One of the worst mistakes that a basketball team can make when they have the ball is to allow the defense to make the court smaller. Frequently this happens when the offensive team clusters in one area of the court. This article is going to present some ideas on how to keep that from happening.
There are three concepts to help a team spread out the defense:
- Keep your spacing
- Pass the ball effectively
- Take the easy points
Keep your spacing
Everyone wants to cluster around the ball. It’s important to start each possession off with an offense spread out around the court. I do this depending upon the strengths of my players. I try to have one player at the top of the key, two players on the wings, one in the low post, and then the other player will either play at the free throw line or at the high post. This means that, at least at the beginning of the possession, the defense has to spread out over the court to cover everyone. As the play unfolds, I try to make sure that everyone has a role and moves with a purpose instead of just running towards the ball.
Pass the ball effectively
There are several thoughts here. First, one person cannot hog the ball especially when the other team has a solid defense. This means that the ball has to be moving constantly. By passing the ball we ensure that the defense has to cover more of the court. While this is happening, we have to make sure that we are making accurate passes and using some common sense. For example, if the defender is in front of our target we do not want to use a chest pass as that will go right in the defender’s hands.
Take the easy points
I see a lot of times when a player gets the ball, has an easy shot, and rather than taking the shot tries to dribble the ball all over the court – which usually results in a turnover. Teaching players to do the dribble drive if there is an open lane, or to take the easy shot when they get the ball, will go a long way towards making sure that the defense has to guard the entire court.
