Creating easy shots for your team!
DOING YOUR JOB - CAN YOUR TEAMMATES COUNT ON YOU TO SPRINT THE FLOOR?
Two weeks ago we talked about the importance of communication and how it gives us a competitive advantage. We want to squeeze out every advantage we can and five players on the floor, all sprinting in unison in an effort to execute as fast as possible is another edge we can create. If communication allows us to be in places early, sprinting the floor is how we actually get there! Let’s delve a little deeper.
Let’s start with the ‘Why’ - why do we run the floor on both offense and defense?
It is no secret that the easiest play in basketball is a lay-up. But the reality is that teams will not always be able to find a lay up opportunity every single offensive possession and at times we have to settle for outside shots (luckily for us, we practice outside shooting a ton at Split Second - so we like these shots, too ;)
At Split Second we want to increase our highest percentage shots any chance we get - and the game situation we can do this most is during well-executed fast breaks. Sprinting the floor is by far the single biggest contributor to whether we can turn an offensive possession into a fast break or not. Sprinting the floor is not always a guarantee for a fast break - but NOT sprinting the floor guarantees that a fast break situation will NOT happen.
But we aren’t just talking about offense! Sprinting back on defense is just as important. It allows us to get set early - survey the floor, see where our match ups are at and where we might need to help our teammates; having time to prepare for each possession is essential and we create this time advantage by sprinting the floor. Don’t forget to communicate to your teammates once you are set and done sprinting back!
So Coach - what actually happens when I sprint the floor?
When sprinting the floor, and sprinting to the right spots, we give ourselves an edge in:
An Easy Scoring Opportunity, or;
Giving our team more time to get set up properly for our half court game actions.
We are preparing our players to play at a high level, which means playing it smart with the shot clock - so we work on conditioning our players’ mindsets to have a limited amount of time to get a shot off (and consequently, seizing every opportunity in those limited moments).
Sprinting the floor engages our defender, demands their full focus and can cause defenders to lose sight of their responsibility to guard the ball or even see the ball and help out…all of which allows for more space to operate and create high percentage shots. The more time we have on offense (especially set), the less time we allow our opponents to get ready and prepare for us.
OK, I got it - so every chance I get, I simply sprint the floor. But where am I sprinting?
WHERE we sprint towards depends on coaching philosophies. At Split Second, you will occasionally see us play 5 out and play positionless basketball - more often than not however, we play with a team composition that we call
“4 out, 1 in” - meaning we play with a centre who operates mostly in the middle of the floor and in the “Paint” or “Key” area, plus four players who spread the floor out outside of the 3-point line. A quick breakdown of operating areas and scenarios when we sprinting the floor:
Sprinting the floor - AS A CENTRE
As the big man, a team’s centre position, the majority of the time on the floor is spent inside the paint, being closest to the rim for rebounds, post up opportunities, and rim runs. Defensively you will spend the most time in the red painted area above, acting at times as a defensive anchor.
On offense, centres spend the most time in the blue area above. This means that when possessions change, a center at Split Second is ‘running the Rim’ on offense, sprinting from the red area to the blue area, trying to get a pitch-ahead lay up from our ball handlers, or looking for early SEAL-opportunities, putting their defenders ‘in jail’ (a compromising position).
Some moments our Center’s should be sprinting in:
After a possession change - from basket to basket
When a shot goes up, to rebound the ball…
After giving an outlet pass, running to the rim…
To set a screen during our sets…
To roll to the rim after setting screens…
To beat your defender to a spot (and SEAL!)…
A prolific rim-running centre is Hall of Famer Karl Malone. Karl Malone is one of the most skilled, and smartest big men to ever play the game of basketball - but one thing he excelled at and what put him in a position to succeed on the floor night in and night out was his ability to run. A quick highlight on how he did that is found here.
Sprinting the floor - AS A WING PLAYER
Wing players can find themselves at many different spots on the floor on defense - guarding their match ups, trailing, playing help side, being in the pass lanes, they can be found everywhere on the floor defensively. On offense, this is not much different - but we do have key principles we follow to make sure we keep proper spacing when we are sprinting the floor and ‘are in charge’ on offense. We teach our wing players that after boxing out during a defensive rebound, turn around, sprint the outside lanes, and bounce off the baseline, ending up by finding the corners. Our wing players will be involved in lots of action that will keep them engaged and positioned anywhere on the floor - coming off both on and off ball screens, making backdoor cuts after filling spots, but the corners is where we want to sprint towards before any half court play actions start.
Some moments our wing-players should be sprinting in:
After a possession change, running to the corners…
Bouncing off the baseline…
Coming of screens…
When pass-and-filling positions, and using backdoor cuts…
[Gifted Athlete or knack for rebounds? Crashing the O-boards!]
Getting back on Defense or providing defensive balance when we shoot on Offense…
Some of the best shooters in the NBA are exemplary at running the floor in transition. Steph Curry, Kyle Korver, Duncan Robinson, Klay Thompson are all EXCELLENT pace and spacers. Take a look at this short video from newly retired J.J. Reddick where you see him sprint the lanes upon a possession change, getting his hands and feet set, ready to shoot the ball after he properly spaced the floor.
Sprinting the floor - AS A GUARD
As a guard, defensively we share similar responsibilities as our wing teammates. We do like to see our point guards sometimes set the standard, or ‘tone’, for our teams on defense - at times this can mean full court pressure, although this is something we do not over rely on with our younger age groups.
Offensively however, we most definitely teach and ask all our guards and playmakers to set the pace. This does NOT always mean by dribble - actually, we love to see the pace being set by pitch ahead or ‘head-man’ passes (Hi there sprinting wings and bigs!), but when those passes are not available, we try to have our guards push the pace by dribble. This often looks like receiving an outlet pass after a possession-change, and pushing the ball through the middle of the floor - avoiding trap areas. Our guards are being thought to think at all times, “Fast Break first, Set Plays second” - really pursuing lay up opportunities for our team whenever possible.
Some moments our guards should be sprinting in:
Sprinting to outlet spots after possession changes…
Running and spacing the floor when other ball handlers are present..
After receiving an outlet pass, pushing the pace…
Coming off screens in sets...
Fighting over screens on defense…
Jumping to a switch on defense…
When making backdoor cuts after being overplayed…
To provide defensive balance after a shot goes up…
One of the best sprinting the floor, transition playmakers in the NBA right now? Young Superstar Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies. Boy it would have been fun to see this on a nightly basis in the 604, wouldn’t it? Take a look at this 10 minute video of electrifying highlights - highlights that are all simply made by pushing the ball, sprinting the floor, hunting high-percentage shots.
Sprinting the floor gives us an edge over our competitors, every time we put our head down and go all out, finding the right spots to fill. It is a part of the game that is easily overlooked, but makes all the difference between winning and losing a game - simply because of the opportunities it creates, and the additional time it gives us to be better prepared. Sprinting the floor every chance you get requires both discipline and effort. Can your teammates count on you to put in that effort and deliver your team that edge every single time? For all our Split Second players, we hope you can answer YES!
Did this post on the importance of sprinting the floor resonate with you? Anything you felt that was missed? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments, or shoot us a message - we love hearing your feedback and engaging in hoops-dialogue!
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