"All cooking is about time and temperature." - Thomas Keller
Thomas Keller preaches precision cooking. Basketball offense execution demands attention to detail. "Great offense is multiple actions" implies that a single breakdown disrupts offense.
1. "Offense is spacing and spacing is offense."
2. "Movement kills defense."
3. "Offense is separation."
4. "If I'm ever before a firing squad, I want him shooting."
Failed offense contradicts spacing, movement, separation, and finishing. Teach players to learn why actions work or fail.
Poor spacing creates friction.
- Clogs driving and passing lanes. Does the defense's work for them.
- Results in playing in traffic.
- Allows for easier double teams.
- Never cut to an occupied post.
- Reduces the amount of space defenders must cover.
Brett Brown's clinic discussed the "four point line" as a spacing facilitator.
Young players have less shooting range which moves them in. Some are "magnetized" toward the ball, corrupting spacing. It also allows defenders to cover 1.5 (their man and help) more easily. "Win in space."
Poor movement dampens the ball's energy.
- Poor ball movement obviates long closeouts.
- It reduces paint touch/ball reversal sequences procuring quality shots.
- Non-urgent cutting rests defenses.
- It makes life easy for help defenders.
Relocation, relocation, relocation creates open shots.
- Pressures decision-making and passes.
- Leads to turnovers like traveling, fumbles, five-second calls.
- Results in lower percentage shots.
- Poorly set screens and not waiting for them denies separation. Some coaches teach players to say, "wait, wait, wait" as the screen arrives. Better late than early off the screen. "Cut hard."
Zak Boisvert's slide is one of the all-time greats. Turnovers rob teams of any chance of scoring. High turnover teams lose. Don't give games away.
Like turnovers, poor shot selection is a coach-killer. Doc Rivers calls the worst shots "shot turnovers." Shot selection encompasses decision-making, selflessness, skill, and situation. Pete Carril reminds players, "the quality of the pass relates to the quality of the shot." And every player needs to know what is a good shot for them and for each teammate. Putting the ball in the non-shooter's hands at the wrong time can haunt you for decades.
Summary:
- Teach players what leads to poor offense.
- Bad spacing makes life easy for defenses.
- Lack of movement simplifies defense.
- Lack of separation leads to turnovers and poorer shots.
- Turnovers take away even the chance to score.
- Don't be guilty of shot turnovers.
Lagniappe.
"You finish school...but you never finish education."
What do we want? How can we get it? What am I doing today to get closer?
Poor shot selection
Turnovers (decision-making or execution)
