Developing an Attacking, Aggressive Point Guard & Defensive Strategies to Smother Ball Screens

with Dean Oliver,
University of Wisconsin Assistant Coach;
2x Big Ten Regular Season Champions;
Illinois State Assistant Coach from 2014 to 2017;
North Dakota Assistant Coach from 2011 to 2014;
Played professional basketball from 2001 to 2011;
Golden State Warriors from 2001 to 2002;
NBA D-League from 2003 to 2004;
Dakota Wizards (CBA) in 2004;
2004 CBA Champions;
European leagues from 2004 through 2011;
2x Dutch Champions;
played for the University of Iowa (point guard)

Possessing a solid point guard isn’t just a luxury, it’s an absolute necessity! On the floor, your point guard serves as an extension of the coach. A solid point guard must be a strong leader and excellent ball handler who possesses the ability to drive the paint and create opportunities for your offense; either scoring or setting up a teammate for a shot.

As one of the most-critically important positions on the roster, the development and training of a team’s point guards is one of the most high-priority tasks that coaches need to consider when building a competitive, winning program. 

Wisconsin’s Dean Oliver has earned a reputation for being a point guard specialist when it comes to developing strong guard play and rock-solid point guards who can lead the team.

In this fully loaded video, Coach Oliver unveils a complete point-guard training plan and unlocks the essentials for defending ball screens.

Point Guard Play: Training Tips, Tactics & Drills

Covering the importance and impact that the point guard position can have on the floor, Coach Oliver explains how and why possessing a ‘coach on the floor’ directly leads to less turnovers and more buckets for your offense.  

Beginning with ball handling, Oliver demonstrates his favorite daily full-court drills. These drills are all designed with a focus on ‘keeping your eyes up,’ making a strong move or double-move, and the importance of staying low to become more explosive.  

Coach Oliver showcases the ‘Retreat-Dribble Drill,’ which teaches players to play smart with the basketball. The drill’s dribble-move maintains a focus on the point guard keeping his or her head up and staying under control while attacking defenses.

Another drill features players driving to the basket and using the retreat-dribble move to escape a defense that is keyed on stopping drives. Players use a quick pass to the wing, as their teammates rotate over. This is an excellent drill to use before games to get ball handlers prepared and have them work on overhead passes or using reverse pivot passes.  

In the ‘Change-of-Speed Drill,’ the focus is on training guards how to shift their speed while being defended, drive down the lane, come to a jump stop and work on several different pivots to finish around the rim.  

Defending Ball Screens 

A key component to all good defenses is the ability to defend and shut down a good shooter who runs off a screen. Defenders must be in the right position to blow up the screen and throw an opposing offense out of its rhythm.

Coach Oliver explains why it’s important that once a defender sees a screen coming, he or she must maintain a defensive mindset and execute tactics that force the ball handler over the top of the screen. 

In a drill he calls the ‘Half-Court Drill,’ Oliver showcases how opposing offenses often run continuous screens at a defender, which forces the defender to utilize a tactic to ‘get skinny’ to keep up with his or her assigned offensive player. The work done in this drill teaches defenders how to play quickly, while using proper technique and footwork to stay with their opponent. 

In a great combination drill, Oliver demonstrates different types of on-the-ball screening actions and shows the techniques defenders must use to beat on-the-ball screen defense and stay with assigned defenders. Offensively, this drill also helps guards and ball handlers read a variety of screening actions and look for the best possible scoring opportunity. 

Coaches looking for effective ways to improve point guard play and learn teachable methods for defending on-the-ball screens will love this video!

Customer Review: 5 Out of 5 Stars. ‘Coach Oliver fills this video with great coaching information, including guard-training concepts, strategies to defend ball screens and a variety of good drills that coaches can use in their next practice!’

41 minutes. 2023.