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Tuesday, August 12, 2025

Basketball - Staying Out of Bad Plays

Bad plays, you know them when you see them. Better players stay away from bad plays. Not 'discretionary', bad. 

Former Patriots coach Bill Belichick noted that one of Tom Brady's greatest strengths was keeping the team out of negative plays. Let's explore the topic. 

Players benefit from coaching what to do and what not to do. Share the good, the bad, and the ugly. It takes little time to experience all of the following. 

1. Bad shots, "shot turnovers." Every player should know what a good shot is for them and for each of their teammates. The concept of "range testing" has value. Roy Williams would only 'green light' players for three pointers if they could top 60 percent makes in practice. Doc Rivers called "zero percent shots" shot turnovers. 

2. Playing in traffic. Dribbling into traffic, passing into traffic. The analogy in football is the quarterback throwing into a crowd, looking to "fit the ball in." Especially with older, more experienced players, defenses cover more ground getting deflections and steals. A more positive expression is "win in space." 

3. Telegraphed passes. Subtle deception occurs in disguising your passing targets. They don't have to be flashy "no look" passes but that's a choice. 

4. Bad fouls come in many flavors. 

  • Fouling perimeter shots (nightmarish fouling threes)
  • Fouling low percentage shots
  • Fouling end of shot clock
  • Bad technique fouls (screens, reaching in, lack of verticality)
  • Retaliation fouls/frustration fouls
5. Classic turnovers. Watch almost any high school game and see a wing-to-top pass stolen or players try to "throw through hands." The overhead pass can seem like a lost art. Outlet passes from rebounds sometimes turn into passes into the tenth row. 

6. Brain lock. "Stuff" happens, even in the pros. What can go wrong will go wrong. See it to believe it.
 

Lagniappe. What's the opposite of traffic? Space. 

Lagniappe 2. It sounds easy. Every youth coach knows better..."the basketball experience." 

Lagniappe 3. You could call this "Curl-Curl" 

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