Note: This post is a response to a question asked by McKenzie in the comments.
As a point guard, one of the worst situations is when all your teammates are being closely guarded. There’s no one to pass to, the shot clock is ticking, and the defenders are closing in on you. What’s worse, your teammates aren’t even trying to get open – they’re just standing there!
You end up forcing a shot, making a bad pass, or turning over the ball and end up on the bench or on the sidelines for the rest of the game.
So what do you do?
Excellent point guards know how to make people open when there is nobody to pass to. They make things happen and create magic.
Here’s three critical things you can do when your teammates aren’t open.
1. Be Vocal With Your Teammates
If your teammates aren’t open, then tell them to. You’re allowed (in fact, you’re encouraged) to assert yourself vocally because as the point guard, it’s your responsibility to lead the floor.
If you watch the best point guards in the NBA like Chauncey Billups or Jose Calderon, you’ll see that they’re always making wild gestures, moving their mouths, and pointing their fingers left and right. It’s because they’re being vocal and getting their teammates open.
Use your hands and your voice – tell them to spread out, to set each other picks, to set you a pick, to make a cut inside. It’s your call so make it.
Your coach will also trust you more as someone who can control the floor if you are expressing it.
2. Move Yourself
Are you taking the ball up slowly, and standing there waiting for people to get open? Are you lacking energy, and excitement?
This might be why they’re standing around and not getting open – they’re following your lead! Move quick, move smart, and move around to set an example and have your teammates get open. Energy is infectious – positive AND negative.
Also, at the movie theatres, what do you do when someone sits down and blocks your view? You move. In basketball, your defender’s always trying to block your view. Move around to get a better view and passing angle.
3. Drive and Kick
This is an advanced technique used by some of the best point guards. Coaches love the drive and kick because it messes up the defense, it opens up your teammates, or it sets you up for an easy layup.
The drive and kick, in a nutshell, is when you “drive” to the basket, drawing in multiple defenders, opening your teammates. Then, once you have drawn the defenders, you “kick” the ball out to your open teammate for an easy shot.
If multiple defenders don’t come after you, then you can drive straight to the basket for an easy 2 points.
The drive and kick is difficult because of the skills that are involved. You need speed to blow past your defender, handles to drive with your head up, and court awareness to find your open teammates.
If you can master the drive and kick, you will almost be guaranteed to be a top caliber point guard.
The drive and kick if done right, is one of the most lethal moves a point guard can have. But be warned, if done wrong, it will result in many, many turnovers.
11 comments ↓
i like drive and kick, it’s a good move..
but sometimes when i do it, i kinda turn my back to the ring too see where my teammates are, it alright but then my defenders know that i’m gonna pass it..and it takes the whole purpose away of surprising them with the pass..
any suggestions on how i can change this?
@CJ,
Here’s 2 suggestions I have on how to improve your drive & kick:
- Practice no-look passing. No-look passes train you to use your peripheral vision and is something that will keep the defenders from knowing where you’ll pass to.
- Check where your teammates are before you drive. Mentally draw it in your head - and then drive quick so you know where your teammates are. This is one of the hugest things - comes with experience and a lot of practice.
Write these 2 things down on a piece of paper, take it with you to the gym, and repeat these 2 things to yourself over and over.
Then when you’re playing - practice them, keeping these 2 things in mind. This is how you can perfect your drive and kick!
Good luck CJ!
Hey, I need help. I play 8th grade basketball and I practice with the 2nd team against the 1st team. During practice I don’t do very good because nobody moves on my team. I don’t start and I don’t know how to improve because when a person is open I pass them the ball and the defender runs in front of them and grabs the pass and I get frustrated and do worse… any advice?
McKenzie,
yes i hate that too. Ok my coach told me how to deal with this kinda thing.
Well, ok your pointguard right now k? you’ve got the ball. your stuck with no one to pass to. go to the left/right. push the defense away with your butt and your wing should go around you. pivit and u should have at least (between you and the wing) 3 inches between you. pass her the ball while she’s going around you. then she takes your place! easy! hope it helps..
good luck!
i love basktball and have been playing since i was 4 this is my first year at point gaurd and im 13 on the A team are team one the championship last year but im so frustrated with it cause my best thing is shooting and i never have a shot i can ribble good but not around people how do i create shots better
I played Point Guard in H.S. Here are some additional things that helped me with the drive and kick.
1st off, you need to know your teammates strengths. This will help you to know where to look if you decide to pass. A good outside shooter is most likely going to stay outside and spot up. Your post players are generally going to stay put also. Players who like to drive are most likely going to come around behind you, depending on where you are on the court. They may also come down the baseline.
Against a man-to-man defense -
This is the perfect setup for the drive and kick. If you have a step on the defender, there are only 2 places the help defense will come from. One is a defender sagging down from the wing, the other a post player sliding over. So, this means that a player is open. Don’t look at the guy coming over, look past him. Remember, he left your teammate open to stop your penetration. A simple bounce pass if its a post player (Who will have his hands up high trying to block the shot) or a pass over the head of a defender coming from the wing (Who will be trying to strip the ball, so his hands will be down low). If no defender comes you have a lay-up.
Against the Zone Defenses -
This is similar except that sometimes, depending on what type of zone it is, you will have teammates cutting through the open spots of the zone. It can make some passes easier, others harder. The key is to drive into the “soft” part of the zone. You don’t, generally, want to get all the way to the rim. A pull up jumper is your best option if a passing option doesn’t present itself. Most zones you can bet there will be a big man in the paint waiting.
For mackenzies problem, I would suggest using pass fakes to get the defense moving the wrong way. Also, if your teammate is being closely guarded and its difficult to get the pass to him, tell him to backdoor cut away from the defender. Often, it is not even your fault that the defender is stealing your passes. Your team mate needs to come to the ball as well as make some open moves like the V cut to present himself with an open opportunity. Make sur you zip those passes in there though, the faster they go, the less time the defense has to react.
cheers
Hey imma sophomore in highschool and I have never played the point guard position and I’m only 5′10 so ikno that will be my position I’m trying to learn how to keep my teammates in view with I dribble any advice on how to keep my view and be more mentally involved in the game??
hey, i am having trouble with my team chemisty and it seems that nobody makes the effort to move. I am a pretty good p/g with good handle and and an exceptional shooter. Ik it seems that i should have no problem but games are harder than i intend them to be. I mean the other teams finds out right off the bat that i am one of the better players, therefor, they D me up right on top of the arch and it makes penatratng a whole lot more difficult. What should i Do? my team isnt moving the guys on the post dont flash…. they are like statues.. i tell tem to move around and they do it but wayy too slow, and the defense has time to regroup.. do u think i should try my best to get them for an open look or take it to the hole and gunn.? let me know i am getting really frusterated
I always don’t no want to do in the court as a pg.
Can u give me the tips to set the team well.and drive well
I play point guard in the under 16 div 1. My coach ask me to make things happen. What should be my most effective approach in helping the team?
Please help. Thanks
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