Film Study | DEVINTHELAB LEARNS BASKETBALL IQ IN ATHENS

Dev at In the Lab has been making really cool YouTube videos for years.  He is a basketball coach and skills trainer who brings a different view of the game to life.  He has videos covering many different aspects of the game, including ball-handling, one-on-one moves, shooting and more.

In this video, Dev travels to Europe with Adidas to learn from some of the best basketball clubs in Europe.

Here are some of my notes from Dev's video:

Correct Spacing (3:22)
When your teammates are attacking from the top towards you, you have to relocate to the corner to create space. If you don't, your defender can guard both of you.

The Hockey Assist (3:45)
The most open shot is not usually the first kick-out pass after the drive. The open shot is usually the extra pass. They often call this the 'Hockey Assist.' If the person drives the gap away from you, you usually have to fill the top of the key spot that the driver left.

Drive With a Purpose

(4:22)

The ball-handler must drive with the intent to score to keep the help-side defense honest or they will try to get steals. We always say, "Make two people guard you,' or 'engage a second defender.' When you do make a pass, don't just stand there; always fill an open spot on the defender and it is usually opposite of where you passed. If you don't, you will probably get in the way of the next drive or pass or the ball will stop because there won't be the extra pass to catch when it should be to you.

Keith Langford Step-Back

(5:30)

He already knows that he is going to do it before he does it. He sets it up by attacking the defenders should as hard as he can and gets into their body. When he gets into their body, he gives them a little nudge but not a push-off. He then says that he tries to jump back on his step-back to get more balance for his shot.

Georgios Printezis - Mid Post Work

(7:30)

Even shorter players should learn how to operate in the mid-post and taller players should learn perimeter skills. The basics are all you really need to have sustained success in this game - even at the highest levels. Europeans do a good job of disguising screens.

At 9:00, they talk about the European spin moves. A lot of people think that they call travel often on spin moves, but Georgios said that if you do it fast, they don't usually call it. It is a common move that when done correctly doesn't usually get called.