Here are excerpts:
One of the biggest things holding players back from developing their decision-making skills is the overuse of set plays in youth basketball.
This isn't necessarily a bad thing as the players get older, but for young players just beginning to learn the game, you should never continuously run set plays.
1. Players don't make decisions.
They're not learning how to read and attack the defense.
They're not thinking about where and when they should cut.
They're not deciding who they should pass to.
They're not looking for gaps in the defense to attack or different spots on the court they can exploit.
They're robbed of the ability to experience reading the game and making their own decisions.
2. Learning plays steals valuable practice time
There are far more important things players can do at practice than learning how to run set plays. Working on fundamental skills and playing different games being the big two.
How much time should you allocate to set plays specifically?
Coach K's quote is, "Basketball isn't about running plays, it's about making plays." That sounds great, but what we see day-to-day is a "system" focused on playing games and winning, often by playing zone defense, because that wins.
The players ask me, "when do we start playing zone defense?" And yes, zones place a premium on perimeter shooting, can limit star players, contain the pick-and-roll, can keep players out of foul trouble, and help launch the fast break. A lot of great teams play a lot of zone defense - Syracuse, Michigan, Miami, and others.
I agree that "set plays" can create a mindset of 'this is where I go and this is what I do," but coaches seeking player enlightenment appreciate that 'reading the defense' is the goal.
We were short players the other day at practice and I had to scrimmage (5 on 5) in the half-court and pointed out (especially to the bigs) that they have to relocate and create to get the ball where they want it. "The game honors toughness" and "the game rewards cutters." Experienced players "look through" the defense and "chunk the pieces" like experienced chess players. You see a "triangle" and know that certain foundational actions emerge when you pay the price of setting up cuts, sprinting to screen or open spots, or running your defender into screens. It would be a lot easier with young, mobile assistants.
As for 'set plays', we scrimmage (offense-defense-offense) off BOB, SLOB, and end-of-game/end-of-quarter situations. I've seen FIBA video where coaches initiate scrimmages off drives, steals, or 'allowed' block shots as well. My rationale for scrimmaging off BOB and SLOB is that we have to initiate and defend them, so this incorporation eliminates separate practice for them. Also, since the defense "knows" all the plays, it demands more creativity from the offense.
So I agree that running set plays exclusively can be counterproductive to player development, but players benefit from the spacing and principles inherent in well-designed set plays, but need freedom to innovate and encouragement to create.
Communication and decision-making, piggy-backed on knowledge and flexibility constitute the basis for life. Why should basketball be different?
