Friday, February 1, 2019

Why have cutters?

How many basketball offensive schemes involve players cutting to the open spots in the interior? How often do you actually see someone hit them at the precise moment they reach the open spot. The idea, as I understand it, is for the initiative the offensive player should have to create a situation where he either gets a good shot or draws a foul. The defender is in motion, and IF the ball arrives at the precise spot at the precise time, it gives the offensive player a real (but very momentary) advantage. I watch high school basketball games all the time. Players are out there running their offensive, and players are cutting hard for the open spot just the way the coach taught them to do. The problem is that the coach never drilled the guards (usually) how to put the ball on the mark at the right moment, and so the advantage is lost. Usually, it arrives too late, and so the receiver gets caught in a traffic jam, or the throw if off the mark, and results in a turnover. It looks to me like a skill that, if it were taught, would result in a major offensive advantage. Why have cutters if you are not going to hit them?

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