Sunday, December 27, 2020

Basketball: Success Begins with Spacing.

Ted Lasso reminds us that player-led teams have power. He uses the example of  Meg in A Wrinkle in Time, struggling with the mantle of leadership. Coaches get players to embrace leadership. 

“That it has to be me. It can’t be anyone else. I don’t understand Charles, but he understands me. I’m the one who’s closest to him. Father’s been away for so long, since Charles Wallace was a baby. They don’t know each other. And Calvin’s only known Charles for such a little time. If it had been longer then he would have been the one, but—oh, I see, I see, I understand, it has to be me. There isn’t anyone else.”  - A Wrinkle in Time. 

We can't discuss spacing enough. Spacing doesn't guarantee good offense. Poor spacing guarantees bad offense. Watch any NBA game and learn spacing. Teams fill the corners and make the defense defend the whole court. They use spacing to create driving lanes and passing lanes. 

Watch how Michigan uses solid execution via the short roll and spacing. They get dunks off spacing. Commonly in the NBA, teams get open corner threes. 

Great spacing confounds doubling and trapping. 

What spacing concepts must players own? 

  • Chuck Daly's "Spacing is offense and offense is spacing." 
  • "Winners win in space." 
  • Bigs with perimeter skills add great value (KD, AD). 
  • Defense use symmetry principles. "Shrink the court." Strong defense compromises spacing...load to the ball, drop to the level of the ball. 
As a player, you space to give energy or subtract it. 
  • Poor spacing drains energy. 
  • The ball has energy and cannot move in a crowd. 
  • Ball and body movement extracts energy from defenses. 
  • Ball reversal with spacing forces long closeouts. 
Great offense improves spacing. 
  • Outstanding perimeter shooting enhances spacing. 
  • Players who "draw 2" create spacing. 
  • Packed defenses are vulnerable to spacing (UMBC beats Virginia) 

"Draw 2."

Lagniappe. You won't find many Youtube videos with a like/dislike ratio of 463/1. 


Lagniappe 2. Bad basketball. 

A Pakistani doctor shared a fable about his country. A young man was poor and miserable, seeking wisdom from a guru. He walked miles and climbed a mountain to meet him. The guru said, "I see you are poor, miserable, and depressed. I have good news. It will last only another seven years." And the young man replied, "and then I'll be rich and happy?" "No, you'll be used to it." 

Don't accept bad basketball. We can't become used to it. 

Lagniappe 3. More spacing magic. 

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