HOOPSWORLD | Basketball News & NBA Rumors

Each week HOOPSWORLD NBA analyst and coach Anthony Macri opens his notebook and offers an assortment of observations on games, players, and teams from throughout the league. Coach Macri serves as a player development consultant for the Pro Training Center and Coach David Thorpe, working with a variety of NBA players on their skills and game understanding. The Coach’s Notebook appears on HOOPSWORLD every Thursday.
 
Z’s & V’s versus S’s & C’s – Point Guard Alphabet Soup

In a recent conversation we had, Coach Dan Barto of the IMG Basketball Academy pointed out an interesting dichotomy becoming more pronounced in today’s NBA.  There is a reasonably clear delineation between two types of point guard in professional basketball – those that attack in straight lines and sharp angles (Z’s & V’s) and those who do more probing in curves (S’s & C’s).  These two very different (yet effective) approaches must be taken into account when evaluating players and their potential fit on a team given the personnel around them and the offensive style they wish to employ.
 
In the first group are the dynamic guards who garner highlights as much for their aerial assault on the rim as they do their passing.  Russell Westbrook, Derrick Rose, and Tyreke Evans immediately come to mind as players who fit pretty neatly into this category.  When you watch a guy like Westbrook play, he is constantly surveying the floor for a point of attack.  He takes small creases and attempts to use them in getting to the rim.  Rarely does he keep his dribble alive to circle back out if he runs into trouble – instead, he pressures the defense into collapsing so he can kick the ball out.  He changes direction with speed and dexterity, stopping on a dime and creating a new angle of attack to throw off opposing defenders.  These types of players are utilizing jump-stops and step-hops more often because it allows them to coil muscles in preparation for an explosive finish while avoiding help defenders and remain in control.  They tend to have more tunnel-vision and see less of the floor, but their focus gives them a unique ability to find gaps toward the rim.  Finally, largely as a result of being more focused on action in and around the lane, they tend to find cutters toward the rim more often than they find players to kick-out to for open jumpers.
 
The second group includes players like Steve Nash and Stephen Curry.  While capable of quick, darting movements into the lane, guys like Nash typically prepare for such a move with broader probing actions, dribbling in curves, almost lulling defenders to sleep before moving into action.  Their heads are constantly swiveling around, locating defenders and their teammates, and using the arc of their movement to draw attention and lure defenders out of place.  They do not pick up their dribble often without having made a decision on where to go with the ball, instead keeping the bounce alive and embarking on a new curve.  Their game tends to be more below-the-rim, but do not mistake that for a lack of athleticism; rather, they display an uncanny craftiness for fakes and tend to jump off one foot to give their rim attacks added length rather than height.  While they are perfectly capable of finding teammates cutting toward the rim, finding shooters open on the opposite side of the floor is a specialty, as they’ve managed to suck in defenders with their probing style.
 
Obviously these are not cookie-cutter designations, but they do serve some purpose when evaluating talent.  There are players who don’t fit either mold, or more commonly, move between the two styles depending on what will be more effective for them (i.e., Chris Paul and Deron Williams).  Is it little wonder that these players are also considered two of the game’s best right now?  An interesting case study in the evolution of a point guard will be what direction a player like John Wall will go.  He has all the physical tools to be in the first group, and the ball skills and mentality to be in the second.  Perhaps he can be one of the next players to join the small group that is able to do both.
 
{AUTHOR_BOX}How successful a lead guard’s style can be can have more to do with the pieces around him than with his own skill set.  Players in the first subgroup tend to play better with more athletic, versatile pieces that get up and down the floor.  The second group, meanwhile, are more productive when surrounded by shooters and tend to be more successful in halfcourt situations (though they are by no means limited in transition – see Nash himself).  When putting together a team, taking these kinds of things into account is a huge part of finding a championship mix.
 
Hoops Equivalent to Establishing the Ground Game

Kevin Love has put up mind-boggling statistics this year.  He leads the league in rebounding (15.6 rpg) while sitting in the top ten in three-point shooting percentage (43.9%).  His current double-double streak (38 games) is reaching near-epic proportions, and he accomplishes all of this while being, at least for the most part, land-locked in terms of pure verticality.  What are some "secrets" to his success?
 
Conventional wisdom in the NFL is teams must establish the run to be successful offensively.  Ignoring for a moment whether Green Bay’s recent Super Bowl win actually is the instance disproving this rule, it would seem Love’s ability to rebound is, at its foundation, an expression of that football truism in basketball terms.  Love owns the space he occupies from the ground up. He is constantly in a horse stance (knees bent and feet wider than shoulder width, hips down and loaded, chest puffed out.  His arms are always up, typically bent at the elbow.  One thing to teach young players is to stand as if they were inside a window frame, holding it open – Love spends a good deal of time game in this kind of stance.
 
Success for Kevin Love is more dependent on his shoulder strength than his vertical jump.  He uses the blade of his forearm (called his "arm bar") to ward off other rebounders, and defensively he is able to hold players in place without using his hands (using an arm bar looks lot less like a foul than pushing or holding someone with palms).  Like a martial artist who is averting strikes from his opponent, Love is happy to be engaged in a physical confrontation high while staying low and centered.  A well-placed hip or knee leaning on the player he is engaged with prevents that player from playing above the rim, and the strength Love possesses in the upper body allows him to fight for balls he might not reach otherwise.
 
By utilizing his body positioning and strength so well, many players seem unprepared for his agility.  Love utilizes good footwork and efficient movement to create 50/50 balls as well or better than anyone else in the league.  When most players rebound, they take a step or two toward the rim, judge where the ball is likely to go, and continue if it is in their area.  Love not only tracks down loose rebounds out of his area, but he fights for opportunities to make areas occupied by others into his own (50/50 balls).  He is willing and able to work at getting shoulder-to-shoulder against an opponent with inside position.  Basically, he turns a ball that has a 70/30 (or better) chance to fall to his opponent into a 50/50 ball.  While he’ll only win half of those, over the course of a game this extra work may yield three or four extra rebounds.
 
Ultimately, Kevin Love’s approach may not be as glamorous or high-flying as the battle waged above the rim.  But the work he does below it gives him an edge that many young players lack and would benefit from.  In fact, Love is probably most effective against players who rely on explosiveness because of the lower body pressure he applies.  Imagine combining the mechanics, intelligence, physical mentality and approach of a Kevin Love with Blake Griffin-like explosiveness.  Younger players looking at ways they can find their niche at whatever level of basketball would do well to study how Kevin Love has "established the ground game."
 

Have questions for Coach Macri? Be sure and drop by HOOPSWORLD on Mondays at 2PM Eastern for the Coach’s weekly basketball chat! You can also follow Coach Macri on Twitter @CoachMacri.