Here is a series of baseline out of bounds plays featuring a 4 Low set. Take a look at the different options in the video below. If you’re interested in receiving FastDraw diagrams, please send me a DM on Twitter or Instagram @CoachWingreen.
Kermit Davis 1-3-1 to 2-3
Kermit Davis has been known for his aggressive 1-3-1 defense. Here are a few clips of their 1-3-1 transitioning into a 2-3 after the ball is passed to the corner.
Once it is passed to the corner, notice the rotation of the defense and how quickly they get into a 2-3. The communication and hustle is unmatched and gives Ole Miss a unique advantage as they compete in the SEC. You can see the basic rotations in the FastDraw below. These rotations can change depending on personnel and positioning.
Wisconsin Screen Roll Replace
Wisconsin does a great job of utilizing the “screen roll replace” action in their offense. It’s one of the simplest ways to get a post up because of the way it moves the defense around the court. This is especially effective when you have bigs who can stretch the floor and shoot. If you don’t have two bigs who can shoot, try using a guard as the “replace” or “lift” man.
In these clips, you will see how Greg Gard uses Micah Potter & Nate Reuvers to get easy baskets. The first two show the screen roll replace with a duck in and a post up from the wing pass. In the last two clips, you will see a back screen being set as the final action to get the post up.
Watch how the passers always look inside and the patience displayed throughout the possessions.
How to Take a Charge: Ersan Ilyasova
Ersan Ilyasova is one of the top forwards in the NBA in taking charges. He is a role player who plays limited minutes, but his efficiency in taking charges is near the top of the leaderboards. Here’s a few key points to look at when studying Ersan on defense:
DEFENSIVE POSITIONING. Ersan is always in great help position off the ball. He moves with the ball and always has active feet. He is in a constant state of relocating to maintain great vision of ball and man.
ANTICIPATION. Because he is always in great position, it allows him to anticipate where help will be needed. He reacts quickly because he has a great idea of where the ball can go.
SCOUTING. Ersan has a very high basketball IQ and it is demonstrated in one on one situations. You see him win the spot and know what move is coming next. He knows the tendencies of each player when they drive and he can win the spot before they Euro or spin.
Milwaukee Bucks Drop Coverage
The Milwaukee Bucks were ranked 3rd in the NBA in ball screen defense. They allowed only 0.825 Points Per Possession (PPP) largely due to their drop coverage. The Bucks use analytics more than most teams in the NBA and have said the toughest shot to consistently make is a contested mid-range jumper. So in their drop coverage, the on-ball defender will always go over the screen, while the screener defender will always “drop,” or stay within 10 feet of the basket. By defending ball screens in this manner, they are protecting the 3-point line and the rim, only allowing contested mid-range jump shots. Here is a clip featuring several drop coverages.
Damian Lillard Ball Screens
Before the NBA suspended play this season, Damian Lillard was leading the league in Points Per Possession (PPP) coming off ball screens. He averaged 1.138 PPP, while the next best in the league was 1.087 PPP (Chris Paul and Giannis Antetokounmpo). Notice how he reads and probes the situation and acts accordingly. Here are a few ways Damian Lillard attacked ball screens.
Florida "Short Roll" Ball Screen
In the 2007 National Championship, the Florida Gators dominated the paint with Joakim Noah and Al Horford. However, they found success utilizing a “short roll” in their ball screen offense when Ohio State did not come out to defend the perimeter. Al Horford scored 10 of his 18 points in this action and proved to be the difference maker to claim back-to-back championships. Here is video featuring four of these actions.
Dayton Flow Offense
Here is a look at a few options out of Dayton’s “Flow Offense.” Anthony Grant did a fantastic job of taking these NBA concepts and using an athlete like Obi Toppin. Notice the spacing and continual player and ball movement.
Virginia Post Double
Virginia is one of the best in college basketball at doubling the post. Their pack line defense allows them to have easier rotations and make relief from the double team nearly impossible. Here are a few clips along with some teaching points of what they look to do.
A FEW KEY POINTS
The double team can come from any position. Many teams will designate a certain position to go double, while others will base it off of scouting and double off of a non-shooter.
The double team will always go trap on the HIGH side and take away the middle and cross court passes. The on-ball post defender will defend the LOW side and take away the baseline.
Any STRONG side defenders will stay with their man. Some coaches will allow these players to dig on the post, but more often these players will face guard their man to take away any easy inside out passes to the same side of the floor.
The weak side defenders will rotate into the HIGH HOLE & LOW HOLE.
HIGH HOLE will closeout to any shooter that receives a pass from the post player
LOW HOLE will take away any cutters to the rim.
The double team remains until the ball handler DRIBBLES or PASSES, at which time the players rotate back to their original assignments.
Here is an example of high hole and low hole positioning.
The double team is effective in creating chaos, but the real magic happens when the post player tries to make a play out of it. As this is happening, the defenders are already rotating back to their assignments, baiting the post player to make a pass. This creates a lot of turnovers and contested shots.
Lipscomb 4-Low BLOB Adjustment
In Wednesday’s NIT quarterfinal game between Lipscomb and North Carolina State, head coach Casey Alexander drew up a simple and effective baseline out of bounds play. As you will see below in the clip, Lipscomb ran a play to set a screen for the inbounder, Matt Rose (#12) to get a shot in the corner. There was then a timeout to review a foul and in that timeout, Coach Alexander made a brilliant adjustment to get an easy layup. Obviously, the read made by the inbounder is fantastic, but the spacing created by Garrison Mathews (#24) on the weak side was the key. He was making everything he shot and forced the defense to play him tight, which opened up the lane for an easy pass and layup.
Maryland End of Game Set
Maryland executed this great set at the end of the game to take the lead @ Michigan. As the ball is entered into the post, Maryland is able to keep great spacing on the floor. Anthony Cowen Jr. takes his man to the weak side of the floor to clear out any help side defense. Because he changes his speed, his defender must honor him as a cutter, which takes him out of his help side responsibilities. Darryl Morsell relocates to the corner to give Michal Cekovsky room to make the pass. Kevin Huerter does a fantastic job of setting up his man and exploding off the down screen set by Joshua Tomaic. Huerter gets his feet set and makes a great shot to take the lead. Unfortunately for Maryland, they would foul on the next possession and lose to Michigan on a pair of free throws.
*Another option is for the 4 to slip the screen if the defense tries to take away the shot at the top of the key.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Ball Screen Offense (NBA Playoffs Games 1 & 2 vs. Toronto)
(Video clips below)
In the first two games of the series between Milwaukee and Toronto in the NBA Playoffs, Giannis Antetokounmpo has only been used in 32.5% of the Bucks ball screen offense. As a team, Milwaukee is averaging 0.93 PPP in their ball screen offense. I'm curious as to why Jason Kidd doesn't use The Greek Freak more often as he is averaging 1.38 PPP in ball screen situations.
As I watch film of games 1 & 2, Toronto struggles with match-ups and how to guard Giannis. When he is the ball handler, the Bucks typically have a guard (Brogdon or Dellavedova) setting the screen. Because of Giannis' length and the ability to pick and pop, defenses are unsure how to guard. In the clips below you can see Giannis take advantage of these matchups. When the defense tries to switch, he hesitates and attacks the rim. When they try to "ice" the ball screen, he is too fast for the big to contain on the sideline. If they sit back and guard the paint, he has a great mid-range game to pull up.
The Bucks also do a terrific job of spacing the floor when Giannis is the screener. Again, defenses must honor the guard attacking the rim, but this allows Giannis to find a window in the paint. Khris Middleton is always spacing the floor and taking his defender with him. With his shooting ability from outside, the defense is forced to make a choice - guard the 3 or help on the roll man.
For was well as the Bucks execute their ball screen offense with The Greek Freak, I'd like to see them do it more often the rest of the playoffs. Giannis' ability to exploit match-ups in the ball screen is incredible and could be the difference maker the rest of the way. I'm interested to see if Jason Kidd makes this adjustment because I don't see the Raptors being able to consistently guard this action.
Purdue High/Low BLOB
Purdue executed a simple BLOB two times in their game vs. Northwestern on February 1, 2017. In the video below you will see the high/low action with Caleb Swanigan & Isaac Haas. With two dominate bigs, Purdue is able to execute the timing perfectly and get position under the basket for an easy shot. (There are two BLOBs in the video and a diagram below).
How to Sprint the Floor for Post Players: Wisconsin's Ethan Happ
Ethan Happ gives a textbook example of how to run the floor in transition. After securing a defensive rebound and making the outlet pass, Happ puts his head down and sprints right down the middle of the floor. He beats his man down the floor, but when he doesn't receive a pass in stride, he initiates contact with his defender at the elbow to hold his position. By doing this, he allows Zak Showalter to get a better angle to make an easy post feed. Because Happ kept his defender on top, he was able to leverage great positioning and make a quick move to the basket.
How to Shot Fake: Villanova's Kris Jenkins
HOW TO SHOT FAKE
Villanova's Kris Jenkins utilized the shot fake to perfection over the weekend during their game vs. Notre Dame. As you'll see in the video below, he was able to get two points and a free throw simply because of his ability to use a shot fake.
FEET SQUARED, LEGS REMAIN LOADED
On the catch, Jenkins does everything the same way he would as if he were going to shoot the basketball. His feet are ready and his knees are bent, exactly like they are when he shoots. The defender must respect his shooting ability because Jenkins gives the impression that he is going to shoot. When he performs the shot fake, he keeps his legs loaded, ready to explode. Many young players will extend their knees, which takes away their ability to drive. By keeping his legs loaded he is able to quickly go past the defender.
GIVE THE DEFENDER TIME TO REACT
But before he can go past the defender, he must get him in the air. He accomplishes this by executing a patient, but crisp shooting motion. His fake takes approximately 0.3 seconds, the amount of time multiple studies have shown is needed for the human mind to react. His eyes stay focused on the rim giving the impression that he is locked in. Everything looks exactly like he is going to shoot, which gets the defender to bite and leave the floor.
As he drives, he executes a great jump stop and gives another quick shot fake. Just like the earlier fake, he keeps his legs loaded with his eyes on the rim. The fake takes just long enough for the defender to react before Jenkins initiates contact and gets the And 1.
#DefenseWeek - 5 Spot Closeout
5 SPOT CLOSEOUT
This is a great defensive closeout drill that also works on explosiveness to level off, shooting, and conditioning. Anytime we run this drill we expect our players to pay great attention to the details through fatigue. Here's how the drill works:
Follow along using the hashtag #DefenseWeek!
#DefenseWeek - 2 v 2 Fight For Vision
2 v 2 FIGHT FOR VISION
2 v 2 Fight for Vision is a great drill to train players to see ball & man while being in a constant state of relocation & movement. As you can see from the diagram below, there are 4 progressions you can go through to work on various phases of defense.
To start out, have a coach or manager remain stationary at a spot with the ball. Give the offensive players freedom to cut whenever they want. Your defenders must find a way to "fight for vision" the entire time. This drill will help your players awareness as they relocate constantly. Read the descriptions in the diagram to get a better feel for how the drill works.
TEACHING POINTS
- Commit to proper positioning on the floor. Always be in great GAP and help position.
- Make sure that defenders head is always on a swivel, fighting for vision to see ball and man.
- Focus on their communication with each other. Vision is often times strengthened when our other senses (such as hearing) are stimulated.
- Urge the offensive players to make hard cuts and to make it difficult for the defense. The harder the offense works, the better the defense will become.
Follow along & contribute your insights on Twitter using the hashtag #DefenseWeek!
#DefenseWeek - Man in the Middle Closeouts
MAN IN THE MIDDLE CLOSEOUTS
This is a simple closeout drill that not only focuses on proper closeouts and on-ball defense, but it also allows offensive players an opportunity to focus on ball security and passing.
The drill begins with 2 passing the ball to 1. x1 immediately closes out to 1 as if he were a shooter. In our pack line defense we always want our players to closeout with an angle to take away a baseline drive. After x1 traces the ball and practices jumping up/back, 1 will pass the ball to 2 and then become the "new x1." He will proceed to closeout to 2 and the rotation will continue as such. Make sure to rotate your players from right wing, to top, to left wing, so that they get an opportunity to practice at various spots. Below are some teaching points and a diagram of the drill.
TEACHING POINTS
- Sprint to closeout into 3-4 short, choppy steps.
- Closeout with angle to take away baseline drive.
- Make sure to have high hands. One or two hands is up to you as a coach.
- Keep legs loaded; ready to move and explode on dribble penetration.
- Encourage offensive players to be strong with the ball and make game like passes.
POINTS OF EMPHASIS
- Perform each skill at game speed.
- Expect lots of communication & voice pressure.
- Practice from different spots on the floor (corners, wings, top).
Make sure to follow @CoachWingreen & #DefenseWeek on Twitter to see various insights and drills of our pack line defense!
Wisconsin "Wheel" SLOB
Here is a great sidelines out of bounds play executed by Wisconsin out of the timeout to win the game. Coach Gard had two options coming out of the timeout and the play was executed to perfection. Take a look at the video clip and diagram below.
Belmont "4-Low Sleeper"
Coach Rick Byrd, Head Men's Basketball Coach at Belmont, has always been a great X's & O's mind. Every season he seems to have some of the best BLOBs that are executed to perfection every time. In the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament last week, Belmont ran this brilliant BLOB out of the timeout and caught the Austin Peay defender sleeping. The false action on the opposite side of the floor allow the Belmont offense to take advantage of the poor defense. See video clip and FastDraw diagram below.