Coaches always say the same thing before the season:
“We want to take away threes and layups.”

But join the club. Everyone says that.
The real work is in how you're doing that.

Here’s better questions to ask before the season starts:
👇 #1. Look Inward and Outward
a) What kind of defensive roster/personnel do we have?
Your scheme should elevate your strengths — not expose your weaknesses.

b) What actions dominate our league? What styles dominate our league? Who are the teams in your way?
Don’t design a defense for “basketball.”
Design one to beat your league.

If I was a defender coming up today —
there’s one player I’d study first:

Alex Caruso.

Not just because he’s a lockdown defender.
But because he wins possessions with technique, timing, and toughness.
Here’s a breakdown of my favorite Caruso defensive plays 🧵 1. Passion + Communication
Before anything else—Caruso cares.
You see it in his voice, his energy, and how he talks on every possession.
Defense starts with caring. Everything else builds from that.

Alex Caruso vs. Nikola Jokic.
100 pounds. 6 inches. A matchup few believed in.

But last night, Caruso delivered a defensive masterclass, making it nearly impossible for Jokic to even get the ball.

Here’s how he did it — play by play. 🧵 Before we even get to that key matchup, Caruso comes in when the Thunder are already in a hole and he doesn't take long to make his presence felt! Suffocates Braun in the corner, smothering his pivot and killing his vision.

Christian Braun isn’t the first name you think of in Denver. But in Game 3, he became their clutch defensive stopper — the only player trusted to guard SGA 1v1 without sending a double.

SGA: 1-for-8 in the 4th. 0 shots in OT.
A masterclass in closing defense.
A thread… 🧵 Braun recovers over a double ball screen and squares SGA back up with an influence middle. Uses a cross step to cut off the drive with a chest bump at the elbow. Jams the square up attack and walls up the finishing- winning the line of attack

Chris Finch and the Timberwolves pulled off the biggest comeback in a Game 7. Holding the Nuggets to 37pts in the 2nd half. Let's dive into the Timberwolves 2nd half defense that lead them to the conference finals!

A thread... First thing to notice is the drop and lack of urgency the Wolves have on Jokic at the 3pt line, who has not made a 3-pointer today. We can also see much of the same as previous games, chasing MPJ off the 3pt line and chasing handoffs

The cushion slide is one of the most important movements for a defender. The ability to stay square while staying in front - often times moving laterally and backwards at the same time.

Here is a thread on some of the drills that are helpful... but first, Herb Jones One of the simplest drills - yet one that will surprise you. So many players will open up their hips and really struggle with this one! Progress the drill to build on defensive success: start by constraining offense

*recommend using tape or court lines, cones can cause slipping

MIA takes a 2-0 lead over BOS. Spo and the Heat continue to prove that this is not a fluke. One of the toughest and best coached teams in the NBA. Here's how the Heat continue to stifle a top Celtic team... 1st Possession: Matchups remain the same. Butler on Tatum, GV on JB, Bam on RW3, Strus on Smart and Love on Horford. Celtics come out looking to attack Strus in the post with Smart for 2pt

Many people commented the other day that defensive communication is one of the toughest things to teach. I agree, and sometimes our players want to talk, but are unsure what to say. Plus you have to get players out of their shells at younger ages. A thread to improve Def Comm.. We need to make sure they know what to say:
Here are our 5 key aspects of D Comm.
1. Where are you
2. What is your help responsibility
3. Movement or Actions of Offense
4. Def Coverages
5. Encouragement or *Smack

Lakers take a 1-0 lead over GSW. With a drastic defensive change, Darvin Ham has put LAL in the driver seat. Here's how the Lakers crafted their defensive gameplan. Longest thread alert... The 1st possession can tell us a lot. 1) Matchups: Vanderbilt-Curry, LBJ-Green, AD-Looney... LBJ and AD sagging around the paint. 2) Top block on Klay. 3) Switching Guard-to-Guard screens. 4) High denial on Klay

One of my favorite players, "he doesn't even need to score a basket to turn a game around." He made rebounding an art. I know we all wish we had players who rebounded like Rodman... well, if that's true, here is how he did it, a thread: Rodman was relentless at his attempts to secure the weakside position - anchoring the opponents to one side of the floor and allowing him the entire weakside.

Full Technique here: lockdowndefenseblog.com/post/reboundin…

Erik Spoelstra and the Heat are at it again. Another defensive masterclass in Round 2 Game 1. Let's dive into it... 1st Possession: interesting matchup with Gabe Vincent on Barrett (giving up some inches again, similar to the Middleton matchup from last series). And of course, Jimmy Butler makes the Heat defense felt in the very first play

Spoelstra is at it again! Up 3-1 against the Bucks as an 8-seed. Can they close it out tonight? Let's dive into Game 4's defensive game plan to slow and stop the Bucks... The 1st possession highlights several key themes to Miami's gameplay. 1) Bam is on Giannis, Butler on Middleton. 2) Physicality disrupts the first action. 3) Great rotation on the scramble. 4) Willing to give up corner threes to dig and plug gaps

Tom Thibodeau is back to his defensive mastery in this series. Holding the Cavs under 100pts in three of four games and holding them under 80, the first time this entire season a team has failed to score at least 80 points. Let's look deeper into the Game 4 defensive battle... 1st Possession can tells us a lot: nice play by CLE here with the Spain action and baseline exit to disrupt the wk tag. Knicks show their ability to roam off of J Allen to protect the rim - this time he makes them pay with the floater touch, but...

This has quickly become my favorite series of the playoffs. Ty Lue continues to try endless defensive adjustments. Ahead of Game 4, let's take a deeper look into Game 3 and how the Clippers almost pulled out a win without Kawhi... 1st possession: Batun on Ayton and Westbrook on Booker. PHX tries to get a high post touch for KD and Westbrook makes an amazing play rotating to the entry pass

We have names for all types of offensive moves and finishes, but what about defense. The better we can talk about defense the easier it is to train, teach and improve it.

Here are my top 5 favorite types of on-ball footwork: 1) the cushion slide 2) The Cross step

#1 Team in the country at impacting shots at the rim: Utah Valley Wolverines.

Here's how they do it They Wall Up drivers. But here's the difference, they are strong walls - steering drivers wide and physical with contact. Many players bounce off these drives to avoid fouls or lack core strength to maintain contact - even if they wall up. Utah Valley does it right

Tennessee is #1 in the country in lower 3pt efficiency. Including both contested and uncontested 3pt attempts, is it a fluke, not at all. Here's some key takeaways:

A Thread Tenn challenges at the point of release. Often being the second jumper on catch and shoot attempts. Contesting high and to the sky! Alter that shot

Anyone struggling with their on-ball defense? Here are the main problems

A Thread: 1. Is it a movement problem?

Do they lack the actual footwork patterns, agility and explosiveness? Try incorporating daily warmup drills, stations or workouts.

Defensive Workout Essentials:

1. Lockdown Ladders

Amazon Alternative: amzn.to/3rMS6xr 2. Body Resistance Bands

I prefer to tie two large resistance bands together.

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My Top 5 Most Important Teaching Points for Defensive Closeouts. Arguably the most important skill/technique on the defensive end.

A Thread: 1. Challenge at the Point of Release. Picked up from two sages of defense: Tony Bennett and Rick Pitino. Gives purpose to defenders, not enough to just have hand(s) up.