Basketball Friday: Core and Enhanced Cutting, Drill, and Set plays

Today's theme is the power of cutting, turning movement into points.  

"Terminology" may not excite young players. Cutting is part of Billy Donovan's '95', the 95 percent of the time you don't have the ball. 

Learn individual and combination cuts (great link from Coach Nick), e.g. scissors actions off the high post and "split cuts" (discussed later). In the NBA, the highest points per possession come off cuts. 

Use your defender's position against them. If they guard you high, take them higher and cut opposite.

"Cut urgently" means to cut hard - remind players of sense of urgency. 

"Back cut" equals cut toward the ball and then away (to the basket).

"Face/front cut" means to cut in front of the defender. 

I use the term "Edelman cut" in a specific way...

He reverse pivots instead of cutting off the outside foot (slant)...this separates and seals.

Cutting well implies understanding space and time. 

Chris Oliver shares video illustrating Otto Porter reading defenders, cutting, catching, and finishing. Without finishing you're just running around. 

Frequently this occurs as defenders lose vision (ball-watching or head turning). 

Note filled corners occupying help. Six seconds of disaster for Semi Ojeleye as crafty Kyle Lowry (19 assists) waits for the cutter and Ojeleye gets trapped by his teammate. #MultipleEfforts

Medium.com author Dylan Murphy shares an exceptional presentation of the Split Cut and how it occupies and stresses the defense. 

The video above shows examples of how it's difficult to defend. Obviously, having a post with decision and passing skills makes it happen. 

Drill. Add defense and use multiple baskets. 

Set Play. Coach Lason Perkins illustrates a back cut out of a box set.

 

Summary: 

- Individual cuts

- Combined cuts (BBallBreakdown link - UCLA, Flex, Zipper, Shuffle)

- Reading defenders (BBallImmersion)

- Split cuts (Medium.com) 

- Teaching and using back cut

Lagniappe. Chris Oliver interviews Doug Lemov, elite educator. What concepts are available?

Separate visual signal from 'noise' to make better decisions.

Attention selects the relevant and discards the irrelevant. Great training facilitates that process. 

Hard work won't compensate for cognitive lapses, loss of focus. 

Mistakes are our teachers.

We know good basketball or good coaching when we see it. Find it. 

Players want value not just caring. 

Specify precisely what we're teaching. 

Lagniappe 2. Spinella ATO. Bucks free up a passer with a screen, then create "floppy-like" stagger action before the Nuggets know what hit them.