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Monday, June 3, 2024

Basketball: Win Individual Battles

While basketball is a team game, winning individual battles often defines the 'game within the game'. 

The offensive closer may dominate his defender. Or an elite defender like Jrue Holiday may give a team an edge unavailable to others. Controlling the boards with great rebounders impacts the game in another way. 

What do they share in common? "Possession enders," players that score or stop opponents' possessions have outsized value. 

Measuring scores, steals, rebounds, and charges drawn are easy. Assists belong in the possession ending category. But what about altered shots, great contests, great screens, hockey assists, deflections, forced turnovers, held balls, and more? Step into a passing lane and force a bad pass or a travel. Who's counting? 

That partly explains the eyeball test where coaches intuit value that may not be readily apparent. 

Dominate the game in your role.

Defensively, start with "the ball scores." Impact the ball.

  • Contain the ball. That includes individual defense and switching.
  • Deny dribble and pass penetration. 
  • Clamp down with perimeter defenders one pass away. 
  • Cover 1.5, your assignment and nearby territory.
  • Contest shots without fouling.  

Create edges to win individual battles via favorable structure.

  • Spacing provides the substrate to create individual wins.
  • Enlarging gaps by clearing defenders with cuts adds more space.
  • Urgent cutting and seals win via player movement. 
  • Passing leading players and restricting defenders also wins. 

And having the ability to finish plays efficiently gets recognized by everyone. 

Lagniappe. Celtics versus Pacers, Game 1 game tying play. 

Lagniappe 2. Another shooting and defensive drill. 

Lagniappe 3. Contemporary trainers emphasize deceleration to separate. 

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