Transition Isn't Throwing Away A Perfectly Good Fast Break Opportunity

Transition Isn't Throwing Away A Perfectly Good Fast Break Opportunity
by Alan Lambert

Introduction

I am not sure if any team skill have digressed more in the past decade in basketball as the transition game. Oh sure, more teams are running, you young players are more athletic and can hammer down dunks off of spectacular lob passes. But what I see is more blown scoring opportunities on the fast break then ever before. It use to be that a fast break was a gimme!, autoMATIC, a sure thing, betting on the winner after the race, but not any more. I think it is because too many of you young players try to make the spectacular play rather than the smart one and end up throwing it away. There is too much 1 on 2, 1 on 3, and 1 on 4 because of the "I can score on these guys" mentality. It isn't about whether or not you can score. It should be about whether or not it is a high percentage play. The game is evolving into too much "what about me" instead of "what about us." I also see players making very poor open court decisions with 3 on 2 or more advantages turning an easy scoring opportunity into a difficult one. Today's Playground Pointer is to remind you of the roots of transition basketball, and getting you back to the basics of the offensive fast break. It's not the show that counts it's the points you make...at least that is what I was always taught from the day I first picked up a basketball. The winner of the Championship isn't the team that wow's the crowd, it's the one that puts more point on the board more times than their opponent.

Some of you may have by chance seen the recent television commercials by Fox Regional Sports where they promote their efforts by their special coverage of "unusual" regional sports. In one case you are taken to a foreign country where an foreign speaking announcer is eloquently describing a high dive (similar to what you might expect watching the famous divers at Acapulco, Mexico) only to see the diver plunge hard into the earth. The fans then hold up score cards rating the dive and the crowd cheers. Weird sense of humor but I use it to illustrate a point. The problem is the results. What looked stylish turned ugly. That is not what fast break basketball is about.
 

It's More About Points than Style

The most critical statistic in basketball today is points per possession (P/P). You can calculate your team's offensive efficiency or defensive proficiency by dividing the number points scores or allowed in a game by the number of total possessions. The higher the offensive P/P versus the lower the defensive P/P provides a good indicator of your teams success. The reason transition basketball has exploded in popularity in the last 20-30 years has been because it is fun to play and stylish. However if you team runs, and your offensive P/P drops your team is like a water pump in the Sahara desert, pretty useless. That is why "fast breaking" teams are not necessarily winning teams. You may find your team has 80 possessions per game but only scores on 35 of them for 82 points. Yet your appointment who had 78 possessions scored on 42 of them for 95 points. It's not how fast you run, it's HOW you run which makes your team a successful transition fast break team.

Today I want to provide you with a key teaching points which are important in successful transition basketball. These are the kinds of things that you shouldn't have to think about, but simply recognize as the fast break develops.

Key Points for Fast Break Success

Getting the Break Started...

•  Rebounders should attempt to make a partial body turn in the air and outlet the ball as far down the court to the primary outlet (usually the point guard) as defensive pressure allows to save time and increase the chances of a numbers advantage.
• When the primary or secondary outlets are initially pressured or denied, use one or two hard bust out dribbles to advance the ball to the point where it is safe to return the pass to your primary outlet who should seal and release up court when denied.
•  Turn and look up the court any time you catch the ball in the open court. Squaring up to look allows you to avoid potentially charging into an unseen defender, and more importantly let's you quickly read if you already have a numbers advantage or open teammate further up the court who can better complete the fast break resulting in points.
• Pass ahead to an open teammate (the pass is always faster than the dribble). The exception to this rule is if the teammate ahead is a poor open court ball handler.
•  Maintain good spacing in transition, bunching up near a teammate allows one defender to guard two of you often eliminating any numbers advantage you may have initially gained.
• Sprint hard between the two free throw circles. Most players tend to jog in between the circles reducing your best chance to gain a numbers advantage.
• Teach yourself to transition up the court immediately on a change of possession. Most players take 1-2 seconds to recognize a change of possession (defensive rebound, steal, turnover, etc.) by which time a potential numbers advantage is almost always lost. Why do you think we run so many lines in basketball, for conditioning?
• Encourage your teammates to consistently run up the court, consistent numbers are more important than occasional speed.
• Use the bounce pass in the open court only when it leads directly to a score. It is much more difficult to handle in the open court then a chest or overhead pass because it is harder to get back spin on a long bounce pass to kick the ball up to the receiver.

Finishing the Break With Results...

•  Get your body under control in the front court. Remember a player out of control is not a threat to score and taken out of the numbers advantage equation.
•  Move the ball in the open court to keep the defense from getting set at the defensive end of the court and dictating how you finish the break. This is especially true in 2 on 1 and 3 on 2 situations. Teams practice this but in game situations players do not execute it.
• Numbers (2 on 1, 3 on 2, 4 on 3, 5 on 4, 3 on 1, etc.) are more important than speed up the court, although it is true that sprinting the court more often leads to numbers than not. I say this because teams often will try to sprint to a score in a 2 on 2 situation rather than slow the ball an allow a third attacker to run into the break to create a higher percentage scoring
• When you have a lane to the basket drive it hard to the hoop until a defender steps into your path to the basket, then pass to a teammate ahead of you as the defender commits. opportunity.
• Lobs are spectacular but can be slow and allow the defense to recover if the defender is physically near the teammate cutting for the lob at the basket. Play the percentages, and lob only when there is no defender in a position to recover.
• Throw passes your teammates can handle and put the ball on their sweet shooting spot every time to increase your chances of scoring. Poorly passed balls are probably the greatest cause of blown break opportunities. Pass as if you wanted the ball to come to you.
• Read the eyes, footwork and body posture of the defender and use them to your advantage. For example if a defender in a 2 on 1 break closes their inside shoulder (to the mid-line of the court) toward me, he has little chance to recover on a pass to my streaking teammate at the basket. If he is flat-footed and up away from the basket, it is a good time to lob.

Shots Off Transition...

• Take the highest percentage open shot possible. An open shot is almost always a higher percentage shot than a contested one. This judgment call will require you as a player to understand a little mathematics. An good percentage for an open 3 point shot for a shooter is 40%. A lay-up is a 90% scoring chance or higher. If you have 10 fast break possessions resulting in 9 scores that's 18 points. If you instead settle for the 3 point shot, in 10 possessions you make 4 shots that 12 points. Who is going to win that game?
• If the best open shot available is from the perimeter, shoot the shot when you have an offensive rebounder attacking or near the basket. Second chance points significantly increase your offensive P/P. For example if you had to settle for those 10 three-point shots and make only 4, with no rebound possibility, you would be settling for the 12 points. If however a rebounder were in position and won 50% of the missed shots (6), and put back 50% of those, that would be an additional 6 points to add to your 12 already made. Shooting with rebounders gives shooters confidence, and increases your offensive P/P.
• Pull-up jump shots at the foul lane are a 60-70% shot for most players. When in traffic on the break it is better to pull up and take this shot, than to penetrate and force an off balance shot that may prove to be no better than a 30-40% scoring chance.
• Use the pull up jumper when there is a shot blocker at the basket defending in transition.
• Practice the shots you will take in transition on a daily basis. Practice attacking the basket to score a lay-up against a shot blocker, pulling up for the jumper, using the backboard (like the famous John Wooden team's of the 1960-70's as a substitute for the lay-up), and the three pointer off of the transition pass where you catch with your feet in the air, land and go up immediately for the shot without hesitation.

These are but a few of many tips that can help you become a better decision maker and productive player in transition. Before I leave you to your fast breaking practice let me give you a few more additional tips on scoring in specific numbers advantage situations.

2 on 1 Numbers Advantage...

• Move the ball between attackers until you get to the top of the circle, then attempt to draw the sole defender to commit to you opening up the final pass.
• Keep the dribble until the defender commits to stop your direct path to the basket.
• If the passing lane is defended take it to the hole and don't stop or attempt to over pass the ball finishing strong.
• If there is a shot blocker back on defense in this situation pull up and take the 10-12 foot jumper at the elbow which is a higher percentage shot. This may draw the shot blocker out a little leaving your teammate open for a rebound as well.
• Make the defender commit their inside shoulder prior to passing to the teammate ahead of you.

3 on 2 Numbers Advantage...

• Keep the ball in the middle of break where there are double the scoring opportunities.
• Draw the top defender out as far as possible forcing them to commit to stopping the ball, then pass head to an open wing ahead to take advantage of the remaining 2 on 1 situation which is a higher percentage play than over passing in the 3 on 2.
• Draw and kick for the 3 point shot if a defender stays at the basket or the attacking wings cannot get behind the deep defender.
• Do not forget that one of the highest percentage plays in a 3 on 2 often occurs as a trailer runs onto the play and slashes to the basket as the bottom defender attempts to close out a wing.

4 on 3 Number Advantage...

• Again, draw and hold the lead defender to create a 3 on 2 but don't waste time with extra passes which permit extra defenders time to recover and eliminate the numbers advantage you have.
• The trailer should cut to an open spot or slash hard to the basket freezing one defender at the basket. This commonly opens up one perimeter attacker for an open 3 point shot, and puts the trailer into excellent rebound position to increase your chances of second chance points from offensive rebounds.
• The point guard does best in these situations to draw the lead defender slightly to one side of the court an attack the elbow which leaves more room for the fourth attacker and creates better offensive spacing in transition.

Attack With Control...

The most important tip you can remember in basketball is to play with explosive quickness but always keep yourself under control. This is especially true on the fast break. You are taught as an offensive player to catch the ball in triple threat position ready to shoot, pass, or pass. What you forget is that the rule also applies to catching the ball in the open court on the fast break. The minute you blast to the basket with your head down off balance, you are giving up the chance to pass or shoot off a quick stop.

When you are sprinting out on the break to fill a wing, or hitting the "run way" to the basket preparing to finish the break, ask yourself if are you in a position to stop (to pass, shoot or catch and drive) or go to the basket? Once a defender recognizes that you has lost your balance, or the ability to execute one of these three offensive skills, you become more defendable and decreases your chances of scoring. Take away two of them, and you are stoppable. If you are in such a hurry that you completely lose your ability to control your body going to the basket, you will not score and throw away the best chances your team has of putting points on the board. If you consistently fast break without regard for making smart controlled decisions, you are contributing to your teams demise. Let's bring back "smart" transition and see if we can't return fast break basketball it's proper place in the game.