Philly Elbow
Important Notes:
- In this case, "Strongside/Weakside" is referencing the Center's location, in relation to the ball handler's.
- 1-High offense can be initiated by everyone except the Center
- 2-High Weak Side offense can be initiated by PG-PF as well.
- 2-High Strong Side can only be initiated by PG-SF.
- Corner/Wing do not trigger any real scoring actions, other than rotate and replace.
Pros:
- Post oriented, inside-out offense.
- Initiates from the top and from the high post (elbow)
- Gives multiple different looks, 2-High, 1-High, and traditional 4-out 1-in for initiations.
- Good spacing for modern game, with emphasis on playing through the bigman.
Cons:
- Only initiated by certain positions in certain spots, for some branches
- Some branches are time sensitive, and cancel out too quickly (mostly following dribble/handoff branches).
- Some variations involving back-to-back screens, like the 2-High Weakside Offense, can waste precious time, while trying to progress through to the better branches. (Should eliminate the back-to-back Back Screens, and make it just one for smoother transitions).
- Complex to an extent, but easy to simplify by eliminating certain branches' usage.
Best Suited For:
- Teams that have a talented Center, surrounded by skilled shooters
- Skilled players from 1-4, shooting and ball handling (no true PF)
- A skilled passing bigman is a plus, but inside/post game is all that's needed.
Tips:
- The freelance can be pretty robust and complex, but easily simplified by only focusing on the 1-4 High, and the High Post Entry offenses.
- 1-4 High is super easy to loop, over and over again, and is primarily used as a good reset offense if your initial branch breaks, with its quick acting 3pt, PnR, and post-up opportunities.
- The Corner/Wing rotations aren’t designed as scoring actions, but with a little imagination, you can make them work for you. Other than that, they're just good branches to offer some motion to the offense, and a good way to rotate certain players to certain spots, as long as you learn the rotations ahead of time.
- Don't always follow the PlayArt, its a Bigman focused freelance at the end of the day, don't be scared to just 1v1 in the post while your teammates are setting off-ball screens.
Overall:
- A good flowing offense if you keep it simple. A really good offense if you manage to learn it's complexities, and risk the longer branches. Amazing offense for keeping your bigman involved, but offers more 3pt opportunity than say, a Triangle Offense which also offers lots of post-ups.