Exploring basketball's best ideas, strategies, and coaches around the world

Happy Sunday and welcome to all the new subscribers from around the world! We're excited to have you as part of the community 🙏 We hope everyone's seasons are off to a hot start.

ICYMI: Last week Episode 2 of our "Modern Game Truths" series with The Pro Lane on Off Ball Cutting. View our full breakdown and drill bank HERE.

🔒 SG Plus Content: OKC Thunder - Utilizing the Elbow​

🎤 Slappin' Glass Podcast: Mehdy Mary {French Pro Coach}

🥇Best of the Week: UConn Wide Veer Shuffle & Post Exit Screens​

Let's dive in...

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OKC Utilizing the Elbows

*A special thanks to Slappin' Glass contributor, Ben Ostrow, for his help in this week's breakdown.

A few months ago we explored how the OKC Thunder addressed their deficiency in perimeter shooting by empowering their perimeter players to become aggressive cutters. This strategy often involved multiple players to cutting to the rim simultaneously, exploiting the defensive help collapsing into the paint.

In our previous analysis, we examined the OKC Thunder's cutting concepts by focusing on their Ghost Screen, where the screen served as the catalyst for a penetrating drive and the initiation of their cutting strategies.

Today, we will revisit Coach Daigneault's offensive tactics and dive into how he leverages the Elbows to optimize the strengths of their larger playmaking guards and wings. This approach aims to mitigate their shortcomings in perimeter shooting while capitalizing on the unique skillsets of their key players.

Operating from the Elbows

Drawing parallels to a previous analysis we conducted on Alba Berlin {🔒}, where Luke Sigma's passing skills were utilized to orchestrate offense through him at the elbows, the OKC Thunder employ a similar strategy with Josh Giddey. This approach serves to offset Giddey's limited perimeter shooting by stationing him at the elbow, forcing the defense to respect him as a scoring threat from that closer range.

Furthermore, by positioning Giddey at the elbow, the Thunder can capitalize on his size and exceptional passing ability, especially when executing off ball screens. This not only enhances Giddey's offensive impact but also strategically exploits his unique strengths within the team's overall game plan.

With the defense compelled to respect Giddey's scoring potential from the elbow, this opens up opportunities for him to leverage his playmaking skills in creating scoring chances for himself and his teammates through dynamic offensive actions such as DHOs and ball screens.

The Value of a Rim Cut

Building on our recent conversation with Alabama Assistant, Ryan Pannone, during our 5 Out Teach Tape {🔒} Breakdown, it was emphasized that a cutting lay-up stands out as the most efficient shot in the game, boasting the highest points per possession (PPP). This insight motivated Coach Pannone to design the initiation of his 5 Out Offense around a rim cut executed off the wide pin screen, giving the offense an immediate chance to capitalize on a defense mistake.

Zooming In: According to Coach Pannone, this cut will be open at least three times a game, whether the offense throws the pass or not.

In the context of OKC's offense, particularly when executing the stagger away screen after the elbow catch, Coach Daigneault adopts a similar philosophy. In this scenario, the corner player makes an assertive rim cut off the first screen, adapting the cut type—whether it's a backdoor or a tight curl—based on the positioning and actions of the defender.

While a cutting lay-up certainly represents the ideal outcome, the primary value of this aggressive rim cut lies in its ability to influence the subsequent play. More often than not, the cut forces the defense to respect and respond to the threat, creating a collapsing defensive gravity towards the rim and setting the stage and an advantage for the next offensive action.

Zooming In: A shown above, with the low defender spying the rim cut, his match up is free to run off the sequential down screen, creating sit behind 3’s, emergency switches, and/or long closeouts to attack.

In several other Elbow actions in OKC's playbook, a "Burn Cut" is used as the initial action to create space for subsequent Flare screens. However, when executed with the right pace and a clear intention to score, this cut has the potential to yield similar positive results.

Zooming In: Cutting with enough speed to get behind the defender, even momentarily, forces the low defender to hang in the paint longer and protect the basket. This split second hang up by the low man puts them out of position to defend and support the flare screen.

Ghost and Pop Angles

What has been fun to watch this season with OKC is how they are integrating Chet Holmgren and synergizing his strengths into the fold of their offense. The Thunder are often utilizing him in a similar fashion at the elbow as a passer, or as a shooter and playmaker in their Short/Flat Angle Ghost Pop action...

Zooming In: With Giddey and Gilgeous-Alexander at the point, emphasis becomes on screening and popping off a flat angle or ghosting all together to get them attacking downhill and prevent "unders."

Zooming In 2.0: For teams reluctant to switch, this flat angle pop becomes extremely difficult to navigate. As we discussed and highlighted with Northwest Missouri State Head Coach, Ben McCollum, using the flat angle to create the over and popping the screener to pull the big can routinely yield downhill attacks.

From here we are back to where we begin a few months ago, OKC cutting off of their Pop/Ghost penetrations…

For much more on how OKC uses their unique skillset to run offense from the elbows, including:

• Elbow Stagger
• Elbow Burn • Flare
• Elbow Burn • Flex
• Elbow Pop • Ghost

please enjoy this week's newest breakdown on SGTV...

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Slappin' Glass Podcast

We sat down this week with the fantastic French Professional Coach, Mehdy Mary, in what turned into a thought provoking conversation about a variety of relevant issues including:

• Attacking the Switch: We discussed specific actions versus keeping the flow along with a ton of other nuggets about when and how to attack the defensive switch.
• Drill Constraints and Concise Vocabulary: During "Start, Sub, or Sit?!" we explored Coach Mehdy's favorite drill constraints, along with why using concise language is so important in building offensive and defensive concepts.

Please enjoy the entire great conversation with Coach Mary here...

Listen Now!

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Together with Hudl

We're proud to partner with one of the best tech companies in the world of sports, Hudl! Every play, every stat, every breakdown. On their own, they’re essential. But all together, they’re undeniable. Hudl recently introduced their newest product, Hudl Instat – a new advanced data platform that integrates with Sportscode and every Hudl product you rely on to create an all-in-one data powerhouse. Hudl Instat’s advanced tagging and next-level stat reports help you develop your team – and its global film library helps you find the missing piece to get the most out of every second of film. Visit ​hudl.com/slappinglass​ to learn more.

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Tactical

📺 UConn - Wide Veer • Shuffle • Flare Slip​

"A well designed and executed set from UConn to attack the switch with off ball screening."

✚ Pair With: UConn's Horns Flare misdirection set for a shooter.

🔒 SG Plus Content: UConn's Diamond and Swing Thru Playbook. For more Diamond/Turnout designs for a shooter, view Unicaja Malaga.

📺 Zenit - Post Entry • Exit Screen​

"Deceptive use of the exit screen to bring the shooter back out after the post entry pass."

✚ Pair With: Zenit's Horns Gut Veer for a shooter.

🔒 SG Plus Content: Xavi Pascual's Off Ball Screening Techniques.

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Interesting Reads

📚 The Top 100 NBA Basketball Players Ranked (So Far this Season)​

"How good is Tyrese Haliburton, really?"

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📚 The Science of Discovery Learning: What Every Parent and Teacher Should Know​

"Discovery learning is done through experimentation, observation, action & imitation. We call this play. Developmental psychologists see children as scientists, constructing hypotheses & testing them. 'What happens if I drop a plate? Ah, it breaks. Does that hold true the next time?'"​
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📚 Ten Lessons I Learned From Peter Drucker​

“And you seem to spend a lot of time on the question of how to be successful. But that is the wrong question. The question is: how to be useful.”

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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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