Kentucky is using 'Gortat screens' to help create easy offense

On Kentucky’s first offensive possession of the game against Arkansas, Otega Oweh was able to glide straight to the rim for an uncontested layup that immediately put the Wildcats ahead 2-0. He can thank the Gortat screen/seal set by freshman big man Malachi Moreno for making it happen.

The Gortat screen isn’t anything complex, but it can be highly effective against the right defenses. Kentucky utilized that screen/seal several times (some successful, some not) in its 85-77 win over the Razorbacks from Saturday night in Fayetteville. Typically used in (but not limited to) pick-and-roll settings against drop coverage defense, the ball handler takes the screen from his big man, who then dives into the paint to screen or seal off his defender, ideally clearing a path for the ball handler to have a clean shot at the basket.

It can often look like an illegal screen, but not one that the officials will normally call if executed properly. Kentucky centers Malachi Moreno and Brandon Garrison (and sometimes Andirja Jelavić) have become naturals at setting these Gortat screens/seals for their driving teammates this season. Those two usually know where to be on the floor and how to use their wide frames as ways to shield off defenders in the lane.

“We work on that probably every day in practice,” Collin Chandler said Tuesday. “We’ve become great at that as a team. I think this game (against Arkansas) was big. Texas was big, where we were getting driving lines and Gortat screens. It’s nice having big bodies down there like BG and Malachi that can take up so much space. I mean there was clips where Malachi is sealing two guys at once. That’s very helpful for us.”

The short video below showcases a handful of examples where Kentucky used Gortat screens/seals in some fashion to create easy offense against Arkansas. Oweh was usually the engine behind these screens/seals. If you’re someone who listens to Mark Pope interviews, you’ve likely heard him mention Gortat screens at some point during his tenure at UK, particularly this season.

Somewhat ironically, the Gortat screen was popularized as a term by one of John Calipari‘s former guards, John Wall, who regularly used this screen in tandem with big man Marcin Gortat for the Washington Wizards in the 2010s. But it’s long been a widely used way to open up driving lines at all levels of basketball.

Moreno and Garrison just happen to be great at running it for this Kentucky team, and it worked well against Arkansas en route to a big win.

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