2 Side Transition Player Responsibilities and Priorities
Series: Impacting Pace with 2 Side Transition #3
Let’s Talk Defense!
Offensive pace is created by getting defensive stops! In order to impact offensive transition pace we must be a great defensive rebounding team and everything we do offensively starts with our defensive toughness. How can you encourage your team to sprint in offensive transition if you are giving up easy baskets on defense? Offensive transition pace is going to be slower after a made shot than after a missed shot. Also, if our defense can generate turnovers and a higher percentage of defensive rebounds ,we create extra possessions that commence with transition. Although this series focuses on the offensive transition side of the ball, in our practice environment we are adamant in finishing defensive possessions. We must finish defensive possessions by staying out of rotations, contesting shots, controlling paint touches, and rebounding a higher percentage of missed shots.
2 Side Transition Player Responsibilities
It’s vital that each player understands his responsibility when transitioning with the 2 Side. We prefer a position-less, 5 Out spacing template so player responsibilities could change with each defensive rebound with the exception of the Point Guard. Because we value a hit-ahead over a dribble we like to have a primary Point Guard shoulder the responsibility of being a ball-mover early in transition. This encourages the other four players to commit to sprinting their lanes so we gain a Big Advantage in transition. Once the Point Guard receives the outlet or inbound pass, he should always have the opportunity for his pass to cross half-court by air with a hit-ahead to a player sprinting a lane. Defining player responsibilities will limit indecisiveness in our player’s transition reaction and quicken our transition pace.
Inbounder/Rebounder: The nearest player to the ball after a made basket will inbound the ball. Because we are positionless, the inbounder can either be a guard or forward so we can ignite the break by getting the ball inbounded as soon as possible. In order to decrease the time between a made shot and the inbound, the ball must be taken out of the net and never allowed to touch the ground by allowing the ball to drop through the net or the inbounder using dribbles to get across the baseline. The inbounder or rebounder always becomes the trail and fills the dead center, top position by trailing with pace. If the rebounder is the Point Guard or a player we are comfortable with utilizing a dribble push in transition, we want them to become their own outlet. When a player becomes their own outlet, the outlet pass is eliminated thus quickening our transition pace.
Point Guard: We do not want the point guard getting all the way to the sideline with his butt to the sideline for the outlet. Our outlet area is between the nail and TOK, to inside the 3 point line, free throw line extended. Instead of having his butt to the sideline, we want our Point Guard to already be moving down-hill, stampeding the catch of the outlet pass by pointing his chest to half-court. Having his chest to half-court provides vision on where transition defense is located as well as where the potential 2on1 advantage is formed because of our 2 Side spacing. We intentionally do not want the Point Guard getting to the sideline for the outlet, but instead, want him to ‘loop’ to the nail to shorten the pass from the inbounder or rebounder. There are two reasons why we do this. 1. A large percentage of rebounds bounce to the nail area. If our Point Guard receives the rebound around the nail, he can become his own outlet and our 2 Side Transition is ignited. 2. Why get to the sideline when our objective is to get back to the middle 1/3 with the dribble? Because of this, we prefer our outlet area to be the space between the nail and the TOK. After the outlet or as our Point Guard has become his own outlet, we want him thinking hit-aheads over dribbles by being a ball-mover early with the ball crossing half-court by air. A constant conversation we have with our Point Guard is that “a great point guard doesn’t always have the ball in his hands” so hit-aheads become a coaches-clap for us.
Corners: The responsibility of the first players down in transition is to find the nearest sideline and sprint to Corner Spacing (Ross McMains). I discuss Corner Spacing in more detail in the previous article “How the 2 Side Impacts Transition’s Pace.” Finding the nearest sideline will organically create the single side or the 2 Side. Since we transition to a positionless, 5 Out spacing template these lanes could be filled by any player. It is crucial that all our players are committed to sprinting their lanes. After finding the nearest sideline, it is the responsibility of the first players down in transition to Sprint and Hug to Corner Spacing. Corner Spacing is going to provide width and depth for the ball carrier as the player in Corner Spacing holds their spot at rim level. Sprint and Hug is a visual cue for players to sprint their lane while sprinting as close to the sideline as possible. Why Sprint and Hug? Running creates a small advantage, sprinting creates a big advantage. We also want players to have gravity as they are sprinting their lanes. Hugging the sidelined draws transition defense towards the player’s sprinting and away from the Point Guard on a Dribble Push. By focusing on the first 3 steps as they find the nearest sideline, the first players down Sprint and Hug to Corner Spacing with the intention of getting behind the defense. If no hit-ahead is made as they attempt to get behind the defense, these players will arrive to Corner Spacing.
45s: The responsibility of the last player on a 2 Side in transition is to fill the 45. The 45 spacing location in our 2 Side Transition is not free-throw line extended, but instead the top of the 3 point line extended. The second player on a 2 Side will Sprint and Hug to half-court, but once they cross half-court they must delay to fill the 45, looking back over their inside shoulder looking for the hit-ahead. We call this a Delay and Hug. The reason why we want to delay to fill the 45 instead of sprinting to fill the 45 is because we want Stretched Spacing with the Corner. Stretched Spacing means we want as much space in between the 45 and the Corner to stretch the defender who is caught guarding the two players on the 2 Side. Having Stretched Spacing on the 2 Side enlarges the area the single defender has to cover, causing indecision on which player to close-out to. Leveraging this 2on1 offensive advantage 2 Side Transition creates is best done when we have Stretched Spacing, ensuring one defender can not guard two offensive players.
2 Side Transition Priorities
The primary priorities we must have in every transition possession are our players transition reaction at the point of the defensive rebound, the Point Guard having vision to hit-ahead Early and Opposite of the outlet, and triggering an advantage if defense is neutral.
1. Transition Reaction
SPRINT AND HUG! WE ARE ALWAYS COACHING SPRINTING! All 5 players must be committed to their first three steps being at an explosive sprint as they find the nearest sideline. This reaction of a sprint vs a jog is what determines if we get a Big Advantage shot or Small Advantage shot. Transition reaction starts when we first rebound the ball and the reaction to Sprint and Hug after a rebound or steal must be quick and instant. On the first touch of the defensive rebound, each player’s first three steps in finding the nearest sideline becomes their transition reaction. This initial transition reaction to Sprint and Hug and find the nearest sideline is the first priority to shooting a Big Advantage shot within the first 6–8 seconds of the shot clock.
2. Hit-Ahead Early and Opposite
Upon the inbound or outlet, the second transition priority is for the Point Guard to have vision going Early and Opposite of the outlet on a hit-ahead. We want to go to the corner opposite of the outlet as early as possible in the possession because we want to move transition defense twice. Transition defense is moved the first time as they establish their ball-side defense with the outlet. Transition defense is moved the second time when we hit-ahead opposite of the outlet. With this hit-ahead Early and Opposite we want to force each defender to change their defensive triangles and distort their vision of the ball . The reason why we want to hit-ahead over dribble push is with the hit-ahead we have the potential to create numerical advantage with defenders being above the line of the ball. The more players above the line of the ball, the less defenders they have to cover space and our 2 Side.
Within 2 Side Transition we do not always have to hit-ahead or dribble push to the 2 Side. If going Early and Opposite means the Point Guard hits-ahead to a single-side, we want to have space before advantage, advantage before shot (Liam Flynn) for a shot/drive decision vs a single closeout. The advantage of going Early and Opposite to a single-side is on the hit-ahead, the receiver can leverage the advantage of space to attack a closeout 1v1. The advantage of the Point Guard going Early and Opposite and to a 2 Side is one defender often gets caught guarding both the Corner and 45. This creates a shot/drive decision for the 45 on the hit-ahead or if the closeout defender commits to the 45's catch, the 45 can make the 1-more to the corner for a Big Advantage shot. This 2on1 advantage on the 2 Side is the strength of 2 Side Transition because it forces one defender to guard two offensive players and often creates two separate closeouts within the first 6–8 seconds in transition.
3. Triggering Advantage
After our transition reaction and going Early and Opposite of the outlet, the third priority in 2 Side Transition is to trigger advantage. The biggest teaching point when seeking a small advantage to trigger a big advantage is: when the ball stops, advantage stops. We say, “keep the ball hot.” This is a great visual cue for players to keep the ball moving like it’s a hot potato, creating and leveraging offensive advantage. The pass is an advantage generator but so is the intelligent use of the dribble. When triggering the next advantage after 2 Side transition, can the pass create an advantage or can the dribble create an advantage? Our triggers will use both the pass and the dribble to trigger offensive advantage if we have not created a Big Advantage shot off a hit-ahead in the first 6–8 seconds of offensive transition. Anytime transition defense is back 5v5 with neutral advantage, we hunt triggers to create a 2-on-the-ball situation that include both the dribble and pass. These triggers could be a DHO, Drag Screen, Sling-shot, Get, or Mid-Pick and Roll to create a small advantage that leads to a Bid Advantage shot.
Below are the links to article one and article two in the series, Impacting Pace with 2 Side Transition
Why Play with Pace in Transition? https://coachbtipton.medium.com/why-play-with-pace-in-transition-77bdcbcedb45
How the 2 Side Impacts Pace https://coachbtipton.medium.com/why-play-with-pace-in-transition-77bdcbcedb45
