Developing the Undersized Post Player

and Barry Hecker,
former Memphis Grizzlies (NBA) and Los Angeles Clippers Assistant Coach; more than 30 years professional and collegiate coaching experience

Adrian Dantley is one of the best small forwards ever to dominate the post in the NBA. Throughout his career, he was highly effective on the block even though he was often shorter than his opponents. He also consistently found his way to the foul line. Dantley's on-court success was a direct result of the time he spent in the gym working on the fundamentals of the game and practicing them repeatedly.

In this video presentation, Dantley shares a post player workout that should become part of your athletes' daily routine before or after practice, as well as in the off-season. He uses drills and moves that made him a successful NBA player and led to his Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame induction. Dantley begins by concentrating on fundamental footwork in the post. He progresses to automating finishes close to the hoop and closes with techniques for turning athletes into tough scoring machines.

The hook shot is one of the most underused moves in basketball. It was the "go to" move for Kareem Abdul-Jabaar, the NBA's all-time scoring leader. As part of his video presentation, Dantley demonstrates the move, teaches the fundamentals of it and then combines it with other basketball moves to finish effectively at the rim. Even perimeter players can use this killer shot to finish around the rim and avoid being blocked by taller players.

Dantley then takes his game down to the low post. Here he shows the fundamental drills he used to develop his game around the basket. The Mikan drill, a staple in his workout, will help any player become more efficient around the basket. The drop step, which is part of Dantley's catalog of low-block moves, is an effective way to seal the defender behind you as you attack the rim.

As a player, Dantley was not limited to the low post. He took his defenders to the perimeter and attacked from there. In this presentation, Dantley shares the drills and techniques that made him successful at perimeter play. He demonstrates how to develop the forward pivot and reverse pivot, and how to efficiently pivot in multiple directions to increase scoring options. These simple moves set the stage for the next part of the game-developing attack moves. Dantley shows how to effectively execute the crossover, between the legs, behind the back and spin moves to get open looks at the rim.

This on-court demonstration, which shows how Dantley developed his NBA game, is great for motivated players and coaches who need to develop post players from the ground up.

Utilizing Adrian Dantley's Post Workout on a daily basis will develop tough post players with a diverse and nearly unstoppable arsenal of shots.

44 minutes. 2014.