NBA Season Preview: 5 creative sets you need to know

3. 54 Dive Lob

With Andre Roberson being a non-threat from the perimeter up until this stage of his career, teams often ignore him in the halfcourt to pack the paint and send multiple defenders at Russell Westbrook. It’s why 30.8 percent of Roberson’s total shot attempts last season were wide open three-pointers, which was a rate few players in the NBA could match.

For the most part, the Oklahoma City Thunder are content with Roberson taking those shots, but there are times when they make opponents pay for leaving him by having him cut backdoor as soon as Westbrook runs a pick-and-roll with, say, Steven Adams. Because teams are concerned with Westbrook getting to the basket or Adams getting an alley-oop, it often leaves Roberson as an afterthought with a run to the rim for an uncontested lob.

It helps, of course, that Roberson is a big target at 6-7 with a 6-11 wingspan and 36-inch vertical. Still, for teams like the Chicago Bulls that don’t have enough shooting on the wings, the Thunder’s “54 Dive Lob” is a nice way to keep the defense engaged with timely cuts to the rim.