Curious what the Gortat Screen is? I was too. So, I did some research and here’s what it is.
Daniel Gafford was interviewed after practice during the preseason in 2022 and was asked what Marcin Gortat taught him.
He said he learned a lot of stuff, such as shooting with his off-hand, screening, and rim running.
“I’m soaking up as much wisdom as I possibly can. … It’s always good to be around somebody that has a screen named after him. … He taught me a lot of stuff.”
Then, the interviewer asked him if he was taught the Gortat Screen. He said yes.
This caught my attention because I’d never heard of this move before. So, I did some digging.
What is the Gortat Screen?
The Gortat Screen was a type of unorthodox screen that Marcin Gortat (or the Polish Hammer) frequently used to prevent help defenders from challenging driving ball-handlers or rim attackers.
It’s pretty much a screen on the help defense, not the primary defender.
To set it up, he would pretend like he is going to run a pick-and-roll with the ball-handler.
But instead of screening, he would roll and cut toward and into the body of the opposing team’s center (or the help defender) and block him off from getting into the lane and contesting the ball-handlers drive.
This move is effective because the ball-handler’s defender often switches their stance to go over or under the screen.
But because they’re in this stance, they leave open space for the ball-handler to run down. And since the help defender is blocked off, the ball-handler has a wide lane to drive down to attack the basket.
Additionally, since the screener looks like he’s cutting, referees don’t consider this an illegal screen or offensive foul.
Who is Marcin Gortat?
Marcin Gortat was a center who played in the NBA from 2007 to 2019.
He started his career off with the Orlando Magic but didn’t get much playing time because he played behind DPOY Dwight Howard.
After three-and-a-half seasons with the team, he was traded to the Phoenix Suns, and this was when I started paying attention to him.
He played with Steve Nash (my then-favourite player) and helped the team become more defensive-minded.
He played well and averaged a double-double in one of the seasons and averaged near double-doubles in the other ones.
However, they never made the playoffs in his two-and-a-half seasons in Phoenix.
After the 2012-13 season, he joined the Washinton Wizards, where he frequently ran the Gortat Screen with John Wall.
This was when, in my opinion, he hit his stride.
He played in D.C. for 5 seasons and averaged 11.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks. But more importantly, he helped the Wizards make the playoffs in 4 out of the 5 seasons he was there.
And they played pretty well in the post-season, too.
They made it all the way to the semi-finals in 2014, 2015, and 2017, but ultimately lost in hard-fought battles.
Gortat retired from the NBA after spending a season with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2018-19.
Final Thoughts
The Gortat Screen is a move that you don’t see -or pay attention to- often.
But it is a high-I.Q. and useful move.
After learning what it is, I’m going to start paying more attention to it and will probably try to use it.
Do you like this move? Are you going to try to use it the next time you play?
