Steal the best approaches from every team, coach, player. Gregg Popovich, in the wake of health issues, moves from the bench to the Spurs' front office.
What 'associations' come to mind for the Spurs' skipper?
1) The Beautiful Game - ball movement, the extra pass and 0.5 second decision making.
2) Personal - Graduate of the Air Force Academy, expert in Soviet Intelligence. Popovich had an invitation as a player to the Olympic Trials.
3) Coached five NBA champions.
4) Current Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer (inducted 2023)
5) "Pound the rock" or "you don't skip steps."
6) Early adopter of foreign players with Tim Duncan (born St. Croix), Tony Parker (France), and Manu Ginobili (Argentina).
7) Spurs "hammer" and "loop"
IIRC, Chuck Daly originated the Loop but it's more associated with the Spurs.
8) Coaching development/coaching tree. Assistants who succeeded included Steve Kerr, Doc Rivers, Ime Udoka, Quin Snyder, Mike Budenholzer, Becky Hammon, and others. Etorre Messina coached with him but had major EuroLeague success in his own right.
9) Laconic interview style.
10) Drill we used (Spurs shooting).
Lagniappe 2. Cutting is another underappreciated skill.Great Drill that focuses on game shooting here
— Hoop Herald (@TheHoopHerald) May 3, 2025
UCONN SHOOTING
1. Iverson
2. I Cut
3. Shallow Cut
4. UCLA Cut
5. Zoom DHO
6. Twirl
7. Blast Cut
8. Backdoor
9. Elevator
(Via @basketballnbrew 🎥)
pic.twitter.com/0GgDuUiwPB
Add These 5 Cuts Immediately
— PGC Basketball (@PGCbasketball) May 2, 2025
1) 45 Cut
2) Baseline Cut (Marion Cut)
3) Danilovic Cut (By Design)
4) Paint Touch Cut
5) Maggette Cut (Chop Cut) pic.twitter.com/54zoqcNB5B