Playing In Traffic Off the Dribble Drive

Playing in Traffic off the dribble Drive:

With most modern offenses being centered around the dribble drive, understanding how to play in traffic off the bounce with bodies around you is one of the most important skill today’s players should master. Of course if you beat your primary defender and have a clear line to the basket with space, you should look to get to the rim as quickly as possible (most times this means finishing off one foot). However, more often than not almost all dribble drives to the rim are contested by at least one, if not multiple, defenders. In this breakdown, learn the five most common concepts used by high-level guards when there are defenders around them as they drive the ball.

Playing Off Two Feet:

The most common concept for playing in traffic off the bounce, and perhaps the most important to implement with your players, is playing off two feet. A general rule of thumb for most coaches is if there are bodies around you, play off two feet. Playing off two feet means stopping your drive with either a jump stop or stride stop. Playing off two feet allows you the ability to still finish strong through contact if given the opportunity. However, if you cannot finish at the rim, playing off two feet allows you to pivot out of trouble and into space to find an open teammate. Teaching players to play off two feet in traffic and pivot into space if they don’t have a clean finish will improve your offensive efficiency by cutting down on low percentage attempts and reducing panic turnovers.

Barkley:

A “Barkley,” as it has been popular named, is when a player’s dribble drive is cut off by the primary defender. Rather than picking up his dribble and passing the ball, the driver would flip his hips and turn his drive into a post up. This is a great option for larger guards who have a physicality advantage. To learn more about this concept, check out the Perimeter to Post Up with the Barkley breakdown.

Nash Dribble:

The “Nash dribble,” named after Steve Nash, is used when a player is driving towards the outside of the rim or baseline and his angle to finish is taken away or he is bumped off his line. Rather than picking up his dribble beneath the hoop, the driver would continue his drive to the opposite side of the floor. This will often times confuse the defense and lead to an easy finish or pass to an open shooter or cutter.

Cut Off Penetration:

Up until now everything we have covered has been for the ball handler himself. However, the final concept we will cover in this breakdown is for the off-ball players, and that is cutting off the dribble penetration.

Knowing when to cut off dribble penetration is more important than the actual cut it self. As an off-ball player, we do not want to cut to the rim as the ball handler is penetrating, that would potentially bring another help defender to the ball. Rather, we want to cut whenever the ball handler’s initial drive is stalled and he is forced to play off two feet, get to a Barkley or Nash dribble. Often times the off-ball defenders will ball watch and naturally relax when the ball handler’s primary drive is cut off. The off-ball offensive players can take advantage of this lapse by getting in the ball handler’s vision and cutting hard to space.