Head Coach Steve Kerr and the Golden State Warriors execute a few of the most original actions as ATOs within the NBA. A lot of this is because of their roster composition and having elite catch and shoot threats as stars. Like a lot of the NBA, most of their ATO actions are organized into numerous sequence. On this article, we’re going to look at their Weak sequence and the way Coach Steve Kerr tweaks the ending motion to create selection and unpredictability whereas additionally sustaining simplicity.
Weak was popularized by the San Antonio Spurs and is now seen in any respect ranges of basketball. The motion is initiated with a wing entry and shallow reduce. The weak facet wing cuts by way of and units a cross display screen for the participant ready within the weak facet dunker spot. After the preliminary entry, the play can finish in quite a lot of completely different actions. Right here is an instance:
The important thing to how Head Coach Steve Kerr creates unpredictability in Weak is within the ending motion. After the preliminary entry and cross-screen, there are a selection of various actions that the offense can presumably circulation into. It is very important educate gamers what cues the protection may give and react to them. By reacting to how the protection is guarding the cross display screen, the offense can create bigger benefits by punishing their defensive resolution fairly than operating the identical scripted finish motion every time.
Particulars
We’re going to look at three clips from the Steve Kerr and the Golden State Warriors. Every of the three clips has a distinct ending motion that’s cued by how the protection guards the cross-screen. The aim of the offense is to create the biggest benefit attainable. So as to take action, coaches want to present gamers freedom inside the construction to make choices to punish the protection. If the motion is similar every time, the offense can not punish how the protection is guarding them. As effectively, coaches have to information gamers to see the cues the protection provides.
Within the first clip above, the offensive participant goes over the cross display screen whereas the defender goes below. By sprinting into the ball display screen towards the center, the screener is ready to arrive alone because of the separation created by the cross display screen. This causes the defender to be late attending to correct positioning within the drop protection and opens up the pocket go to the curler.
Within the second clip, the offensive participant goes below the display screen because of the defender on the cross screener being on the excessive facet able to bump the cutter. The screener sprints into an open ball display screen this time, once more creating separation from their defender. Each this and the final clip are nice examples of forestall each Ice and numerous aggressive coverages, like a tough hedge, by creating separation for the screener.
Within the final clip, the offensive participant once more goes below the display screen because of the defender on the cross display screen being on the excessive facet. The defender on the cutter finally ends up getting caught within the display screen which causes a swap. As a substitute of sprinting right into a ball display screen, the cutter posts up. The participant who units the cross display screen receives a down display screen. A key educating level can be to attempt to decelerate to create a deeper sealer if the swap is acknowledged early sufficient.
Resolution Cues
The important thing to creating selection in any motion is introducing the reads or cues that gamers have to search for. On this motion, the important thing learn is made by the participant receiving the cross-screen. As seen in these clips, the cutter should learn to find out what’s the path of least resistance. The preliminary learn is the positioning of their very own defender. Because the display screen is arriving, the cutter should additionally learn the place the screener’s defender is. If the defender is in place to bump on both facet, the offensive participant ought to attempt to get to the other facet. Lastly, if the protection switches, the cutter can submit as much as punish the mismatch.
To summarize, listed below are the three choices:
Instructing the Motion
By making the motion random, it permits gamers to learn the cues introduced by the protection to create the biggest benefit attainable. To be able to be taught the choices, gamers should expertise the sport context by way of small sided video games and reside 5-on-5 play. Coaches may help offensive resolution making by serving to prepare the gamers eyes to acknowledge the mandatory cues as a way to punish the protection.
The motion could be taught utilizing a 3-on-3 small sided recreation. On this instance, the motion begins with the ball already on the wing. The workforce on offense stays for 3 possessions in a row. The protection could be instructed to present a distinct learn every possession as a way to prepare the offense to acknowledge the cues of how the protection is guarding. By doing so, it permits the offense to see the variations between the chances of how the protection can guard the cross display screen.
As could be seen, selection and unpredictability could be added by merely permitting the offense to make choices primarily based upon how the protection is guarding the motion. By studying the cues the protection supplies, the offense could make the protection at all times incorrect. Take a look at extra ATO concepts from Wes Unseld Jr. right here: