Who Am I?
I’m Can Peker Pekcan. I’m 21 years old and addicted to basketball. I have been a writer on several sites and currently appear in videos about Türkiye’s youth league on the Stop Press Medya YouTube channel. I share articles on my Twitter and Medium accounts. I want to be professional scout.
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Igor Kokoškov returns to Türkiye as the new head coach of Anadolu Efes. Kokoškov is a great offensive coach with an elite playbook. I really like his offensive system, and I’d like to highlight a few things about it.
Screen, screen, screen
We can say that the use of screens is the core of Kokoškov’s offensive sets. In addition to his effective pick&roll actions, he also likes to use plays like double drag and horns. His offense features constant movement with screens set both for the ball handler and off-ball players. He even includes alley-oop sets where guards screen for bigs. At FIBA’s basketball coaching clinics, he has taught NBA Motion Offense, which is based on constant movement.
Shooter
Having a pure shooter is very important in Kokoškov’s teams. He creates good looks for shooters through off-ball movement using sets like Elevator and Peja action. This draws the defense’s attention to the shooter and opens up easier scoring chances in the paint.
Let’s take a look at the 2020–21 Fenerbahçe Beko team:
• Melih Mahmutoğlu played the most EuroLeague minutes of his 12-season career under Kokoškov.
• Jarell Eddie joined the team and finished the season shooting 45% from three. T
hree-point shooting percentages of the new forwards from their previous seasons:
• Danilo Barthel: 36%
• Edgaras Ulanovas: 35%
• Dyshawn Pierre: 39%
These transfers actually fit Kokoškov’s system. However, they came with some risks: Barthel was playing outside Germany for the first time, Ulanovas had never played outside Lithuania before, and it was the first EuroLeague season for both Eddie and Pierre.
A simple role comparison (not based on player quality):
• Melih Mahmutoğlu = David Mutaf (BSL)
• Jarell Eddie = Rodrigue Beaubois (EuroLeague)
I’m excited to see David in Kokoškov’s system. I think he will be a good fit for Efes. As for Rodrigue Beaubois, his physical condition will be crucial. I believe they will add at least one more shooter-type forward to the rotation.
Playmaking big
Kokoškov is also known for involving big men in playmaking. He has offensive sets where bigs initiate plays from the post or the top of the key. The cuts by the guards open up the offense nicely.
• Jan Vesely had the highest assist total (84) of his 14-year EuroLeague career under Kokoškov’s coaching.
• At EuroBasket 2017, even with stars like Goran Dragić and Luka Dončić on the floor, he used actions that revolved around Gašper Vidmar’s passing.
• He also got playmaking contributions from forwards like Dyshawn Pierre in the 2020–21 season, particularly through post-up situations.
At Anadolu Efes, he may add a forward/big to the roster who can offer similar contributions in half-court sets.
Summary
Kokoškov is a former assistant coach of Quin Snyder, who also incorporates many European sets into his playbook. Having closely followed the Chicago Bulls during “The Last Dance” era, he also tries to integrate Tex Winter’s triangle offense principles into his own system. I’m excited about the Kokoškov–Efes pairing. For a better evaluation, we’ll have to wait and see what kind of roster Efes builds this summer. But if you’re a fan of structured set offenses in basketball, I strongly recommend following Efes next season.
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