, or (4) move laterally or toward an opponent being screened, after having assumed a legal position. The screener may move in the same direction and path of the opponent being screened.
In (3) above, the speed of the opponent being screened will determine what the screener's stationary position may be. This position will vary and may be one to two normal steps or strides from his opponent.
The key sentence being “The screener may move in the same direction and path of the opponent being screened.” This contradicts general public thinking that the player must stay where he is throughout the process of setting the screen.
We just gonna act like the Warriors don't set illegal screens 24:7 to get open? pic.twitter.com/l0wOiPmdmi
— Ryan (@GlockRivers) April 18, 2016
In this case, Andrew Bogut moves while setting a screen for Steph Curry to get open. However, because he moves in the same direction as the defender is not nearer than a normal step when he sets it, this is typically not called by most refs to avoid disrupting the flow of the game.
Because a lot of screeners toe the line between legal and illegal, officials typically only blow the whistle in blatant examples or when the defensive player sells the contact. If there is a screen that is technically illegal but doesn't really take the defender out of the play, they often let that go unpunished to avoid interrupting the natural flow of the game. Even when those screens do affect how the defender performs, sometimes officials just miss violations.
The Warriors' offensive style and proficiency creates a misperception about their screening. The Warriors led the league in percentage of possessions that ended with a shot coming off screens in both the regular season and in the playoffs, according to Synergy Sports. They also rank third in screen assists in the playoffs, per SportVU. That new measure attempts to credit players that directly create open shots for teammates with screens.
Do the Warriors get away with illegal screens? Yes, of course they do. But so does everyone else.
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