A Coach's Diary

The video below shows how NBA teams in the playoffs play off of non-shooters to help on the other teams' better players. Trapping Screens :47 - It first shows how players aggressively help on cutters when their man sets a screen.  They often double team off of ball-screens, down screens and any situation where their man is involved in the screen.  Their defender also plays off and helps bump cutters, allowing the other defenders to help, hedge, and trap ball-handlers using screens. Put Your Big On Non-Shooting Wings NBA Teams also switch up their match-ups by putting a rim protecting or great help-side big on a non-shooting perimeter player.  This allows other players to pressure the ball and help with pressure, i.e. traps and hard hedges, while knowing that they have support at the basket.  This can also create mismatches on the other end, as the other team might have trouble finding their man in transition, ending up in cross match-ups. How To Counter One...

The video below is a great interview where Coach Nick from BBall Breakdown speaks with Steve Kerr about the GS Warrior offense, his coaching influences, how he teaches and practices what they do, and his philosophy on sharing the ball and movement. His offense came from many different coaches and mentors:  Phil Jackson and Tex Winter triangle actions with the split cuts out of the post, Motion strong and weak from Coach Pop, 21 Action from Mike D'antoni and Alvin Gentry, and Rick Adelman's corner offense. Kerr likes to introduce and teach concepts more than plays, which gives the players freedom to do what they do with structure.  He talks about the importance of repping what they do so that the players know their options and how to read and react with pace. Coach Kerr also talks about how the ball has energy and needs to be shared and the importance of keeping everybody involved in the offense. Catch the full video below:

If you are by the ball (on ball defender, in gaps, or one pass away), you have to stop the ball.  If you are away from the ball (more than one pass away) you have to help everyone by the ball by watching cutters.

Utah Jazz Strength and Conditioning coach Mark McKown and Jeremy Evans show what drills he puts the players through to help with explosiveness. We have started to incorporate this into our conditioning work.  For example, we will do 5-20 seconds of quick jumps into a sprint.