7 Constraints to Build Offensive Decision-Making

Constraints are tools coaches can use to manipulate an environment to influence the skill development of their teams. When you add constraints, you are deliberately putting your players in situations that mimic game-like scenarios.

Here are 7 types of constraints you can use to influence your team’s skill development this postseason:

1. TIME
A short shot clock, limited time on the catch, shooting drills with a time cap, or any countdown within a small-sided game will force decisions, action, and execution to happen more quickly.

2. SPACE
Using cones, lines on the court, or sides of the floor will force your players to operate in space that more closely resembles the skills necessary to score in the game. Playing in alleys on the floor is critical to the transfer of offensive skills in live play.

3. NUMBERS (advantage or disadvantage)
Giving offensive players a numbers advantage closely simulates the goal of all offenses that want to play against a disadvantaged defense. A numbers advantage replicates the situations that terminate a possession with a shot or pass. On the flip side, giving the offense a numbers disadvantage can teach toughness, ball-security, and passing in tight spaces.

4. MUSTS
You can require an offensive player or team to execute something on the floor before they score. For example, you must get a post touch, paint touch, or pick and roll before you shoot. Player XYZ must come off a wide-pin before you score.

5. ONLYs
You can put restraints on a team or individual that isolates a specific skill or aspect of the game. For example with individual players: “you can only shoot in the paint for this scrimmage”. For teams: “you can only shoot after 2 reversals.”

6. SCORING SYSTEM
You can manipulate scoring systems to reward the types of shots you want to encourage. Example: if you want to encourage layups you could make every layup worth 3pts while midrange jumpers are only worth 1pt. Example: shots in the paint are worth 3, everything else is 1.

7. TRIGGERS
These can fall in a lot of different categories.
Ex: once the defender touches your hip, you’re live.
Ex: once you run around the cones you’re live.
Ex: once the offensive team crosses half-court the defender comes into play.

You can get comfortable using these constraints by adding them to any of your drills or practice planning. The great thing about being a coach is the creativity you have in using different ingredients to build your team.

Unleash Your Offense with Pace and Space

How St. Peters Basketball used FLOW Continuity to Beat Purdue

I was in the arena for one of the best games I’ve ever seen: St. Peter’s vs. Purdue (March 25th, 2022). They made history by becoming the first 15-seed in the NCAA Tournament to make the Elite 8.

They used FLOW continuity ballscreen offense to neutralize Purdue’s size and athleticism.

BEFORE we get to the FLOW breakdown. As I watched the game, a couple of things stood out…

There is no substitute for a team that believes in themselves and that plays the game without fear
2. Poise and pace are the secret sauce to offensive basketball, St. Peter’s had both
St. Peter’s Competitiveness, pressure, and athleticism evened the game defensively against a bigger Purdue team. They pushed them out on all their sets
Shaheen Holloway used elements of FLOW, Princeton, and Mover-blocker, and Circle Motion to pick apart Purdue on offense
Every single St. Peter’s player played with their head up and saw the whole floor. They don’t miss open guys.
St. Peter’s have 10-15 deflections on defense. Their activity changed the game.
You know a connected team when you see it. Every dead ball and timeout St. Peter’s huddled up. Guys were actively coaching each other on the floor and during stoppages. They loved getting a teammate an open look.
There was a toughness about the team that was hard to explain. Not a fake tough, but a real toughness that was contagious. They made big shots, got stops, and grabbed rebounds when it mattered most.

How FLOW Helped St. Peter’s Make History

1. Buddy Ball Interior Passing

Purdue’s drop coverage was exposed all night long against the interior passing of the Peacocks. High level decisions from the bigs for 40 min. The interior automatics, cutting, and decision making of the Peacock bigs was at a high level and neutralized the size of Purdue for 40min.

2. Flare and Ping Screening Action

The position of your trigger men in FLOW makes defenses susceptible to blind screening action. St. Peter’s used their opposite big to set flares for shooters on the weakside of the floor. Also Shaheen Holloway with elite play sequencing. The ping action for shooters using off-ball screening action was a great change of pace to their normal FLOW. As the game went on St. Peter’s went to more off-ball counters after Purdue became worried about the primary PNR player making plays.

Flare Screens

3. Scoring out of ISOs

Although there weren’t a ton of designed ISOs, the pattern and spacing of FLOW gave St. Peter’s 4-man a ton of spacing to attack off the dribble in the middle third of the floor. St. Peters exposed Purdue’s PNR defense with their 4-man all night long. There was rarely a time when St. Peter’s attacked the rim and didn’t get a good shot. They neutralized Purdue’s size and athleticism with fundamentals and decision-making. So so impressive.

ISOS

4. Ball Screen Angles

Purdue tried to ICE St. Peter’s ballscreens by keeping them on one side of the floor. When FLOW did break down or the Peacocks needed to make a play at the end of the clock, St. Peter’s PNR fundamentals were on point. Effective ballscreen chemistry involves not only the ball-handler and the screener but the spacing of the other 3 players on the court. The entire team new was a well-oiled machine in the biggest moments of the game.

Ball Screen Angles

Learn More About: FLOW Ball Screen Continuity

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Best Selling Ball Screen Continuity Playbook (40+pages)
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Case studies of successful college teams that run FLOW continuity
Breakdown drills
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Baseline Drive Automatics

When you start installing your offensive system, it can be helpful to start from first principles by teaching your players HOW to PLAY instead of prescribing specific plays. One of the most effective ways that you can teach your team HOW to play is by giving them a simple list of “automatics”. Automatics are simple principles of play that are predetermined for the entire team.

Everyone on the team knows what to do WHEN XYZ happens on the court. These automatics are a simple series of “IF…THEN” principles that will become automatic (pun intended) the more you work on them as a group.

Baseline drives are one of the most common actions that will occur throughout the course of a game. You can think about it this way:

When we DRIVE baseline, the other 4 players on the FLOOR will automatically…

Here is a list of baseline drive automatics that you could use as a coach when designing your spacing on the floor:

Corner drift and 45 slide

You can see here that when the 1 man drives baseline, the 3 man slides to the wing (or 45) and the 2 man slides to the corner. This gives the driver two great passing options if the defenders suck-in and try to stop the ball.

45 slide and corner drift

Top fill behind (waffle throwback)

Here you can see that as the 1 man drives baseline and gets cut off, the 4 man who is in the slot fills behind the play so that the 1 man can use a “waffle” pivot to throw the ball behind him.

Slash cut from opposite 45

You can see here that instead of staying at the three point line the opposite wing will take a slash cut to the rim.

45 Slash Cut

Middle cut with opposite big

As the 1 man drives baseline if the post player is on the opposite block they can make a cut to the middle of the rim for an easy pass.

Escape cut from strongside big

If the post player is on the strongside block they can take an escape cut to the perimeter when the 1 man drives baseline.

Escape cut from the strongside post player

Rail cut from strongside big

Another option for post players is to take a rail cut up the lane line as the baseline drive is happening. This gives the ball handler space and gives him passing options if 5-man’s defender stays in the paint.

Dive cut (5 out or Princeton alignment)

This dive cut is a great option if you run an offense where your post players are pulled away from the basket a lot. A dive cut from a post player on the perimeter can be effective when their defender turns their head to the driver.

Dive Cut from the post player on the perimeter

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Princeton Offense Backcuts

One of my favorite features of the Princeton Offense is the spacing that helps you score backcut buckets.

Here are 8 of my favorite backcut quick hitters from the Princeton Offense:

Click here to download the free PDF that outlines each of these sets.

Click here to download the sets

Set 1 – Chin Overload Backcut

A great ATO set that uses a common Princeton set out of Chin action to make an aggressive defender pay with a backcut. The entire side is cleared out for 4 to cut backdoor.

Set 2 – Rod 1 Backcut

A great counter for a defense who is used to guarding standard Princeton action then use this to catch them by surprise.

Set 3 – REEL Backcut

REEL action goes away from the 5 man and sets up a wing defender for a backcut.

Set 4 – 5-Out Backcut Opp

When 5 catches in the middle of the floor when he immediately turns away from the where the ball came from (towards the 2 man side), it is easy to catch the defender sleeping.

Set 5 – Five-Out Give and Go

This is a great set for a perimeter player who is getting a high level of ball pressure. As soon as 4 gives the ball to 5 he immediately cuts to the rim.

Set 6 – ROD 2 Away Backcut

Similar to the ROD 1 Away backcut, this quick hitter goes away from the primary screening action at the elbow

Set 7 – ROD 2 Backcut

Rod 2 backcut reads the screening action between 1 and 2 at the elbow. 2 reads his man and cuts behind his defender’s head.

Set 8 – ROD 1 Wrap Cut

This takes a high level of skill and execution from your 5-man, but is a great option to catch X1 defender sleeping since they think 1 will simply go and screen for 3.

Here are video clips for all 8 of these backdoor sets.

Click here to download the sets

Unleash Your Offense TODAY

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What’s included in this course?

*Video Examples

*Whiteboard Sessions

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*Film Review

*Quick Hitters + Basic Actions

*Practice Breakdown and Shooting Drills

My experience playing in the Princeton style offense for 4 years at the Divison 1 level (at the College of William and Mary) helped a below average athlete score over 1600 points and shoot 40% from three while leading our team to one of the best season in school history.

I continued to study these offensive concepts as a professional in my four years playing overseas in Australia, Spain, Latvia, and the NBA G-League.

As a college basketball coach I’ve refined these concepts to build a lethal offensive system that will take your team’s scoring to the next level.

The Princeton System changed the course of my career forever and it can do the same for you and your team.

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10 Reasons I’m Thankful to be a Coach

Transformation happens in the small moments. As a coach you get millions of those every single season.
Basketball is the best metaphor for the journey of life that we all experience
Genuine relationships are forged through the tough times and hard-earned triumphs – you get both every time you step on the floor
There is nothing more satisfying than building a team that wins together
Competition is the juice that keeps you going – you get to compete every single day
The season builds on itself. Building a team and a program that is successful requires you to show up and do the work every single day
True joy is found in commitment. A committed group of people working towards a single goal is a beautiful thing
The best memories in life are always centered around one thing: overcoming obstacles with people you care about.
You can redefine success to the more than the scoreboard at the end of the game. If you aim for excellence, you’ll catch success along the way.
Coaching is about relationships and relational equity compounds over time

Do you know another coach who could use this as encouragement? Pass it along to 1 friend today.