Concept Offence |
The control of concept game helps as well in the implementation of organized plays (rigid executions achieve nothing against good defenses). Starting point: to find where the advantage can be found and benefit from this knowledge. 1st option (top of the key): 1 on 1 on perimeter . - Better if after pass (give and go; give, cross step and receiving the ball again) to have the advantage of breaking start (1st step). Fakes (short, quick). Change of hand (Bodiroga). Stop and shoot. Achieve defensive help (aggressiveness!) to assist (unselfishness) (1,2). - Passing (capability of passing with either hand; wrist; bounce pass or over the head?); court vision of the rest of the teammates. Where to go after passing (very good option for a three-point shot!) (3). - Inside players. Right position to receive the ball / finish the play (Scola). Screening if ball rotation occurs. Passes between centers (5, 6, 7). - Outside players. Ready to shoot. Fake / second penetrating dribbling to the middle of the paint against defensive mismatches (read correctly possible defensive switches): two dribbles. Offensive match-up of the four players without ball. Continuing the play after dishing the ball off (8). 2nd option (bottom): 1 on 1 on the low post . - Post-up: getting the defensive player sealed off, use of arms; keeping the balance (feet; body; arms); catching the ball (provide a target – hold the ball hard –controlling where the defensive players are) (9). - After box to box (between centers; with #2 or #3) (10, 11). - Passing: capability of passing with either hand; passing to the target / have to know teammates’ preferences; free-throw line extended (best angle for the pass). - On the low post: dominating both sides. Hook shot / jump shot, or reverse spin / cross over step: individual perception, faking, etc. Read the defense (do they help?, are they close?, where do they drive the offense?). Attack the middle of the paint. - The other four players. The other center (characteristics; high post or corner; low post, playing against the defense). Outside players: right place on the court; passing / cutting; another player straight cut (#3; against trap or if defense is denying the ball, play high post to low post pass: hand-off, fake and attack the middle of the paint). If there is no help by the defense: stand / split (12, 13, 14, 15). - If defensive player is denying the ball: high post to low post pass. Priority. Triangle of passes (16). - Post-up #2 or #3. After screen by a center (getting open / clear out against defensive switch). After pick and roll. Position on the court of the rest of the players. “Follow the play”. Between centers (17, 18, 19). 3rd option (outside): Pick and roll on the side. 1) 3 outside players / 2 inside players: against defenses driving the offense to the middle of the court; if the defense denies the pass to the center who set the pick and roll, we request the center playing on the weak side low post to read if the ball-handler has been effectively stopped or has succeeded on the intended penetration. In the first situation (24), the center should get open to allow an escape pass from the trapped teammate and continue the triangle of passes feeding the center who picked and rolled; the other possibility is to continue the movement in one of the possible ways we have already seen in diagrams 20, 21, 22 and 23. In the second situation, he should get close to the rim to receive the assist in case his defensive player helps (25), or screen out the outside defensive player if a defensive rotation has been activated, to favor an assist for a three-point shot (26). Against defenses driving to the base line, we analyze two possibilities: a pass to the player who is picking and play a hand-off pass (27), so we have the same situation than before, or to clear the outside corner, change the direction of the pick and penetrate by the base line (28), finding in case of defensive help the following pass-lanes to dish it off (29). 2) 4 outside players /1 inside player: if the pick and roll is played by #5, we should always have an outside player in the strong-side corner and #4 on the weak-side; #4 should be on the high-post or close to the corner, depending on how the defense is playing: if they trap, we prefer the high-post position to punish the rotation of defensive player X4, (30); if they drive the offense towards the base line, we prefer the -corner position for #4, to punish the possible help to the penetration created by the pass from #1 to #5 (31). If we play pick and roll with #4, we always clear out that quarter of the court: if the defense drives to the middle of the court, we allow #4 to get open to shoot or play 1 on 1 against defensive help, show and recover or defensive rotation (32), or to pass inside to #5 who can cut to anticipate the rotation between X4 and X5 (33); if the defense drives to the base line, to change the direction of the pick (see diagram 28), attract the help of X4 and pass to #4 who rolls out to shoot or play 1 on 1 from the top (34). Against defensive switch: the frequency of situations where the defensive players fight against a pick to ball-handlers through a defensive switch is increasing. It happens specially when the offensive team is running out of time to shoot. The key for the offense success depends on whether the team recognizes this pattern of defense immediately and choose to benefit from players mismatch close to the paint or outside the three-point line. In the first case, after rolling using a reverse pivot to keep the advantage, the offensive team should try to place the ball in the low-post area, reading the help movements of the defense (look at the outside player to return the ball outside, take care of offensive fouls). If the small defensive player tries to play between the outside ball-handler and our big player, the solution is an immediate flash post by our other big player in order to play high-post to low-post pass while our player in the low post seals off the outer position of the small defensive player. If, on the contrary, the ball-handler decides to benefit from the advantage from outside to inside, we should clear out the side (if there are only 3 to 5 seconds remaining) or the middle of the offensive half court (if there lasts at least 9-10 seconds.) Conclusion: especially because of the 24’’ shot clock time length, it is necessary to create the threat as soon as possible, so at least 10’’ last to choose the best shot. When coaching young teams there is no excuse, I definitively advise to develop a concept play, instead of a system based on set plays. The players should be taught to play wisely, understanding the game. They should be allowed to evolve technically in the sense of choosing the best option in each moment. Its is more complicated and takes more time, although it is the only way. To form good players, this way of playing should be implemented together with individual skills teaching, mental training and physical building. |
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