“You can observe a lot by just watching.” – Yogi Berra
“Seeing” demands looking for what “just doesn’t look right.” I don’t know the officials, players, or coaches in this game and share principles, mostly JDLR situations.
Winning consistently means ‘seeing’ what JDLR means, teaching players what to do and what not to do, and following up.
Meaning what? Some examples:
- Miscellaneous
- On ball pressure
- Awareness
- Spacing and floor balance
- Playing in traffic
- Off ball positioning
- Urgent cutting
- Shot selection
Miscellaneous.
“Feel for the game…” a player in red moves in the lane for six seconds. The officials didn’t call it this time, but they may when it decides a game.
On ball defense.
Everything starts with ball pressure.
Awareness.
Backcourt violation with no pressure. Some players will struggle in open space. Know not to get it to players within their skill set.
Spacing and floor balance.
Res ipsa loquitur. (The thing speaks for itself.)
Playing in traffic.
Excellent players “win in space,” create separation, and finish. Your parent tells you not to play in the traffic for a reason.
Off ball defense.
Good zone defense looks like man defense with pressure on the ball and being in position to help off the ball. Against a team that wants to shoot threes, the low zone defenders are often hugging the paint.
Urgent cutting.
“Movement kills defense.” Defenders are taught to jump to the ball after a pass and urgent cutting sometimes defeats that. “Simple basketball” works.
Shot selection.
Every player should know what a good shot is for themselves and teammates. Some teach “ROB” shots – in range, open, balanced. Others say to “Get 7s” on the 1-9 scale because nothing’s guaranteed. A parent told me he watched a high school game where over half the shots hit nothing but glass or air.
It “just doesn’t look right” when a team ‘airballs’ three consecutive shots.
Lagniappe. Signature moves can apply to offense (McHale move, Sikma move, Dream Shake) or defense. Video on the “Sniper Steal”
Years ago, Nike ran their Signature Moves series — short films, breaking down offensive skills.
That idea always stuck with me.
Because it showed the details behind the craft.So over the last couple months, I started my own version — but for defense.
Defense as art.
Defense… pic.twitter.com/PPGYdCzFJI— Mike Jagacki (@Mike_Jagacki) December 13, 2025
Lagniappe 2. Zoom action becomes a slip and score.
Danny Hurley and his staff are on a another planet when it comes to half court offense
You know how hard it is to guard this much movement for 40 minutes?
Elite stuff, Elite staff, Elite program
— Hoop Herald (@TheHoopHerald) December 13, 2025