Over the past couple of years we’ve enjoyed looking at the benefits and different ways coaches are using “Next” Defense as part of their PNR Coverages. Today, we are excited to add a terrific new clinic to SGTV that details the theory and teaching points behind executing the “Next” Defensive Coverage by a coach very familiar with running the defense with the club, Monbus Obradoiro, in Spain’s top division (ACB), Gonzalo Rodriguez.
In this hour-long clinic Coach Rodriguez breaks down how, why, and when Obradoiro uses “Next” Coverage and gives multiple examples of how it can be run against different PNR alignments. Before diving in, a simplified definition of “Next” PNR Defense is…
“A jump switch onto the ballhandler by a defender one gap away once the ballhandler has broken the three point-line, often taking place at or around the Nail.”
A couple of interesting points from the clinic that we’ll pull out and highlight below is how Obradoiro differentiates the PNR as going towards either the “Single Side” or the “Full Side”, rather than the “Weak” or “Strong” side. We’ll also look into the vocabulary and rotations Obradoiro uses behind the PNR based on the “Single” or “Full Side” PNR, as well as how the “Next” Coverage plays into both.
PnR Defensive Philosophy – Random Defense
With offenses becoming more and more adept at attacking various PnR coverages, the challenge for the defense becomes how can they can stay a step ahead and keep the offense off-balance. How can the defensive coverage on the ball vary from possession to possession or even within a possession to prevent the offense from getting comfortable? With “Random Defense” Obradoiro provides their players with communication tools in order to choose the coverage on the floor as the play is unfolding. They empower their players to select the coverage on a situation by situation basis. So, not unlike other teams, they will practice their different on-ball coverages (double, hedge, drop, etc), however, which of these coverages they deploy will be based off of the direction of the ballhandler (single or full), their communication, and the call of the big man in the screen. Thus, making their coverage “random.”
Full vs Single Side
As mentioned, Obradoiro doesn’t think of the PnR in terms of “weak” or “strong-side.” What is more relevant to them is the direction in which the PG is attacking and whether there are one (Single) or two/three players (Full) on that side. Based on the direction of the ballhandler, the “low man” on the Full Side will make a call to his Defensive Big in the PNR, which triggers a selection of coverages for the Defensive Big to choose based off that call. So, to simplify a bit, the coverage that the Defensive Big chooses at the point of the screen is determined by the call he’s hearing from the low tag behind him.
Below are the calls Coach Rodriguez discusses in the video that they’ll use to communicate both the Full/Single Side and the coverages that can be used…
Towards Single Side – “Blitz” Call
When the ball is in the middle third of the floor and the ballhandler is attacking towards the Single Side…
 |
The low man on the Full Side will communicate “Blitz” to his big in the PnR…
|
What does “Blitz” communicate?: When the big hears “Blitz” it unlocks a package of coverages he can choose from. It is then up to the Defensive Big to communicate his coverage to the guard defending the ballhandler. In general, Obradoiro wants to help from the Full Side so when the big hears “Blitz” he knows he can be more aggressive (Hedge/Quick Show/Trap, etc.) with his coverage on the ballscreen because he is aware he has multiple defenders behind him.
Towards Full Side – “Full” Call
When the ball is attacking towards the Full Side (1 or more players)…
|
The low man on the Full Side communicates “Full” to his big in the PnR…
|
Again, a “Full” call unlocks a different set of coverages for the Big to select on the ballscreen. So, what begins to unfold is the defense can provide different solutions to the same “test.” In theory, as Coach Rodriguez discusses, the offense will not face the same PNR coverage on back to back possessions or even within the same possession.
Towards Full Side – “Next” and “Hot” Defense
When the ball is attacking toward the Full Side Obradoiro will help off the next closest defender. Here is where you see a traditional “Next” rotation with a jump switch onto the ballhandler while the on-ball defender peels off to the nearest perimeter player…
|
Zooming In: Whether the “Next” Defender helps or not is based on whether or not his teammate can get back in front of the ballhandler before the 3-pt line. If the defender at the Nail sees their teammate chasing as the ball breaks the arc then he will communicate the switch and his teammate will peel off to the wing.
The “Next” Defender also has the ability to call “Hot”, shown in the previous GIF, and can “jump/double” the ballhandler immediately as they come off the PnR. In today’s clinic Coach Gonzalez elaborates in great detail the nuances and teaching points of both the “Next” & “Hot” coverages.
“Last” Call
The final piece to Obradoiro’s defensive language is the “Last” call, which is used to combat off-ball motion and cutting around the PnR. To help mitigate the potential confusion these types of cutting actions can cause, Obradoiro has provided their players with a “Last” call, which communicates to the Defensive Big that the offense is in motion and the low tag defender cannot determine the Full or Single Side…
|
Zooming In: When the Defensive Big hears the “Last” call his coverage his usually pre-determined based off of the scout. In these situations playing a more conservative coverage like Drop or Switch is beneficial since their help coverage is unclear due to the offense motion.
One of the main factors in playing “Next” Defense that Coach Rodriguez discusses in the clinic is that teams are generally trying to keep the “Single Side Tag” defender out of the PNR coverage because of how easy it is for an offense to create an advantage from the simple “Shake Action”(throwing the ball back behind a PNR to a player lifting from the corner). With that philosophy of always helping/tagging from the “Full Side” it becomes imperative then for the defenders to have terminology that is simple, concise, and effectively communicates where that Full Side help will be coming from no matter where the PNR is taking place on the court. Coach Rodriguez does a fantastic job of walking through these scenarios in today’s newest video.
Beyond breaking down Obradoiro’s PnR Philosophy, Coach Rodriguez further dives into how they teach the “Next” and “Hot” coverages including:
- “Next” Defense – Philosophy and Theory
- “Next” 2 or 3 Player Rotations
- “Next” against Snake Dribbles
- Defending Cutters
- Common Mistakes
- “Hot” Defense – When and Why
- Teaching the use of Hands & Stunts
View the full clinic now on SGTV…
