TOPIC: Creating shots for good shooters
Question-
We run a lot of cutting/screening drills in practice but we can't get open shots in the game. We have smart guys and they are good shooters. What is your advice on getting open for more open shots?
Answer-
I believe that through specific drill work, you will be able to consistently get more shots for your best shooters.
One area that does receive much attention is the concept of explosiveness. Explosiveness deals with an area of the game apart from the traditional athletic skills attributed to basketball. Quickness, speed, physical strength, and jumping are the athletic gifts most often related to basketball players. So how can explosiveness help you? In my experience I have seen average and below average athletes excel on the floor. The two reasons for this are high basketball IQ and the ability to explode at specific times and places on the floor.
Using explosive movements at specific times and places are what make it so effective and makes a player very hard to guard. If you work on these five areas your players will be more difficult to guard and create many opportunities to score.
Dribbling in The Open Court
I like to tell players and coaches about the athletic deficit faced by Steve Kerr at the University of Arizona and in the NBA. Steve enjoyed a great career and won World Championships with the Chicago Bulls and the San Antonio Spurs. Kerr is a perfect example of using his smarts and explosive bursts to play against the best players in the world. He has faced all of the great guards in the game and did very well for himself. When Steve brought the ball up against pressure, he worked his way up the floor in bursts of speed.
It was not an all-out speed that he used, but more of a sporadic combination of speeds.
He proved to me that any player can execute when bringing the ball up the floor if they use some of these tips I learned from Steve.
Getting Open on Offense
This is the most basic skill needed for offensive basketball. If a player cannot get open, he cannot play! The combination of smarts, angles and explosive bursts will allow for a separation from the defense allowing the entry pass to be made. This is a skill that must be honed without the use of screens, and is a good fundamental skill that all young players should possess. The explosion comes at the point of the change in direction. As the player drives his defender to the paint, he drives his inside foot into the ground and explodes at a different angle to the wing to be open for the pass. Once the pass is caught the triple threat position is assumed. What seems like an elementary part of the game is a skill that all players need to attain.
Rebounding
Counter to the average fans thinking, rebounding is an art that requires much more than jumping. Factors to consider are positioning, leverage, balance, readiness to jump, and using two hands. Explosion allows smaller and less athletic players to out rebound taller and more talented players. At just the right time, the player must explode with two hands to the ball. Watch any high school, college, or NBA game and you will see a lot of players getting rebounds that will leave you scratching your head. The answer for this is what this article is all about.Keeping The Dribbler in Front of You
The most difficult thing to do on the defensive end of the floor is to keep the ball in front of you. If your opponent has the ball, your goal is to keep him in front of you, not letting him get by you on the dribble. When this happens the entire defense is in jeopardy, and adjustments must be made. Usually this ends up favorable for the offensive and they will be fouled or score a goal. Using proper and explosive footwork will allow a player to guard the ball very successfully. The key is that one foot must stay grounded in the floor as the other foot is lifted and pushed hard by the planted foot. If this is done in the direction of the dribbler's movement, he will not drive by you.Using Screens To Cut The Ball
When an offensive player knows he will be receiving a screen, his set up can be anything from a walk to a half speed cut. Setting up the defender is necessary to get open using screens. The key is using an explosive cut at the point of the screen. (When you are shoulder to shoulder with your teammate who is screening for you. As the player explodes, he must be low, narrow, and must throw his hands toward the ball. This hand movement will serve as momentum to take you by the screen and to the ball. If done properly, the defender does not have much of a chance and the cutter is successful most of the time.
