NBA basketball is as dynamic as it gets, but with 10 highly skilled and athletic men running and jumping around, it sometimes isn’t too easy to track even the most basic elements of the game – passing. Of course, most of us keep the focus on the ball during the live play majority of the time, but you’d still be surprised that all that running and spacing is mostly a misdirection and that the ball travels eerily similar paths to the rim on most trips down the floor.
This is the basic attack that the NBA teams have, a few primary starts to the actions they like to run, that then can evolve to various endings. Every NBA team has a few. When such actions are taken away by moving a player to another team, the amplitude of a change can be larger than what is expected.
Today, I’m taking a look on what common passing connections have been broken up this offseason and will it mean the change of the direction of the offense for the NBA teams that will have to put up the new scheme.
Few point guards changed venues, but I’m not going to focus solely on this position, as forwards became as important in game play organizations as the guards are. Two of the top four most frequent passers in the NBA have been traded and one will be likely relegated to the reserve position, so let’s start from the top, even though a surprising name appears first.
| player | team | passes per game | primary targets |
| T.J. McConnell | PHI | 69.6 (1st) | Saric (21.3%)
Ilyasova (13.2%) |
McConnell gets into this list merely as a willing passer. Philly is going to replace him with Simmons and Fultz distributing most of the balls, plenty of which will be directed at Embiid.
| player | team | passes per game | primary targets |
| Ricky Rubio | MIN | 66.9 (2nd) | Wiggins (30.2%)
Towns (26.8%) |
Percentages of passes to Wiggins and Towns show the level of Rubio’s awareness on who are the best options the Wolves have offensively, so losing him for Teague will hurt them a bit. Butler is also a keen ball handler, so Teague’s job will be eased, and the Wolves will surely attack from different angles.
| player | team | passes per game | primary targets |
| Chris Paul | LAC | 64.0 (4th) | Griffin (36.8%)
Redick (21.3%) |
Incredible 58 percent of Paul’s passes went into the hands of Griffin and Redick. All three are separated now, and the Clippers will have to go back to the drawing board. Interestingly, Harden was the 2nd most frequent passer and his pairing with Paul will mean a big adjustment, but what’s really stunning is that Blake Griffin is among the top 25 passers in the last season and his favorite target was Paul. His adjustment will be huge for the Clippers.
| player | team | passes per game | primary targets |
| Rajon Rondo | CHI | 59.3 (14th) | Butler (25.2%)
Gibson (15.0%) |
The Bulls are going to be much different with players leaving town at large, and Rondo wasn’t in the town long enough to put much of a mark. On top of it, Rondo’s passes don’t open up as many shot as it used to during his days in Boston.
| player | team | passes per game | primary targets |
| Darren Collison | SAC | 58.5 (16th) | Cousins (28.4%)
Temple (9.2%) |
Collison had a good connection with Cousins, but after the big man left via the NBA trade, the Kings entertained younger forces, so veteran point guard shouldn’t be missed.
| player | team | passes per game | primary targets |
| Dennis Schroder | ATL | 57.5 (18th) | Millsap (29.0%)
Howard (15.6%) |
Schroder is a rare stay in Atlanta this summer, so he’s included on the base of his both favorite targets leaving the Hawks. Millsap’s versatility will be missed, as well as his ability to create good post openings. Schroder isn’t a great passer and having to play with lesser players will hurt his stock.
| player | team | passes per game | primary targets |
| Jeff Teague | IND | 56.9 (20th) | George (30.4%)
Turner (20.0%) |
Like with the Bulls, the connections in Indiana would have been broken even if they didn’t endure the change at the one spot. Teague was active and willing to find his teammates, but newly added Collison is also a pass first veteran point, so the Pacers won’t be hurt as much. Still, he’s probably a temporary solution and it’ll take another year of change for them to find the game again.
| player | team | passes per game | primary targets |
| Derrick Rose | NYK | 56.9 (20th) | Anthony (22.6%)
Lee (17.7%) |
Rose was distributing the ball evenly, but the Knicks are probably going to change their offensive flow regardless of whom they’ve got on the ball, dropping the triangle. Rondo and Ntilikina are both players with serious limitations, and as long as Anthony is a Knick, they’ll be instructed to feed him.
| player | team | passes per game | primary targets |
| George Hill | UTH | 55.8 (23rd) | Gobert (22.3%)
Hayward (16.2%) |
The Jazz kept the ball in the hands of their best players, and Hill and Hayward are now gone, hurting Gobert’s offensive development. Rubio will have no trouble feeding the French big man, but they’ll need some time to connect. Considering that the Jazz offense mostly revolved over Hayward’s pick and roll prowess, they’ll look considerably different in 2017/18.
| player | team | passes per game | primary targets |
| D’Angelo Russell | LAL | 50.7 (34th) | Randle (23.7%)
Young (15.8%) |
Despite a fairly unsuccessful tenure in the Hollywoodland, Russell was among few Lakers who tried to play the right way, finding teammates with equally energy as calling his own name. Of course, the Lakers wouldn’t have parted with him so soon had they not been giving an opportunity to significantly upgrade the position through the NBA draft. On top of it, Russell wasn’t very smart or definite with his passes, searching the tip of the spear. Lonzo Ball will build a new, but a better offensive culture.
| player | team | passes per game | primary targets |
| Tony Parker | SAS | 47.5 (41th) | Aldridge (23.2%)
Leonard (22.3%) |
The fact that Parker had fewer passes per game than Rudy Gobert or Nik Vucevic doesn’t tell enough of a story as his passes were much more meaningful. Parker is excellent on feeding the left deep post as he is thriving on that side, so his absence will hurt Aldridge the most.
LMA will be kept on the weak side for most part of the games until Parker returns from a complex injury (around late January). Mills is more of a point-scorer, but the Spurs will still have to Leonard-headed offense. Oh, and the talk is that we’ll be witnessing another Manu Ginobili’s season, and he surely has some magic left.
