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DIFFERENT OPTIONS OF LOW POST DEFENS Assist. Professor Nenad Trunić, Ph. D. FIBA EUROPE Coaching Certificate Program lecturer, FIBA EUROPE Coaching clinic lecturer Deputy of Dean of Faculty of Physical Education & Management in Sport, Singidunum University, Belgrade, Serbia, College of Sports & Health, Belgrade

USE OF THE LOW POST GAME ON OFFENSE BALANCE BETWEEN THE INSIDE & OUTSIDE GAME

As a part of the global offensive game I think that it is really important to

talk about the different options that we have playing the inside game in the low post. In my opinion it is essential to have a great balance between your inside and outside game during a game but it is more important to have this balance during a really long and through season. The best teams in Europe normally have at least one great inside scorer and another great outside scorer. Balance is essential. WHAT GIVES YOU AN INSIDE GAME?

After talking about the importance of a balance between the inside and outside game I want to talk about what are the most valuable aspects of the inside game (low post) in your general game plan.

1. It allows you to score close to the basket with, of course, better shooting percentages.

2. It forces defenders to collapse, after which you can pass the ball out again for wide open scoring opportunities.

3. It allows you to draw more personal fouls from your opponent because the opponents players on defense must be physical to stop your inside game.

4. You have at the very least one player in a great offensive rebounding position. Depending on the defensive help that has taken place more than one player from your team can also be in a great offensive rebounding position.

5. Good starting position for defensive transition. 6. It is possible to play a low post game with any five players on court, not only

4 and 5. In Europe the most difficult position to cover in the roster is 5. For this reason more teams are reducing the use of the low post game, more frequently using the outside game such as P&R action with dynamic options for inside players, having players roll inside after the screen, or popping for three point attempts for inside players with great shooting technique. This is understandable however as mentioned before it is very important to have "completely different" plays or sets in your offensive playbook.

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I truly believe that defense is habit or skill (same like shooting, dribbling or others), which we can improve and have to work hard on it during the practice. 3 main goals of defense:

1. ELIMINATE EASY BASKETS: • Take away FB lay ups / baskets – transition defense; • Limit paint shots / lay ups – stop paint penetrations & post ups; • No second chance baskets – all 5 block out & defensive rebound. 2. AGGRESSIVENESS & INTENSITY: • Ball pressure (maintain full court pressure on PG, take away vision from

passer); • Deny one pass away/easy catches; 3. NO “CATCH & SHOOT” SHOTS: • Contest every shot–“high hands”; • Force in between contested jump shot.

LOW POST DEFENSE

There are different phases of low post defense:

1. Low post defense during defensive transition. 2. Low post defense before the ball receiving: a) One pass away from the ball. b) Two or more passes away from the ball. 3. Low post defense after receiving of the ball. 4. Team defense positioning when ball is on the low post position. 5. Trap or double team on the low post. 6. Typical screens for the low post game defense (cross screen, diagonal screen, P&R).

1. LOW POST DEFENSE DURING DEFENSIVE TRANSITION

After defensive rebound of opponent team big players have a following goals: • Put the pressure on outlet pass. • Win running game against direct opponent. • Be under the ball level. • Don't go below free throw line level in order to be ready to start fighting for position

and to have good starting position against P&R in transition. • Be in diagonal stance ready to create physical contact (diagram 1). • No front defense on low post in transition, because help side is not formed (diagram

2) DIAGRAM 1 DIAGRAM 2

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2. LOW POST DEFENSE BEFORE THE BALL RECEIVING:

c) One pass away from the ball. d) Two or more passes away from the ball; use out side step before the contact.

Primary goal for low post defense; don’t let him go on his favorite position (fighting for position). Footwork fight with a goal to push low post outside of his preferred position.

• BALL PRESSURE. • PUSH LOW POST OUT OF “POST LINE”; straight line formed by ball, post and

basket. • UP THE LINE ON THE LINE; deny defense with outside hand and foot on passing

line (diagrams 3, 4). • NO FACE CUTS; chest the cutter on the moving line. If he changes side, change

stance and don’t let him go front of you. Footwork fight before the receiving, pushing him out side of preferred moves and position (diagram 5).

• FOOT BATTLE; battle for the space in the post is foot battle. Hand in the passing line is not enough. Hand and outside foot is OK.

• First of all we want to deny good passing angles for the inside pass. Pass into the post area (FT line extended and below);

• Also we will 3⁄4 fronting the low post (working around & pushing out) not to let the inside player receive the ball inside the paint or on the block (diagrams 6, 7).

• Try to confuse passer changing defensive way. DIAGRAM 3 DIAGRAM 4

DIAGRAM 5

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DIAGRAM 6 DIAGRAM 7

• Front defense: make swim move with outside and after inside hand and inside hip in front of offensive player (diagrams 8, 9). DIAGRAM 8 DIAGRAM 9

• Two or more passes away from the ball; use out side step before the contact (diagrams 10, 11).

DIAGRAM 10 DIAGRAM 11

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3. LOW POSITION AFTER RECEIVING OF THE BALL

• Jump to the ball during the ball flight (ball fly-defender runs or sprint to the ball, starting to run with out side foot).

• Low post defender must be in low post-defender-basket position; feet and chest in parallel position with sideline (diagram 12).

• When he gets the ball make forearm contact and put other arm ready to block or challenge shot.

• Don't use your hips if post trying to push you under the basket. Defender must stay in stance and bump post.

• Don't let him allow any direct move to the basket, especially to base line direction (spin, drop step, etc.); try to force post to turn away from the basket.

4. TEAM DEFENSE POSITIONING WHEN BALL IS ON THE LOW POST POSITION

• Low post defense is a team defense not only one-on-one defense. All defenders must to see the ball (diagram 13).

• Passer’s defender should jump to the ball, back to the sideline. If he jumps back to do middle he cannot see the bigger part of the court and he is an easy target for flare screen (typical move after the pass to the low post). He should be ready to play ”yo-yo” defense with a goal to break timing of post player dribble and pass.

• Defenders on the perimeter are “digging” to the ball on dribble (moving towards ball & back without leaving the own man), forcing to pass ball out.

• Defense if the ball is inside the paint; if defense gets caught and offense receives the ball deep inside the paint (or get deep on the dribble), it’s emergency situation and all defensive players have to sprint to the ball for help, forcing the post to “kick” the ball out. DIAGRAM 12 DIAGRAM 13

• If post players stops after one or two dribbles to the middle, defender should change

body position and be chest to him in parallel position with baseline (diagram 14). DIAGRAM 14

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5. TRAP OR DOUBBLE TEAM ON THE LOW POST

The low post game can be very dangerous for the defensive team. To put the ball in the heart of the defense is one of the main objectives of teams when on offense. For this reason at we should have different ways to trap the low post. The first step is to work hard with the intention to deny any inside pass but when the ball arrives in the low post we want to have different solutions for our players. With the aim of choosing the best defensive option in this situation, it is essential to do a great scouting job before the game. It is necessary to know whether the player with the ball in the low post prefers to turn right or left and if he can use only one hand or both. It is also necessary to know the skills of the other players: are they great shooters, cutters or passers. When to trap low post? Options:

• At the moment of the pass. • At the first dribble. • At the second dribble. • When he stops the dribble. • When he comes inside the lane.

Try to avoid traps with small size players at the moment of the pass to the low post, because post can make easy pass over him. LOW POST TRAP FROM THE TOP OF THE KEY

• From 1:2:2 offensive position if player 2 goes to trap post, he is sprinting with hands up (in order to cover direct pass out of trap) to close the middle first and on the second step to trap post player on 90 degree. He should change stance at moment of trap (diagram 15).

• Low post defender has responsibility to close base line drive. • Defender 3 is going to jump between 2 and 3 and defender 4 should be close to his

opponent, ready to sprint on the pass outside of trap (inside hip is in front of offensive player 4). Defender 4 should be close to his opponent ready to bump flash cut and help side pin down screen (diagram 15).

• On the pass out of trap defender 3 is sprinting to closeout 1, closing him easy ball reversal (rotation in the following pass direction), 4 sprints on 3 and 2 sprints in dead front defense on 4 (diagrams 16, 17). DIAGRAM 15 DIAGRAM 16

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DIAGRAM 17 DIAGRAM 18

LOW POST TRAP FROM THE PASSER

• If traps comes from the passer 2 goes between 1 and 2, 3 between 2 and 3, 4 between 3 and 4 (diagram 19).

• On pass to 1, 2 gets 1, 3 gets 2, 4 is ready to make closeout on 3 and 1 is ready to sprint on opposite low post and form front defense on 4 (full rotation on the ball) reversal (diagrams 20, 21).

• If passer 1 moves to corner, on the pass to him out of trap 1 moves back to his man (diagram 22). DIAGRAM 19 DIAGRAM 20

DIAGRAM 21 DIAGRAM 22

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• Outside players rotation on the pass out of trap (diagrams 23, 24). DIAGRAM 23 DIAGRAM 24

• If 5 pass to 3, 5 defending 4 and 2 defending on the 5 /mismatch/ (diagrams 25, 26). • Sometimes it is great to combine these two ways to defend the low post. We can start

with a strong side trap and after 5 passes out we can perform a baseline trap if the ball goes inside again. This combination is great because the offensive team never know which will be the next movement of our defense. DIAGRAM 25 DIAGRAM 26

LOW POST TRAP FROM THE BASELINE

• 5 stops middle drive, 4 baseline drive, and 3 drops in the middle of the paint in front of 4 (diagram 27).

• 1 jumps between 3 and 1 and 2 jumps between 1 and 2 (diagram 27). • If 5 passes the ball out to 2 all players move back (diagrams 28, 29). • Help side rotation is always rotation on the following pass.

DIAGRAM 27 DIAGRAM 28

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DIAGRAM 29

6. DEFENSE AGAINST TYPICAL SCREENS FOR THE LOW POST PLAYER (cross screen, diagonal screen, P&R)

• Cross screen; guard defender must bump his opponent and push him out of preferred screen angle under the basket (diagram 30).

• Defender on 5 must make physical contact with low post before the screen pushing him out of screen angle don't allowing him face cut before the incoming screen (diagram 30). Same defense is if 5 prefer to go under the screen.

• If defense like to bump 5 with 1, on following screen to screener play, defense can use “T” rotation (diagram 31).

DIAGRAM 30 DIAGRAM 31

• Against diagonal screen for 5, defender should jump to the ball trying to avoid

face cut and pushing post out side of his preferred moving path. Defender 1 is going to help him for the moment, pushing screener out of screening line. Of course defender 2 pressure the ball avoiding easy pass to 5 (diagram 32).

DIAGRAM 32

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P&R DEFENSE

The large majority of offensive philosphies that European teams use include the pick&roll. The evolution in recent years has been impressive and we can see a great variety of uses of the pick&roll in different situations and different areas of the court. Based on this evolution, our defense has had to change working on many more aspects and not only prevent our opponent from an easy score or penetration. Defending the pick&roll has evolved from being a two man defense to a three man defense (defender of the ball handler, screener and the nearest help), to a five man defense. This is fundamental in order to achieve our goals when defending the pick&roll. GOALS:

• The first obvious goal is to prevent dribble penetration as well an easy, open shot attempt. The two defender directly involved in the pick&roll must follow two guidelines:

• Aggresiveness.This is more important than the second guideline. This may lead to a foul, but we prefer this to permitting the offense to take the initative due to a lack of agressiveness of our defense.

• Defend the pick&roll based on our opponents characteristics (shooter, penetrator or passer) and the area on the court where the situation takes place.

The remaning defenders should work to make the relevant rotations following the guidelines below:

• Aggresiveness. • Make the rotations (or fake the rotations) based on our opponents charcteristics, our

game plan and/or the distance from the basket where the pick&roll takes place. • Trying to avoid that a mismatch is created following the rotations. • No immediate advantages. • No mismatches following by defensive rotations. • Aggressive and active rotations and fake rotations. • 1 aggressively defends the ball, 5 hedges aggressively. 2 fakes a rotation towards 4;

the fake will be held for longer or shorter depending up on the shooting range of 2 and 4 (diagram 33).

• 4 switches to screener and 5 goes to 4. 2's fake will give to 5 more time to recover and defend 4 (diagram 34). DIAGRAM 33 DIAGRAM 34

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• After we have covered the initial action, we will switch the two defensive big men to

avoid any dangerous mismatches. • Here is the rotation that can take place if 4 is an excellent shooter (diagram 36).

DIAGRAM 35 DIAGRAM 36