Can we catalog defensive mistakes, teach, and eliminate a significant number of points? Because many games are won or lost by two possessions or less, even modest improvements could change outcomes. Brad Stevens reminds us that the difference between a good and poor defensive team is a few possessions.
We can argue about the most common mistake and both be right because your team's mistakes may differ from mine or another coach's.
This would always be a work in progress. Admittedly, there is overlap among physical and mental mistakes. And we can argue about good offense versus a defensive error.
Mental mistakes:
- Not covering a player
- No help or rotation - "the ball scores"
- Bad fouls - Fouling jump shoots, fouling bad shots
- Allowing a scoring cut to the basket - our nemesis
- Poor coverage in transition
- No communication
Physical mistakes/limitations:
- Poor effort in transition
- Poor ball containment
- Poor blockout
- Pick-and-roll coverage (unexecuted plan)
- Poor closeout (none or out of control)
These examples were from a "preseason" tournament game last year. It's a criticism of the coaching and our execution, not of individual players. FWIW, defensive breakdowns led to four of the first five baskets (and many more).
Every coach teaches defenders to "jump to the ball" and "ball-you-man" to take away scoring cuts.
Lack of defensive floor balance/transition defense (team defense).
A turnover becomes a three-point play via an unnecessary foul.
You don't hear me yell "watch the back cut" about five seconds before we make this error.
"We have met the enemy and he is us." Give credit to opponents, but don't confuse good offense with poor defense.
Lagniappe: Chris Dorsey's Zone attack, "fire" and freedom.
Recently, coaches have asked me... “What do you do vs. Zone⁉️”— Chris Dorsey (@GentsCoachD) August 2, 2020
Here’s what we do👇🏽
The Rules:
1️⃣: 🏀 must stay 🔥
2️⃣: Freedom to shoot 👌🏽
3️⃣: Freedom to 🚗 pic.twitter.com/pMiHH1Tl2W
