Be Guarded

Pero Antic does a great job here of making himself a threat, don’t just stand and watch the action.  If you are a shooter you should constantly be looking to create a passing lane for an open shot.  

If you are a big, you should be looking to seal guys off to get great position for a catch as Antic does in this play.  Even though the shot is awful, the seal and decision is fantastic.

Huertas Pick and Roll

First have a look at the frozen frame of Huertas coming off that pick and roll, head up, ready to read, react and attack.

Then the shot off of 1 foot, a shot I love for smaller players who can’t finish over people and need to be creative in ways to create space to get their shot off.

Sweep on the move

This is a travel waiting to happen for most bigs in Europe.  They catch a pass on the move and they are too far from the hoop to shoot so they have to put it on the floor but there is a defender in their path to the hoop.  So they have to put it on the floor and change direction.  Excellent “gesto” to work on.

The “1-2” Step

Just love this move, players in every league use it and it is so effective becasue the counter move (if the d doesn’t respond) is a straight penetration.  High reward, low risk, relatively easy to execute.  

Dr. Octopus

I always try to get my guys to be smart with their hands on closeouts.  Many times the offensive player gets a little bit lazy with the ball before they start dribbling.  

Don’t just “use your hands” or “distract the offensive player,”  the defensive players should be prepared to react and capitalize on an opportunity by poking the ball away or getting a deflection.

Just a couple days ago I wrote a post about Marcelhino Huertas of FC Barcelona and his shots off of one foot.  In last nights game Steph Curry hit a 3 off one foot as well.  He, like Navarro, has perfected the floater and he looked extremely comfortable letting it go off of one foot from 3.

A great shot for smaller shooters

This is just a great shot for smaller players to gain space on their shot by surprising the defense and reducing the time it takes to get the shot off (no time needed to get your feet set).  It’s just a matter of practicing it a bit and having the courage to give it a try in game situations.

Top