Basketball essentials: impacting the game without the ball

by Justin Berry

How can you be effective without the ball in your hands?

For most players, the majority of the game is spent without the basketball in their hands. Despite this fact, the vast majority of focus (training, media, hype, etc.) is centered on offensive ball skills. Though these are extremely important, they’re not the only part of the game and definitely not the only way a player can impact it.

Here are a few areas that any player can be effective on the court without needing to have the ball in their hands:

Hustle plays

t takes zero (0) ball skills to play hard. If teammates and coaches can count on you to make hustle plays, you can earn your team extra possessions, as well as earn the respect of your teammates, coaches, and fans. This includes getting on the floor for loose balls, running the floor hard every time, getting deflections, and winning 50-50 balls.

Setting good screens

Though it doesn’t show up in the stat sheet, being a good screen setter can directly result in advantages/buckets for your team. You don’t have to be a big player to set good screens - you simply have to be willing to be physical. Most good systems cannot function without screens—if the screens are poor quality, the offense likely will be poor as well. Learn about angles, how to position yourself, and what type of advantages you can create with them.

Rebounding

Not every player can be the top scorer on their team. However, every team could use more rebounds. Whether you get a lot of shot attempts or not, focusing on being the best rebounder you can be will never have a negative effect. Crashing the boards hard on offense and defense, learning miss patterns, and being relentless going after the ball can help push leads against opponents, as well as gain your team extra possessions, and you and your team extra scoring opportunities.

Defensive focus

Another thing every team would gladly welcome is more defensive stops. Your stock on your team is sure to be higher if you are considered a good, reliable defender. This includes not only on-ball defense and locking up the player you’re guarding, but being a good team defender as well—someone who helps/rotates on time and communicates consistently. Good defenders take it personally when they get scored on, take pride in getting stops, and are eager to guard the best players at their position on the other team. Coaches rarely turn away hard-nosed, reliable defensive players.

Spacing and movement

Even lesser emphasized than these other areas is the understanding of spacing and off-ball movement. If you know how to space and stretch the floor, it creates driving lanes and opportunities for your teammates by pulling the defense away from the ball/help. The same can be said for knowing how/when to cut and move away from the ball. Conversely, if you don’t, you can potentially crowd the floor, bring defenders into the path of the ball, and inadvertently create dysfunction for your team on offense. Become a student of spacing, timing, and off-ball movement.

These are multiple ways to be effective outside of scoring. Whether you’re a developing player, someone competing for minutes, a starter, or the team’s top scorer, embracing these off-ball aspects will assuredly help you create a larger impact on the game and elevate your value.