Aggregation of marginal gains wins the day.
We want improvements by leaps and bounds. But incremental gains produce amazing results.
Astroball repackaged players by changing what they did best. Success might be as simple as changing pitch selection to increase the percentage of breaking balls, increasing a pitcher's success. In basketball, how does that apply?
"Do more of what works and less of what doesn't." Analytics help teams self-scout and improve self-awareness.
1) How are we scoring by play type? (transition, cut, iso, post up, spot up, PnR)
2) How are we scoring by shot type (layups, midrange, three-pointers, free throws)?
3) How many points are we allowing per possession by type of defense?
4) How many points are we allowing in transition?
5) How many points do we allow per game via free throws?
6) What plays worked in special situations (BOBs, SLOBs)?
I'd like to say I have the answers for my team. I don't because I don't have the resources for full analysis, but pressing was a net negative for us.
What can change overnight? DO NOT BEAT YOURSELF.
- Get everyone on the same page. Explain they're having a Pop Quiz and GIVE the ANSWERS ahead of time. If you don't know the answers you cannot start. If you don't know how you intend to defend the Pick-and-roll or defend off-ball screens, how can you?
- Shot selection. Stop the "my turn" shots. Turn the clock in your head off. I heard of a recent high school game where one team did not even hit the rim on 50 percent of their shots (including free throws). This is real.
- Limit transition points. Redefine roles. Send only two to the glass if you must.
- Stop DUMB FOULs. Establish legal guarding position. "Show your hands."
- Take care of the ball. Limit turnovers. Explain they're being tracked. We found tracking and reporting team turnovers reduces them.
"Immediate gains" only occurs through choice. Skill takes far longer.
Many "bad choices" are hard to break. Bad shots, dribbling or passing into traffic, too much dribbling, east-west dribbling, lack of communication, and other 'bad basketball' take time to coach up.
Players will seldom fix these by themselves. They don't often have a clue.
Lagniappe. Via FastModel. A Utah Jazz action. Fake PnR, DHO. Stagger.
Lagniappe 2. Ideas from Basketball Immersion. Offensively, enhance ball and player movement. Create empty space for driving or fill it with a cutter. Defensively, consider trapping or adjusting your rotations (not ideal for young players).
