📌Keep reading if your defender is in the right position, if not PUNISH him
📌Punish him doesn't mean a basket cut all the time
💡How to teach this with younger players? It's a complex topic, some considerations on that
As @Doug_Lemov writes:
Having knowledge of the terminology makes a player more primed to learn it and use it
📌The idea of playing 1v1 w/out the ball should be explicit and reinforced throughout the practices
What do we mean by 1v1 w/out the ball? Let's make some distinctions ⏬
To create advantage:
📌Blast cut= Creates a dynamic situation (maintain the adv. with the ball)
📌Backdoor cut if defender is overplaying, front cut if he's in the wrong position
📌The adv. sometimes is taken by simply forcing another D to help, w/out receiving the ball
To maintain adv:
📌Cutting (or simply spacing) to punish the help of my defender
📌45° cut or corner cut vs. stunt for example during P&R or drives
📌Flash from the weak side while def. is protecting the lob for the post player
How to develop these ideas?
📌With younger kids 12/15 yo I’m a fan of giving permission to attack w/out the ball every time they see their defender not looking
📌First idea: Keep reading your own defender
📌Attack by cutting into an open space, could be paint, baseline or nail
📌This for me is important for coaches
We need to know which mistakes are acceptable for our priorities!
And how we deal with them
It’s not that we won’t correct it, but praise the O for reading the D
It’s worst if a drive happens, 2 def are ball-looking and nobody moves
2nd step:
After reading my own D -> read my teammates and theirs D
📌E.G: I’m in the weak side corner and the ball is on the wing
My D is not looking at me
If there’s a strong ball pressure maybe I’ll flash to the nail
If he’s playing freely I’ll basket cut on the baseline
Another example
📌Blast cut from corner to wing, D deny the pass
🤔Backdoor? Ok, but now my teammate is in the post
📌I should change my decision, not backdoor maybe but fade to the corner to receive?
📌See, reading space AFTER primary read of your own defender
📌"Add a defender" is a great philosophy for coaching
I'm trying to implement it as much as possible in our warm-up and individual work-out with our pros
Some considerations about this in this thread ⏬
📽️ Drive + pass + relocation & 2nd drive with guided D
📌Scripted and guided D makes everything more realistic
📌Practice should NOT look perfect
📌We want mistakes to happens!
As they do in the game, to be able to recognize where we need to focus our work and attention
📌If we're doing something perfectly it's probably useless
Try this simple test with your team:
📌Have them practice 50 layups with no defender, check the %
📌Have them practice 50 layups, defender running on their side, not live, scripted D, now check the %
You're gonna see a big difference, even with a NON-live defender!