Dealing with help defense

vegan_vicky

I like to drive to the basket from the wing into the paint. I usually don't have trouble getting past the person guarding me. However, I am troubled by the help defense. Usually, a wing defender at top of the key will swipe at the ball, and this will disrupt my rhythm. Then, a big will rotate up, so I become forced to take a tough shot trapped in this triangle of players, who are all trying to whack at the ball. I end up getting frustrated at my...

Originally asked by CraigDavid on Stack Exchange (sports) (CC BY-SA 4.0).

uphilltech

Great question — answering as the UphillTech team:

So, the situation: You're doing a thing (driving to the basket) The defense is making the "level 1" response (sending help) Your teammates aren't making the "level 2" response (backdoor cuts) The question you need to answer here is " why aren't your teammates making that level 2 response?" Some possible answers to that include: They're not aware it would be a good thing to do. Here you can help them out: "hey buddy, when their big guy comes over to block my drive, could you give me a little cut and I'll feed you for an easy bucket?" Remember this is going to be a quid pro quo. Find out what your teammates' favourite plays are and help them make those plays. Your teammates think your...

Full answer by Philip Kendall: https://sports.stackexchange.com/a/28316 (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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