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ICYMI: Last week we looked at Sito Alonso's "Spy" Defense with the 5 Man, dropping the center to the rim and applying lane and ball pressure on the perimeter. View the breakdown HERE.

Today at a Glance:

📺 SGTV: Attacking the "Spy" Coverage​

🎤 Slappin' Glass Podcast: Xavi Pascual​

🥇Best of the Week: ​Forcing Overs​

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Let's dive in..

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Attacking the "Spy"

This weekend we flip to the offensive side of the ball in continuing our examination of Sito Alonso's "Spy" defensive coverage by analyzing how teams are attacking a dropped big coupled with perimeter denials by the other four players. Not an easy task to accomplish when a defense is determined to sit the big under the rim at all costs.

Outside of going small to put more shooting on the court (not always a viable option), or deciding to take a roll the dice and live with mid-range shots (see why Las Vegas continues to build hotels with your money), what are some successful strategies teams are using to punish the deep drop and/or pull the big away from the rim? Below are a few.

Dunker Spacing - Zero Dribble Finishes

The biggest adjustment from our study was in the spacing and moving the offensive big off of the perimeter into the dunker spot where they will have the gravity to hold the "Spy" and punish their help via dump-off passes or offensive put-backs. This spacing allows opportunities for the other four players to create advantages through ball-screens or attacks with off-ball screens and dribble penetration. However, there is one caveat, the big in the dunker should be a capable quick finisher.

Zooming In: Shown above is an ideal zero dribble finish. Even if the big does give help on the ball, he is never roaming too far from the rim and their length allows them to recover quickly at the rim. Thus, any slow-footed finishes or time wasted for a gather dribble were often met with a high level of contest.

A big capable of catching and shooting in one motion, or even better...a vertical threat, is better suited to exploit any help from the "Spy" along the baseline.

Dunker Spacing - Center Seals

Have more of a lumbering big? Another successful strategy was having the big seal the "Spy" out of any rim help on dribble penetration.

Zooming In: Instead of looking to play for the dump-off pass, the center shadows the ball-handler in the dunker and seal/screens the "Spy" on the dribble penetration.

The recurring strategy was to play a ball-screen at the top with the 4 man, who will slip or ghost the screen, with both corners filled. This allows the offense to keep the middle third of the court free for the ball-handler to get in the paint and wait for his center to seal out the help.

Patience in the "High Paint"

One of the most crucial skills from the perimeter players, whether attacking off of penetration or playing in the ball-screen, was having patience when reaching the "high paint". Being able to play slow in the high paint either through the use of hesitation dribbles or playing off of two feet often times baited the big into lingering longer in the help...

Zooming In: As shown, this patience opened up dump-off opportunities, late rolls (view the breakdown) or bought time for the ball-handler to read the seal out by his center (not shown).

Knowing the defense was willing to concede a mid-range shot, it becomes important to play slow in the high paint to find the real value of the high paint touch.

To continue further study on the success of these strategies plus:

• Late Rolls
• Elevated Ballscreens & Pull Up 3s
• Zoom DHOs
• Stagger Screens

View the full breakdown now on SGTV! Available for purchase or free for SG Plus Members.

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Slappin' Glass Podcast

Zenit St. Petersburg Head Coach, Xavi Pascual, has a tremendous career at multiple stops and is widely considered one of the best minds in the game. We were beyond excited to get a chance to sit down with him this week on the podcast to discuss a few topics in depth including:

• In-Game Coaching: This was a phenomenal segment with Coach Pascual where we dove into his thoughts about what it takes to be a great "in-game" coach, which is its own special skill within coaching. We talked about tactical decisions, substitutions, emotional control, and much more.
• Considerations when "playing small": During "Start, Sub, or Sit?!" we discussed the various considerations when a team decides to "play small", along with what key tenants must be in place to do so.
• Practice Flow: Also during "Start, Sub, or Sit?!", we heard Coach Pascual's thoughts on the flow of a typical practice and how he prefers to build up certain concepts both offensively and defensively.

Listen to the entire conversation with Xavi Pascual here...

Listen Now!

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Tactical

📺 Joventut - DHO Angles to Force the Over​

"A common set Joventut runs to create overs for their shooters coming off of the hand off."

✚ Pair With: Our Deep Dive Breakdown on Joventut's 5 Out Delay Offense.

📺 Elevated Horns - Forcing the Over​

"Generate pace and an early advantage by extending the Horns screen out to half court, making it nearly impossible for the defender to go under."

✚ Pair With: Our podcast with Andrea Trinchieri & Ibon Navarro on various alignments and offensive considerations.

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Interesting Reads

📚 Want to be Healthier? Hang Out with Your Friends.​

"Brain imaging studies suggest that friendship affects brain systems associated with reward, stress and negative emotions, offering an explanation for why social connection benefits mental health and well-being."

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📚 How Vikings Coach Kevin O'Connell Has Empowered Kirk Cousins​

"You feel like he's not just building a football team. He's building people."

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📚 Temperament is a Skill​

"The bravest and most optimistic thing we can do, though, is see that each of us has the opportunity to do precisely the opposite. We have far more choices, far more control and far more responsibility than we give ourselves (and others) credit for."

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Quote of the Week

Thank you for reading and have a great week coaching,

Dan and Pat

info@slappinglass.com

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