Golden State Warriors: Omri Casspi is the ultimate Warrior
Golden State Warriors forward Omri Casspi has not shot many 3-pointers this season. The development is both unexpected and emblematic for both parties.
As David West‘s screen brought Kevin Durant to the left slot, Yogi Ferrell‘s head turned. That was all Omri Casspi needed.
The Golden State Warriors have been more closely associated with 3-pointers than any other team over the past decade-plus. This, even though they were a mediocre shooting team during the “We Believe” era, a better-defensive-than-offensive team under Mark Jackson and masters of just about everything under Steve Kerr.
Throughout it all, outside shooting has consistently defined them in most people’s eyes.
It’s not as if there is no good reason for this. Stephen Curry holds, or will hold by time he retires, just about every 3-point record there is. Of those not in his possession, most belong to Klay Thompson.
Everyone who has been watching basketball for the least three years remembers when Klay lit up the Sacramento Kings for 37 third quarter points on Jan. 23, 2015. He went 13-of-13 from the field, 9-of-9 from deep and hit several unimaginably difficult 3-point attempts.
Few remember the game, 11 months later, when the Kings returned to Oracle. Several shooters caught fire that night (Curry hit six triples, Thompson and Draymond Green five each), but none like Sacramento’s Omri Casspi.
His 9-of-12 shooting from beyond the arc was merely a footnote to the Thompson-esque range from which he was launching. Really, it was more Curry-esque.
Casspi had a rough run following that Dec. 28, 2015 game. Dave Joerger became the Kings’ head coach before the 2016-17 season, and decided to bury Casspi behind Rudy Gay (understandable), Anthony Tolliver (somewhat understandable), Garrett Temple (questionable), Arron Afflalo (highly questionable) and Matt Barnes (downright baffling).
The Kings were blown out at Oracle on Feb. 15 last season, which happened to be Casspi’s final game with the franchise. His real last game came more than a month before that, as Casspi sat through his 18th consecutive DNP in the arena he had torched just a season earlier.
Just days after being traded to the Pelicans as part of the DeMarcus Cousins deal, Casspi broke his thumb. He was promptly waived. When Casspi returned, no playoff teams came calling—rather, the Minnesota Timberwolves picked him up for 14 meaningless games.
It is unclear why Casspi has gotten such little opportunity over the years. He came into the league with a partially-deserved, partially-stereotypical reputation as a softy, and it stuck with him—even as he became a solid defender, capable finisher inside and strong rebounder for the small forward position.
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Dallas trapped Durant out of the pick-and-roll, and so he returned the ball to West at the opposite elbow. The big man immediately looked towards the basket, but not because he was seeking one of his patented 16-footers. He was looking for Casspi.
The rest was preordained. Casspi sealed Ferrell with his right arm, caught West’s perfect pass with his left, turned, oriented himself and laid the ball up in one fluid motion.
It sounds crazy to say, but the Warriors have needed bench shooting for years. The last time they had a reserve make more than one 3-pointer per game was 2011-12, when Brandon Rush, Richard Jefferson and Nate Robinson all accomplished the feat.
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Of course, with enough outside shooting for multiple teams in their starting lineup alone, their free agent focus has been elsewhere. Shaun Livingston and Leandro Barbosa provided transition playmaking and second-unit shot creation in 2014-15 and 2015-16. General manager Bob Myers had to prioritize big men in the summer of 2016, as the Kevin Durant signing cost the Warriors Andrew Bogut and Festus Ezeli. He used the Mid-Level Exception to bring in Zaza Pachulia, and got West for the veteran’s minimum.
With their core intact and their center rotation set, this past offseason was Myers’ chance to build shooting depth. He was able to get Nick Young for the taxpayer MLE ($5.2 million), a surprising bargain in a league desperate for shooters. Young hit 2.8 triples per game at a 40.4 percent clip last season, though it is possible that his limitations as a decision-maker and defender — along with his goofy personality — suppressed his market.
Then came a genuine shock: The Warriors added Casspi for the minimum. Half the league had a need for low-usage 3-and-D guys, Casspi’s recent former teams included. Now, the Wolves, Pelicans and Kings are playing Vince Carter, Shabazz Muhammed and Dante Cunningham rotation minutes.
Meanwhile, Casspi did not miss a 3 until his 16th appearance of the season. In 31 games, he’s missed only seven. He’s been spectacularly accurate from deep, though it should be noted he hit exactly as many 3s in that one night at Oracle two years ago as he has in his Warriors’ career. He’s 9-for-16 so far.
There are so many wonderful elements to Steve Kerr’s offense. Guards set screens. Big men playmake. Help defense is leveraged through several stages until it yields not a good, but a great shot. However, Kerr’s greatest triumph is the improvization his system allows for.
I’m not in the locker room, but the odds are that no one told Casspi to stop shooting 3s. Someone probably did tell him to look for cuts to the basket, as they probably tell every Warriors wing. But that message processes differently in each individual player’s mind.
Thompson got the message right away. After making 312 shots at the rim through his first three years, he made 408 in just two under Kerr. His attempts have dropped slightly since the Durant signing, but he’s still universally considered one of the best basket cutters in the league. Curry does not cut quite as much as Thompson (largely because it is his presence on the ball that opens up so many lanes for others), but is still a master of it when he gets the opportunity.
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Cutting does not come so naturally to everyone. It took Ian Clark about a year to figure out. There were signs in 2015-16, but it was not until 2016-17 that he really started to understand the perimeter attention his superstar teammates demanded. He also noticed that when defenders did pay attention to him, they were concerned solely with his outside shot. He started attacking closeouts, cutting backdoor when defenders were preoccupied, and doing the same when they overplayed.
Young, Clark’s theoretical replacement, has not figured it out. He’s hitting 1.5 triples per game at a 41.2 percent clip, but has only taken 12 shots at the rim all season. Casspi, meanwhile, needed no adjustment period. He’s gotten 70 point blank looks, and made 49 of them (70 percent).
Casspi’s understanding of when to go to the rim is both uncanny and unimpressive. It is uncanny in that he does it so often, and scores just about every time he does it. It’s unimpressive in that there is so much space, such frequent windows and so many good passers that what he is doing looks elementary.
It is, and it isn’t. Cutting is not a skill like shooting or ball handling, nor is it a physical gift like running fast or jumping high. It is timing based, but the timing is not as difficult to get down as it is when it comes to blocking shots. The most analogous act is probably doubling the post or rotating on defense—it takes an understanding of scheme and attention to detail in the moment, but it does not require 10,000 hours of focus in the gym to master.
Even in far less creative, well-spaced offenses, Casspi has always been a terrific cutter. The skill was largely unappreciated, like so many elements of his extremely well-rounded game, but it is safe to assume that the Warriors front office was more aware of that wrinkle in his game than most.
Two years after his career night with the Kings, Casspi set off more fireworks at Oracle—this time, as a Warrior. The display was more modest than that Dec. 28, 2015 game, as Casspi made just one 3-pointer. That he still scored 17 points on nine shots without long-range pyrotechnics is, in a way, even more impressive.
Casspi says he needs to start shooting more 3s. It is unclear if he actually believes it. While a couple more attempts might do well to keep defenses honest, Casspi knows that, as good as his jump shot is, the best thing about it is that defenses are scared of it.
If teams start defending the Warriors for the basket cut, great. They will feast upon open 3s, making Houston’s and Cleveland’s league-leading long range attacks look relatively pedestrian. Casspi is making 56.3 percent of his 3s this season, and would gladly welcome more clean looks.
Next: 2018 NBA Mock Draft: End of 2017 edition
Until then, Casspi will keep going to the hole—there is absolutely no reason not to.