Turnovers kill coaches. After failed transition defense and missed layups, turnovers age coaches the most. We need "possession and possessions"...having the ball and doing something good with it.
How can we stop turnovers?
1. Stop the fear. "Winners want the ball." Against pressure, some players don't. They avoid getting open and play hot potato basketball. "Fear is the mindkiller." Pass away from defenders doesn't mean don't pass to teammates.
2. "Shorten the pass." Come to the ball. Waiting for a pass allows defensive range and hands to come into play.
3. "Fall in love with easy." The worst shot is better than any turnover. Don't try to thread the needle.
4. "Be great in space." Great players find space. Don't play in the traffic. Poor spacing or passing or driving in traffic turns productive players into destructive players.
5. Avoid shot turnovers and ankle biters. Shot turnovers are Doc Rivers' terms for forced or bad shots. Ankle biters are passes thrown at players' ankles. It's not soccer.
Additional pro tips:
- Good offenses work from the middle
- Good offenses get both paint touches and ball reversals during possessions
- Break the press with passing not excessive dribbling
- "Hand down, man down." If the defender hands are up, don't throw into them.
Lagniappe:
One of the enemies of truly great defense are turnovers and poor shot selection on offense— Chris Oliver (@Chris__Oliver) February 17, 2013
Sandbagged. I played middle school basketball over fifty years ago. I remember the coach and my teammates. I don't remember wins and losses. "Without self-awareness, how do we ever make good decisions."
