Caitlin Clark and Stephen Curry have a lot in common. Both lead their respective leagues in three-pointers made, both have a penchant for shooting three-pointers from deep that have never been seen before, and both are terrific passers.
Given their similar skill sets, it makes sense that some of the ways we saw Curry being used by Warriors head coach Steve Kerr would be copied by Fever coach Christie Sides.
Unsurprisingly, Curry’s plays have also been extremely effective for Clark.
What makes Curry so difficult to defend is that he is constantly moving away from the ball. The Warriors give him a lot of screens, creating the space he needs to work. They also give him a lot of screens, because one of the best ways for a shooter to get open is to set a screen first.
Here are four pieces in which both Fever and Warriors incorporate these concepts.
Four Ways Fever Uses Caitlin Clark as Stephen Curry
Offset whirlwind
The above action is known as a set of offset swirls. It all starts with Curry and another teammate setting two screens for Klay Thompson away from the ball. These are called offset screens.
Instead of using those two screens, Thompson leans into Curry’s screen. This is called a swirl action.
Curry then flies off that second screen from Kevon Looney to catch the ball for a 3.
It’s hard to stop two elite shooters involved in off-ball protections because defenses try to stay locked on each of them. The Fever used Clark in a very similar set. They had her set the same offset screen before another player wrapped up Clark’s screen and Clark came off the second screen for a jump shot.
Using these three-person screening actions is a great way to confuse defenses and create space for big shooters like Curry and Clark.
Flex
Flex action is a staple at every level of basketball, from high school to the pros. It works well for Curry and Clark because of those same screen-to-screen principles, which are difficult to defend if the defense isn’t on the same page about which screens to switch.
Clark’s flex action begins by setting a flex screen for a teammate to cut along the baseline.
Immediately after setting that screen, Clark gets a down screen to get open on the perimeter for 3.
The Warriors have been using the Flex action with Curry for years. Kerr even took it with him to Team USA’s Olympic race..
Here’s an example of where the Warriors decided to open the game with this type of ball against the Pistons last year. Curry sets a flex screen for Andrew Wiggins along the baseline, then immediately comes off a down screen from Looney and catches for a 3.
That’s all the space Curry and Clark need to shoot, and it happens because both of their defenders lose focus for a second after setting that initial flex screen.
Good Chicago
The Chicago play, also known as the Zoom play, has skyrocketed in popularity in recent years. It involves a player coming off a screen to pass. The Chicago Gut is when the Chicago play takes place in the middle (gut) of the court, as Clark does in the photo below.
The Warriors don’t use this Chicago Gut play for Curry as much as the two plays described above, but they do it from time to time. He’s devastating when he comes off those multiple screens in the middle of the court.
Get
Getting action is a simple concept, but it’s devastating with sharpshooters. It happens when a player like Curry throws a pass to a big like Draymond Green and runs toward that pass to receive a pass.
The play is extremely effective for dangerous players like Curry and Clark. It allows them to continue attacking when they resume their dribble, it uses their speed to run to the ball, and it capitalizes on big screeners like Green and Aliyah Boston.
The Fever have only recently started adding action to their offense. It’s been a big blow to Clark and Boston, and it’s going to be key to their success moving forward.
Curry and Clark are both systems in their own right because of their ridiculous skills.
The Warriors have designed their entire offense around exploiting Curry’s dangerousness with and without the ball. The Fever are starting to figure that out with Clark, but they don’t have the personnel in place to take full advantage of his skill set. They’ll need to put more shooting around Clark to open up the court for him and really emulate that beautiful, on-the-go attack the Warriors have had that led to four championships.
Once the Fever do that, there will still be a lot of Golden State’s playbook that Indiana can and should copy. The blueprint is there, and Sides should lean on it more to get the most out of his star player.
