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The Offensive Debate - 10 Reasons to Run Motion Offense
By Coach Randy Brown

There is a long standing debate among coaches on the topic of offensive efficiency. Some coaches believe set plays are the best way to score baskets. Others contend that motion offense gives your team the best chance to win. Both sides fiercely defend their stance on the best way to score. Here are 10 advantages of running motion offense.

My intention is not to take sides or determine the winner of this debate. Rather, I will lay out the advantages of both approaches to aid the coach in determining which style fits best. There is not perfect way to play basketball as history can attest. Winners in high school, college and the NBA have represented an array of different styles and philosophies. Picking the right approach for you and your program is the prime consideration.

Basketball purists tend to favor either sets plays or motion offense. Due to long held beliefs about either style, change is a hard thing to swallow. Coaches defend their basketball programs and beliefs as if life itself hung in the balance. Many coaches take bits and pieces of various offensive systems and morph them into their own style. Approximately 80% of coaches fall into this mixture between set plays and motion.

Let's examine the advantages of motion offense and let you make the decision:

1. Motion is a "thinking" offense that requires players with basketball IQ.

2. Motion is a combination of every pass, screen, cut known to the game of basketball.

3. The Snowflake Theory--No two possessions are ever alike.

4. Can highlight your best player by screening for him continuously.

5. Offense reacts to the defense instead of moving in predetermined directions.

6. Motion is unpredictable making it very hard to guard. Hundreds of unique entries.

7. Is impossible to scout because of its flexibility and adaptability.

8. Screening, cutting, and ball movement are an unstoppable combination.

9. Multiple opportunities for getting the best shooters open.

10. Role definition is clear cut, letting players perfect their specific jobs within motion.