[Basketball 56] Building My Winning Team: Deflections on Passes [12th in the Series]

[Winning Team Building Series]

The technique called "deflection" that raises the defensive level by one notch

Right now, the NBA Conference Finals are underway.
As those watching know, the defensive intensity is overwhelmingly higher compared to the regular season.

Among those, one of the things the offensive side actually feels as a "clear difference" is the deflection.

What is a deflection?

A deflection is,

・Touching a pass
・Touching the ball during a dribble
・Striking a passing lane
・Changing the trajectory even if it is not a complete steal

and so on.

In other words,
it is close to "destructive behavior in the stage before stealing the ball completely."

In the NBA and elsewhere, many teams treat this deflection count as an important metric, and it is used to evaluate defensive intensity and active hands.

For example,

・Deflecting a pass to prevent a 24-second reset
・Disrupting the offensive tempo
・Delaying set plays
・Leading to induced turnovers

and so on; even if it does not result in a direct steal, the defensive value is high.

What is truly terrifying is "what happens after"

However, the true terror of a deflection is not just that the "ball was deflected."

The offensive side that has been continuously subjected to deflections undergoes major psychological and technical changes.

Mainly,

・Passing lanes become invisible
・Worrying about when a hand will come out
・Being rushed before the catch
・Trying to process one tempo faster
・Increasing safe decisions
・Field of vision narrows

As a result,

・Becoming unable to make passes that would normally get through
・Drive starting positions become further away
・Lateral passes and escape passes increase
・Ball possession time becomes shorter
・Dribbling immediately after catching
・Rhythm before the shot is disrupted

In other words, a deflection is not just a "physical obstruction."

It is an act of instilling "anticipatory anxiety."

As this accumulates, the offense loses its:

・Natural spacing
・Timing
・Decision-making speed
・Court vision

It loses these things.

This is especially noticeable in young players and teams that are overly dependent on a handler.

The real reason FG% drops

And what is important is that in games where deflections increase, FG% tends to drop more than the actual number of turnovers would suggest.

The reason is simple.

Even in situations where they aren't being touched, the pressure remains in the minds of the offensive players.

In short, an "invisible defense" is occurring.

This effect is immense, not just in youth development but even at the NBA level, and it has a significant impact in reality.

However, this is not a system

What is important here is that the defense that generates these deflections does not come from systematic coaching.

Ultimately, this is, after all, a "skill."

I teach this "skill."

・Deflections against passes
・Deflections against dribbles
・Deflections against shots
・Deflections against ball-keeping

Now, I wonder how many coaches are teaching this in detail.

In reality, it is left up to the players.

It is easy to understand if you check it team by team.

If everyone on the team is doing it, it is highly likely that the coach is teaching it.

However, in reality,

・It is only seen in specific players
・It is only done against passes
・It is only done against dribbling

and so on, which is very common.

In other words, this is rarely something being taught; in most cases, it is something the players themselves have noticed and are doing spontaneously.

Ultimately, in many settings,

“they are relying on the players' abilities.”

it can be said that.

Instilling it until “everyone can do it”

I make everyone acquire this through coaching.

In my experience, even for players who are excellent at defense,

“I’ve never known this before,”
“This is the first time I’ve been taught this.”

the reaction is always,

However, even just this leads to trust as a coach.

Furthermore, by having the entire team share this, they will come to:

・Watch and defend the ball handler
・Anticipate and prepare for what happens next
・Continuously execute team defense

ようになる。

This alone will significantly raise the defensive level.

Readers who understand past articles should know.

For those of you who are readers of my articles, I want you to recall the content I have explained time and again inpast articlesand in the articles of thisseriesas well.

I have

repeatedly explained the concept of

“positioning yourself within reach of the ball at the exact moment it is received.”

As this skill improves, the opposing offense is forced to start by “protecting the ball first” just to receive it.

In other words, they are forced to play defense before they can even attack.

At the developmental level, only a handful of players can play while thinking solely about attacking.

Furthermore, on top of that, you then instill the fear of losing the ball even in those “players who are trying to attack.”

As a result, the opponent

must possess multiple levels of skill just to bypass this pressure.

For teams that have not reached that level, the game is effectively “over” against the team I coach.

So, how do you teach this specifically?

Now, specifically, how do you teach this skill?

Let's begin.

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