Basketball Friday: 1-3-1 Drill, Concepts, Play - Finding Black Swans

The Friday 1-3-1 explores a drill, three concepts, and a play. Learn or fall behind. 

Discover black swans. Identifying black swans in Australia changed a mindset. "Like purple cows and flying pigs, the black swan was a symbol of what was impossible." Consider the quote, "I did not see that coming." Seeing what is right in front of us can be an insurmountable challenge (#MeToo and many others). 

And Nassim Taleb's eponymous book added more. Black swans can appear in front of us, like the biggest losses in Las Vegas coming not from theft but from a tiger attack. Pandemics are black swans, periodically reminding us that they are real (14th century bubonic plague, 20th century influenza, 21st century coronavirus). 

Black swans appear in basketball, too. Bill Russell's defensive disruption was a black swan. I'll argue that Pete Maravich was a black swan. Spud Webb was a black swan. The evolution of the three-point shot and EFG% may not be a black swan, but it's in the neighborhood. 

1. Drill. Matt Gordon discussed Loyola's "shell to transition" approach. Loyola of Chicago led the nation in transition offense and allows transition out of shell drill. That's a game changer for both offense and defense. "Deflections cause doubt" AND requires the offense to be alert and convert. 

How many other drills can we alter through constraints or modifications? 

2. Concepts. The primary attribution bias of coaching is "we need better players." Excuses don't win games. 

-Our first response should be, "we need to execute better." Own it. 
-Our second answer has to be Dave Smart's, "every day is player development day." 
-Our third is simplify. 

A. Improve execution (fewer easy baskets allowed, more possessions through rebounding, better free throw shooting, reduce bad fouls).
B. Grow the individual - strength and conditioning, skill, knowledge, resilience. 
C. Simplify. "Do well what we do a lot." That can be addition by subtraction (time wasters).

Dave Smart has his musts (above). What are ours? 

3. Play. Postseason success and competing against good teams needs solid execution in the half-court, because the best teams limit transition and play consistent half-court defense. Good teams make opponents work for everything. 

This Celtics' "Diamond" action can be run as a SLOB or set play. It has multiple options from off-ball screens or to post up a powerful 2 like Marcus Smart. 

Lagniappe: Luka Doncic is a black swan. YouTube video breakdown from Coach Mason Waters. Enjoy. 

Make teammates better with vision, decision, execution excellence. 

Coach Waters shows a "did it wrong" but it worked out clip. Doncic draws 2 but gets hung up but knows Porzingis is trailing for the dunk. Look at the great NBA spacing of his teammates, corners filled plus high slot. "Don't leave your feet to find a pass; leave your feet to make a pass." 




Lagniappe 2: Coaches, teams, players. Entertain us. Great basketball thrills us. 




Beat the zone (Watch full screen in YouTube)