Playing Offense Without a True Center

Q15- What offense would you use if you don't have a true center?

Coach Fredrik Olofsson
Ali Basket Sweden

Coach Olofsson,

We have received a large number of requests similar to yours from coaches who have no true center. I have chosen to reply to your and hopefully provide some ideas to the many coaches facing the same problem.

Whenever you have a weakness on a team, in most cases it can become a strength. It is all in how you look at the problem. For example, if you have no true center, than it wouldn't seem too helpful to be spending a significant amount of your time practicing getting the ball to your undersized post players inside. This doesn't mean you don't attack in the post. I'll explain that a little bit later. What I mean is attack their weakness. Most bigger teams have post players that don't defend the perimeter very well. The Detroit Pistons won back to back NBA championships not because of their great post play, but because their undersized center (at least by NBA standards) Bill Laimbeer, was constantly popping out of the post to the perimeter to hit a crucial three point shot. The more you can draw these bigger defenders away from the basket the more you will be playing to your strength and away from your opponents.

In youth basketball this problem is a little more exaggerated because many youth teams with undersized centers face not only the height problem, but the fact that at the age of 12 or 13, the bigger players are often the physically superior athletes. It is difficult to overcome athleticism. If this is the case I would work very hard on developing good penetrating and passing skills from my undersized players. Without question they must become great perimeter shooters.

So in getting to your question, I would likely run a set play offense where we would try to create a picking action such as a curl cut or turnout off of a baseline screen (or even better at the high post or three point line), where the big man would have to temporarily help out against our best shooter. In the pick and roll action you want the big man to have to step way out to stop a penetrating player, which draws them away from your smaller centers open position. I would spend a lot of time working with my undersized center on being able to step out (often called a pop-outs), to hit the open high post, or 3 point shot from the perimeter. If your centers can't make this shot, this type of play will be ineffective. Many teams run motion offenses (such as 4 or 5 man passing game, flex, or the old shuffle offense) which can work. But if I had an effective big man on defense, we might just simply play switching man to man and keep our big defender in the paint, and never allowing you to create a situation where there is an inside- outside mismatch. We want their big man to have to help, and our center is ready to pop that shot as soon as he does. Generally a motion offense will allow a big defender to stay with-in one or two steps of the defensive basket and increase the chances of them getting most of the rebounds. By pulling that center out to the three point line you are not only improving your chances of scoring, but improving your second chance opportunities as well.

By running plays which result in high percentage shots by your post players, the big defender will have to come away from the basket. The more he does so, the more open he is to attack by penetration. When your center penetrates, he wants to attack the seam or gap to draw the second big post defender toward him. By doing so you other "undersized post player" may step directly to the basket for an easy lay-up or open possibly to the baseline for a short jumper.

You might also consider using your center as sort of a point-center. A trend that is quite popular in professional basketball at the moment. By initiating your offense with your center, you are forcing the big player to come out and defend. From this position you may run a back cut off of a screen by a much smaller player such as the point guard. Big men don't handle this cut very well most of the time. Regardless of the offensive pattern you run, you should simply be looking for any particular pick or movement that forces the bigger team to come away from the basket to defend. All offenses have some point in time where this occurs, focusing on isolating this option for your players, and practicing the decisions which go along with a particular action, such as a high post pick and roll. To do this your smaller post players must have good ball handling skills.

If you don't practice perimeter shooting for hours with your undersized post players, this tactic will not work. They must be your best shooters. Additionally you must work hard on mastering their penetration footwork technique. Have them keep their back straight, knee and ankle of the penetrating foot at nearly 90 degrees, weight slightly back, so that the energy in push-off leg remains in case they need to step back after faking penetration for the jump shot. When they penetration they must push (in essence pass the ball to themselves) as far behind their post defender as they can. Too short a dribble will not allow the penetrator to clear the defender and force help by a second defender. The most common mistake by big men penetrators is to take a big step, and a very short dribble. The goal on penetration should be to get to the basket, however one of the best player I ever coached was very talented at penetrating against a big man to an open spot closer to the basket but away from the defensive arm span of the defender. He wasn't scoring in close but he was a very difficult player for the centers to guard. This required difficult footwork by the centers, which in turn often opened up the little post man for an easy penetration lay-up.

Finally, when your undersized post players must make moves, have them stay low. This is the hardest place for that very "big" man to guard. When they must attempt to score near the basket, they must force the big man to move, and then draw body contact for the foul. If the big man is stationary, they will have the advantage and in most cases an official won't call a foul. However, when the big guy must move their feet, and there is body contact the center defender almost always gets called for a foul. Very few big players have great defensive footwork.

I hope I have given you some ideas to think about. You can likely run the offense you are currently running if you know where to look for these situations which draw the big defenders away from the basket. Your question is an outstanding one and we're glad you Asked The Coach.