Yesterday I watched "Must Have Dribble Drive Motion Adjustments" by Herb Welling. There was some pretty basic stuff in there, but this stack and loop DDM continuity really stuck out for me. Coach Welling used this continuity to spread the floor differently against sagging man to man teams. Below are some notes on the continuity.
Basics:
The continuity starts with a stack on the left block, shooters in the low corners and the point guard on the top. In the diagram 5 is the other guard and the 4 is the post. This is typical Coach Walberg terminology for players as the 1 and 5 are the guards, the 2 and 3 are wings, and the 4 is the post.
If no scoring options are availble the point guard (1) kicks back to the other guard (5) at the top of the key. The other guard (5) catches and drives as 1 goes under the screen by the post (4) and pops back to the top of the key. Repeat the action over and over until you get the look you want.
My Adjustment Ideas:
With anything I watch, I try to think about what other teams would do against it and how I can change that. Below are a couple ways the defense might counter this look and some adjustments you could make.
Sagging off the Top Fill
If the defense doesn't honor one (or both) of the slashing guards as a shooter, they might station that player's defender in the lane to always help on the drive.
An easy adjustment for me would be to have the guard they are sagging off of come to the elbow instead of the top of the key. That way he would be in a position (hopefully) to take a shot that he would be able to hit which would force the defense to come out and defend him.
Another adjustment would be to switch the far corner shooter with your other guard so the shooter is shaping to the top. Again you could duck your other guard into the high post for a kick back shot if they continued to sag off of him.
Overplaying the Top Fill
Some teams may try to take away the top fill. My favorite adjustment for that is to send the post (4) up to set a backscreen for the player being denied (5).
Jump-Switching the Driver and Post
This is a risky move, but some coaches might have their post jump out to stop the drive and the player on the ball sprint to take away the pass to the post. If this happens, the post can relocate to the high post for a kick out.
If a defense is good, they might have the corner sag and then as soon as the ball gets picked up they sprint out to the corner. The adjustment for me would be to have the post turn and pin the defender. That way it makes the defender's recovery hard.
Closing Thoughts:
Coach Welling said that he got this continuity from Jud Heathcote during the days of Michigan State with Magic and Kessler. It would have been fun to watch Magic slashing into the lane out of this set up. It's an interesting continuity because you don't see it often, it distorts the defense because it's a drive down the lane, and you are going to really force the defense to chose whether to help and give up the three or stay on the shooters and give up a layup. The wing drive, or drive on a side is easier to defend because you can PACK it in and have 4 guys in help on one side. Being in the middle of the floor forces the corners to help a little bit more.
I will be the first to say it doesn't work well without at least one corner shooter (ball side preferred). If you have shooters though, it could be deadly.
This is a great fit for a coach who doesn't want to go completely DDM, runs a continuity like the flex or swing, and wants to get some DDM action in their offense. It's also great if you have two guards who can really drive but can't shoot and two wings who can really shoot but can't handle. It allows the players to do what they are good at. Either way it's an interesting concept.
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