Toronto Raptors: Fresh 24 – The Kyle Lowry Decoy Play

Welcome to Fresh 24, where we’ll look at the more creative, deceptive and interesting plays that the Toronto Raptors execute throughout the season.

The Toronto Raptors offence is not very robust. Action conducted in their system is typically designed to create a mismatch for Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, instead of space like most modern offences do.

Really, it’s a 90’s offence infused with a heavy dose of the pick n’ roll. Regardless, every coach needs a go-to play in their system, a play that’s run when the team just needs a bucket.

When the Raptors need that basket, they run the Lowry Decoy play. The play actually has two variants, both of which involve the point guard running to the ball.

The first variant is the DHO (dribble hand off) – watch Lowry as he runs towards the ball, almost as if to get a DHO from DeMarre Carroll. Instead of running behind Carroll for the hand off. he runs in front like a wide receiver in Wildcat formation.

Lebron is inside the arc to contain the DHO drive if it happens, but also in position to ICE a 3-1 pick and roll. He runs between LeBron James and Carroll with Iman Shumpert chasing him, to create enough space and time for Carroll to attempt the three and bang it home.

The second variant is the screen. In a late game situation such as this, teams typically switch everything.

With LeBron on your team, you definitely switch a pick and roll action. There are only a handful of players that can punish him for switching.

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Again it’s a late game situation, so the obvious choice for the Raptors is to have ball in Lowry’s hands . Realistically, he has been struggling since the season started, but nobody is going to remember nor care about that in the moment.

This time Lowry runs behind Lebron as if to set the screen. However, the Raptors’ two-time All-Star only makes contact, because Lebron hip checks him to slow him down.

James sees the screen coming and switches, even though no real screen is set. J.R. Smith can clearly see that there’s no screen so he follows Lowry, but at the last moment sees James switch.

Caught, Smith has to double back to cover DeRozan, but it’s too late. The Raptors’ shooting guard gets to watch the Cavaliers offence collapse without any ball movement whatsoever and immediately decimates the defence at the first sign of confusion.

Lowry has a gravity associated to him, just like any other star player and Dwane Casey seems to know how to exploit it. It’s a cute play to be sure, it’s a counter to the leagues’ counter of the Raptors’ play style.

This play isn’t going to be in the scouting report for a while and when it is discovered, the screen variant with DeRozan is still going to be insanely hard to stop. The only way to slow down the drive to the rim is to switch, but that still gives DeRozan the mismatch and a split second advantage over his opponent.

Next: Raptors v Cavs - 3 Stars of the Night

The Raptors’ offence is used to this. DeRozan is among the best drivers and finishers at the rim – any sort of daylight given is too much, which Smith, Tristan Thompson and the Cavaliers learned the hard way.