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 🙏

🗓This is the 193rd straight Sunday of the newsletter! We continue to thank you all for your support and including us in your coaching journey!

ICYMI: Last week, we looked at Tamir Blatt's tactical use of the "Get" in the middle third ballscreen when navigating a Drop Coverage defense. View the full breakdown HERE.

This Week at a Glance:

🔒 SG Plus Content: Empty-Side Ice Automatics - Moncho Fernandez​

🎤 Slappin' Glass Podcast: Joan Plaza {Euroleague/ACB}

🥇Best of the Week: The "Impossible Sink" & "Slip Pistol PNR"

🔒 SG Plus Summer Coaches Roundtable Returns! Tuesday, May 28th @ 4pm EST (22 CET)

​

Let's dive in...

Punishing Empty-Side Ice Defense

Of all the intricate "game within the game" strategies we enjoy watching, one that has been of particular interest lately is the back and forth battle on Empty-Side Ball Screens (ball screen with no corner filled behind it). "Empties" as the kids say.

A few weeks back, we explored Coach Igor Milicic's {🔒} disruptive defensive approach to defending these Empty Ballscreens, using a unique "triangle zone" on the backside to take away the quick reversal pass to the corner while also protecting the rim.

Today, we'll switch to the offensive side of the ball to examine one of our favorite studies: Coach Moncho Fernández and his strategy with Obradoiro to punish opponents who attempt to "Ice" (force down to the baseline) the Empty-Side Drag Ballscreen. Well known for his tactical acumen, Coach Fernández will punish the empty-side Ice coverage through rejecting the ballscreen and utilizing off-ball screening actions. Fernández's strategy effectively punishes the defensive setups, creating scoring opportunities and maintaining offensive fluidity.

Punishing the Coverage

Opponents who can effectively and routinely employ an Ice coverage on the empty-side present the offense with a few different strategies to consider. One approach is to get off the ballscreen early and shift to the "loaded" three-man side, aiming to build an advantage there. Or, depending on the strength of the ballhandler, a second option is to play in the ballscreen in an effort to break the Ice to the middle ("snake dribble", etc).

Another strategy, as we will study today, aims to exploit the coverage by using the Offensive Big to set off-ball screens and attack defenders likely sinking into helpside coverage. Knowing the Defensive Guard will be committed to forcing the dribble down to the baseline, and the Defensive Big will linger in the ballscreen coverage, Coach Fernandez' action opens a nice space for a shooter from the "Trips" side to sprint into.

Reject Trigger

As the offense becomes more comfortable recognizing the trigger, these PNR automatics can be used anytime on an empty-side ball screen, regardless of the defensive coverage. By rejecting the ball screen and dribbling out wide, the ball handler signals their intentions to the big, initiating the off-ball screening actions.

Lastly, this is another example where the ballscreen is used more as a decoy by the offense to first provoke, and then attack a PNR Coverage outside of the actual PNR itself. In today's breakdown, the Empty PNR is used as a means to attack a Dropped Defender through off ball screens, but we've also seen this via quick "Advance Passes" out of a High PNR {🔒}. In those scenarios, the slight-of-hand the High PNR is used for is to bring the Defensive Big away from the basket so the offense can attack via downhill drives from either the "Stampede/Slot" spot or the Corner while the rim protector is lifted. We wrote further about this action HERE and HERE.

For much more on this strategy in beating "Ice Coverage", please enjoy this week's newest Deep Dive on SGTV...

Official Sponsor of "Start, Sub, or Sit?"

Just Play is the premier platform for engaging your team and managing workflow within your organization. Just Play consolidates the platforms you use and integrates with industry-leading video tools to help you win in four major areas: Teaching, Opponent Scouting, Prospect Recruiting, and Analytics. If you are interested in learning more, go to justplaysolutions.com/slappinglass.​

Slappin' Glass Podcast

We were joined this week on the podcast by former Euroleague HC and ACB Coach of the Year, Joan Plaza! We dove into a variety of topics including Coach Plaza's thoughts on Practice Methodology, playing 5 v. 5, player development, and discuss minute distribution and defending the pick and pop during the always fun "Start, Sub, or Sit?!"

Listen to the entire conversation here...

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.

Tactical

📺 TJ Saint - The Impossible Sink​

"An incredibly well paced set to prevent the sink defender from picking up the corner cut behind the penetration."

✚ Pair With: Additional uses of the high slot spacing by Coach TJ Saint.

🔒 SG Plus Content: Our breakdown on the OKC Thunder's cutting concepts through the lens of their Ghost Screen.

​

📺 Israel NT - Slip Pistol PNR​

Slipping the big in the Pistol Action with the partner big lifting behind to clear the rim defender."

✚ Pair With: The Utah Jazz generating an easy score for the big in the Pistol Action.

🔒 SG Plus Content: Our breakdown on Coach Will Hardy's 5 Out Top Flares. Plus, our podcast conversation with Coach Hardy on the merits of this tactic.

Interesting Reads

📚 Joe Mazzulla’s Celtics Embrace Watching and Learning From NBA Rivals​

"Al Horford praised Mazzulla for that same reason, successfully forcing the Celtics’ players to think the game at a higher level than previously. That led to Boston’s relatively straightforward approach on the floor this year, identifying mismatches, attacking them until an opponent adjusts, then identifying the new answer to that team’s adjustment."

​

📚 Two Levels of the Org Chart​

“When you meet the top person – the head of state or the ambassador or the CEO – make sure you don’t ignore the others in the room. Make sure you get to know the people underneath the top people…and then the people underneath them. They will matter a lot more to you”

​

📚 How to do What You Love​

"What you should not do, I think, is worry about the opinion of anyone beyond your friends. You shouldn't worry about prestige. Prestige is the opinion of the rest of the world. When you can ask the opinions of people whose judgement you respect, what does it add to consider the opinions of people you don't even know?"

Quote of the Week

Thank you for reading and have a great week coaching,

Dan and Pat

info@slappinglass.com

We're proud to partner with the leading Sports Travel company in the basketball world, Beyond Sports! Follow the link above to learn more about why more than 600 universities have trusted Beyond Sports for their team's foreign trips. Let them know Slappin' Glass sent you!

​