What are we trying to accomplish on Defense?

Sounds like a simple enough question, right? As simple as it seems, I think few teams really understand what successful defense is all about.

Most players would probably answer “to keep the other team from scoring.“ Unless you’re playing against your little sister, it’s unlikely that you’ll keep the other team from scoring.

If that’s really what you’re trying to accomplish, your team will be a defensive failure every single time you step onto the floor. It’s an unattainable goal. While it’s nice to have high standards, it is also equally important to set goals that you can reach.

A more focused answer, and one that has more teeth is, “to limit high percentage shots.“ This approach focuses heavily on good transition defense (limiting layups off of the break), pressuring the ball, preventing passes into the paint area, and preventing penetration.

In a nutshell, your goal should be to control the tempo and force your opponent into taking low percentage shots. Shots that are outside of the shooter’s normal range, shots that are off-balance and contested, and shots that are rushed.

We want to make our opponent afraid to bring the ball up the floor because they know we’ll be right there, forcing the ball to the weak hand, disrupting their vision and forcing them to focus on protecting the ball every single trip up the floor. We’re going to create the tempo that we love, and that makes them uncomfortable.

(thanks coach Stinson)