Sunday, June 3, 2018

Basketball: Offensive Editing, Use Xs and Os to Teach

Great offense means "multiple actions." Scoring solutions are everyone's priorities. We need a team "go to" option against man, zone, and for baseline and sideline out of bounds plays.

Sharing multiple actions informs young players how tactics matter. But technique beats tactics. 

Here are "big six" that belong on our radar. Combining them adds power by stressing defenders. We can use (Xs and Os) basketball actions to teach offense. You know this; young players do not. Let's examine a few everyday examples. 

Pick-and-roll
Off-the-ball screens
Backdoor actions
Staggered screens (including Iverson cuts) 
Dribble handoff
Screen-the-screener  


On plus off ball screening A high ball screen reveals a delayed cross screen encouraging a small on big switch. 


Stagger plus stagger An Iverson cut (left) informs a second set of staggered ball screens into pick-and-roll action. 


DHO with secondary ball screen A pedestrian dribble handoff from 4 to 3 gets "extra juice" as the 5 comes in with a second ball screen near the elbow. 


Pick-and-roll plus roller screen  Spain pick-and-roll challenges defenses with 'screen-the-roller' action. 


Ball screen goes inside out  A Celtics favorite, pick-and-roll into inside-outside action with perimeter jumper as the help comes and opens the outside. 


Off-ball screen into PnR or dribble handoff  (5 dribbles to handoff to 3) Downscreen into a pick-and-roll (can also be run as DHO from 5) 

Simple actions reinforce our teachings to offer high quality scoring chances.