Dean Oliver's 'four factors' include shooting, turnovers, rebounding, and free throws. The trend toward analytics hasn't diminished the importance of free throws and by extension, fouling.
It's horrifying to fail because of thoughtless fouling and missing free throws. Good players foul selectively not habitually.
Good defense includes avoiding unnecessary fouling. Brian Scalabrine adds, "When you play hard defensively, the basketball gods take care of you."
Avoid Needless Fouls
- Defense starts with your head. Lazy defense fouls.
- Don't reach in. "Show your hands." If it looks like a foul, it will likely be a foul.
- Move your feet. Get legal guarding position. Don't 'body' players off their line.
- Stay vertical. Don't chop down.
- Play under control. After a bad offensive play, don't double down by fouling. Mature players don't make these mistakes.
- Never foul jump shots and never, ever foul three-point shots.
Stan Van Gundy mentioned the truism, "fouling negates hustle." As great defense is multiple efforts, fouling is the cancel culture of winning.
Good players learn to play with fouls. During development, there is a role for allowing players to learn to play with fouls.
Strategic Fouling
- Hack-a-Shaq... fouling a team's poor shooter
- Fouling to approach the limit strategically
- Fouling to stop the clock.
- Fouls to protect a three-point lead with two free throws
Mediocre teams tend to foul indiscriminately.
Summary:
Foul for profit.
Foul selectively not habitually.
"Fouling negates hustle."
Show your hands.
"When you play hard defensively, the basketball gods take care of you."
Don't DOUBLE DOWN with retaliation fouls.
Teach players to play with fouls during development.
Summary:
Foul for profit.
Foul selectively not habitually.
"Fouling negates hustle."
Show your hands.
"When you play hard defensively, the basketball gods take care of you."
Don't DOUBLE DOWN with retaliation fouls.
Teach players to play with fouls during development.
Lagniappe: ...a game of separation
The mid-range game lives in the NBA... Chris Paul, DeMar DeRozan, Kawhi, and Kemba Walker excel by creating space. The Celtics start with a horns-like look, that becomes a high ball screen, and then a stepback.
Jayson Tatum shows another way players separate with a "push through" dribble as takes a page from Kyrie Irving and pushes the ball ahead of him to get driving separation.
Toronto varies their defenses but gets victimized by ball reversal. Lowry traps Tatum who passes to Smart. VanVleet rotates to cover the "expected" pass but Smart finds Brown in the corner. Lowry (I think they call this X-out) can't get there.
Lagniappe 2: David Cottrell shares leadership strategies in Tuesday Morning Coaching. His character needs coaching to bust a slump and the mentor asks for four promises:
- Show up on time.
- Do your homework.
- Tell the truth.
- Be willing to make changes. (Try something different)
"NO MATTER WHAT" we all have homework...
