Join our Newsletter
  Features include:
*Coaching Tips
*Guest Articles
*Popular Links
*Interviews
*Statistics
*More

Click here to join now!

Win 3 More Games A Year With With NBA Hotzones
By Coach Randy Brown

The NBA has stepped up recently in terms of enhancing the game through technology. One of the newest gadgets in the NBA hotZones. This tool gives a ton of information to the coach regarding most and least efficient areas on the offensive end of the floor. I believe the hotZone concept should get a serious look from junior high, high school and college coaches.

This new concept has taken the offensive half court and divided it into 14 quadrants. One area covers the area around the basket with three other zones covering the left, center, and right zones out to 15 feet. Moving away from the basket, there are five zones in the 15-23 foot area. Finally, five three point zones finish out this half court maze.

Why is this important to a coach? I can explain that by sharing a story with you. A few years ago I watched a high school game while recruiting a play in the game. The coach ran a lot of plays for his star and got him about 20 good shots. The plays he designed were very good and the team's execution was excellent. After the game I chatted with the coach, complimenting him on the offensive execution of his team, a real team effort I told him. Then, the coach says to me, "I'm frustrated because when we get Billy open, he doesn't shoot a high percentage of shots we get him." I agreed and asked the coach where he best shoots it from. The question hit him like a lightning bolt. The result of our conversation led to a discovery that his best player was getting open and taking shots from areas he is not proficient from. In other words, the set plays run for him put him in low percentage areas of the floor for his particular shooting ability.

The challenge is to take a long, thorough look at where your shots come from in your offense. My advice to easily discover the truth of your offensive efficiency is to try the following ideas;

1. Take a look at the NBA's 14 hotzones and design your own zones in the half court. You may come up with your own 8 or 10 zones which is fine.

2. In practice, chart every shot taken from your offense and evaluate those shots from a team and personal perspective. Note which specific zone these shots come from. Be prepared to be amazed at the results!

3. Design shooting drills so shots are taken from various areas of the floor you have designated as hotzones. Chart the results for each player and your team as a whole.

4. With this offensive "team shooting profile" now determined, take a look at your set plays and your main offense. Ask these questions:

a. Within your set plays and offense, where on the floor are your shots designed to come from?

b. Identify the top four areas where most of your shots come from.

c. Match these 4 areas with the shooting efficiently stats you have already compiled. What do you discover?

d. The desired result is that your team and top scorers are high percentage shooters from the 4 areas of the floor you take shots from. If this is not the case, consider adjusting your shots to your players high percentage areas or develop more consistency in your top players from those specific parts of the floor.

Use the genius of the NBA's technology to help your team be more efficient on offense. Two or three more baskets a game can provide between 4 and 9 additional points for your team a night. How many more games can you win with an additional 4 to 9 points added to your score! Take this challenge to heart and email and let me know what you found out about your team.

Note---Information of the NBA hotzones can be found at NBA.com by clicking on "Stats."