Rose-Butler Pick-And-Roll Becoming A Weapon For Bulls
By Cody Westerlund-
(CBS) It was after last Saturday's win against the Pelicans that Bulls big man Joakim Noah freely admitted what has been more evident with point guard Derrick Rose healthy and wing Jimmy Butler emerging as a primary offensive option.
Come the fourth quarter, it's all about Rose and Butler. And at a micro-level, it's more often becoming about a one-three pick-and-roll between the two.
"Our fourth quarter is a 1-3 pick-and-roll," Noah said. "I have no problem saying it. I have no problem saying it. It's just tough to stop. I don't know what teams are going to do, because we have two guys who are really, really confident with the ball down the stretch."
The Bulls have utilized such "small-small" pick-and-rolls in years past, coach Tom Thibodeau said, but it's become more of a weapon this season with Rose and Butler playing together consistently for the first time. At its most basic, the pick-and-roll with two explosive perimeter players gives defenses fits because either can create with the ball or finish from any spot on the floor.
Chicago seems to use it more often late in games, when Rose and Butler will often play the final seven or eight minutes together. The Bulls relied on it heavily in wins around Christmas against the Raptors and the Pelicans.
Thibodeau envisions the Rose-Butler pick-and-roll remaining a go-to weapon in the playbook, for it keeps the ball in the hands of playmakers and creates easy options if Rose and Butler make the correct initial read, which they've more often than not been doing.
"You're putting two good players in a pick-and-roll, it puts enormous pressure on a defense," he said. "And they have the responsibility to make the right plays and the right reads. What are they doing off of it? Are they trapping it? Are they showing on it? Are they going under or are they switching? And then we have to play from there, and then everyone has to do their job."
There can be a weak-side flash or high-low look out of the the initial action, Thibodeau said, and Butler's post game improvement has added another dangerous element. If a foe simply switches, Butler can post up the smaller defender on the block.
"It's going pretty well," Butler said. "It's a tough matchup. If somebody switches, I roll them into the post or Derrick cracks them off the dribble. Normally, they don't really know what to do. I think we can always get better at it, so we got to keep working on it."
Cody Westerlund is a sports editor for CBSChicago.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.
