Why I am obsessed with off the ball motions?

What is the reason for basketball teams to work? Yeah, easy answer, all basketball teams in this world want to win. This is not rocket science. By the way, that “rocket science” mold makes sentences very easy, right? I mean, let’s go to the years when there was not rocket science. In those years, instead of using two simple words to answer questions, people were using their minds and trying to find the reasons for something. Can you imagine Galilei Galileo saying to the question of the people who judged him in the inquisition, “Come on man, this is not rocket science”? Yeah, one way or another those people wouldn’t be able to understand Galileo’s philosophy, but anyway, that’s not the point.

In short, winning in basketball is the goal of every team. So how many types of winnings are there for teams in basketball? Simple, two. The first is to win the match. Second, to win the trophy/medal. What you have to do to achieve this is simple, again. Score more points than your opponent. And this isn’t just for the NBA. From Chris Jones, who played basketball in the Mongolian League a few years ago and is now on the radar of NBA teams, to Anthony Davis, who is one of the stars of the NBA, all those player’s teams must score more points than their opponents to win something. So what’s the easiest way to score? Easy layup. If there is some defense? Add pick-and-roll, give your handler free space. Okay, now hello Holywood.

While Larry Brown won something, the team was playing in that philosophy: “All the successful teams I’ve ever seen have three characteristics: They play unselfish, they play together, and they play hard”. Can we give an example from Gregg Popovich? Yes, please. “We believe in people executing their role and caring about the team more than anything individually”

I can give you tons of quotes on this subject. But that’s not necessary, after all, I’m not writing a script for Hollywood. Back to the subject. Explaining those two unforgettable shoots from Kevin Durant over LeBron James, or the magic touch of Georgios Printezis in 2012, with the technical part of basketball, goes against the emotionality of the game.

But now let’s take a look at December 11, 2014. Fenerbahçe is one of the strongest teams in the EuroLeague in recent years. Because they had Zeljko Obradovic. The game-winner layup you watched above belongs to Nemanja Bjelica, one of the good micro parts of the NBA.

Did you watch it? OK. What got your attention? Oh, my god, isn’t it perfect to watch a game at Pau Blaugrana that’s full of fans? Anyway. While Nemanja Bjelica cuts as screen the screener from around the top of the key to under the basket, Barça’s two defenders target Andrew Goudelock and all Bjelica has to do is layup at the right angle. HE IS FREE. If you don’t know Goudelock: Killer individual scorer with three-levels. After this match, Bjelica became the hero. Yes, he deserved it, besides this game-winner, he made a great contribution to Fenerbahçe. But the reason Bjelica scored the points here was the distraction of Goudelock’s two Barça defenders, showing the perfect timing in off the ball motions.

Zeljko Obradovic said in a seminar at FIBA: “I appreciate the players doing something in off the ball situations. Because they make all the sacrifices to do things that are not showing in the stats sheet so that create spacing for the stars. Less-paid contracts are one of those sacrifices.”

Let’s go back to the NBA and draw a general framework. It’s a fact that PnRs are used a lot in the NBA, right? All those PnRs can draw for forwards, shooting guards, point forwards, combo guards, point guards, etc. So can draw for a player who has ballhandling, dribble penetration, and decent shooting & layup abilities. However, it is not easy to get into the lane. This is where players in the off the ball role come into play. Why do you think Kyle Korver made money from the NBA? Because he’s an excellent shooter, has a high work ethic and is consistent overall. Yep, he is a “LeBron James” player. I don’t want to be misunderstood here but Korver made things a little easier for LBJ in his second term in Ohio, right? After 14 seasons in the NBA, he made $82,712,208, per Basketball-Reference, just because (mostly) he has shooting ability.

Trevor Ariza is a little luckier than Korver. Because he had an excellent contract with the Wizards. And he worked with Daryl Morey, who has a habit of signing contracts with 3 and D players. But not everything was always good for Ariza. His first contract value was $385,277. The second contract value was $682,051. However, then he signed contracts above $3,100,000. Why? Because the NBA was changing. Everybody understood that hitting the 3-points better option than goes to the basket. Also, Ariza and players like him who have good physical tools and has decent defensive abilities values ​​were increasing.

Why? Because all those players important for Kyrie Irving, Steph Curry, James Harden, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo (for example, Bucks has did not a good job to take good micro parts and they failed in POs two times in a row), LeBron James… Also, even for Michael Jordan. Just remember John Paxson and Steve Kerr. But in those times, that pillar was not famous. Anyway.

If I was a ballhandler, I want all spacing to attack the basket. But in doing so, the opponent’s defense line must be confused. This is what players in off the ball situations provide for me thanks to their shooting threats, speed, effective finishing skills around the rim.

You know that probably but do you know how many Joe Harris will make in the next four years? From this season to 2023–2024: $16,071,429, $17,357,143, $18,642,857 and $19,928,571. Joe Harris will earn the money Korver earned during his career in four years because the players who can do good things in an off the ball role are much more important than before. I can give you more examples, like Robert Covington and more but it is not necessary. Because you got me, right?

By the way, it is not just for shooters or cutters. Also for sized, smart, and hard-worker bigs. For example, Ivica Zubac. He is one of the important micro parts of LAC because he is excellent as a dunker spot man. Yeah, yeah, also, above the average defender, good PnR roller, etc.

So why I am obsessed with off the ball motions? Because superstars can increase their efficiency, even more, thanks to the players who complete their tasks in off the ball motions. By the way, those superstars aren’t just good players because of off the ball motions, those things increase their efficiency, which is important.

Just think. When NASA tries to go to space before the Russians, they hired tons of people to improve their engineering. However, only three or four names of people were published in documents containing important things. However, dozens of people worked on these documents. End of the day, everything is about teamwork, yep also for the basketball. And finally, all micro parts getting the real value.