Nick Nurse: Pro-Style Spread Offense + Finishing & Shooting Drills

with Nick Nurse,
Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) Head Coach;
Toronto Raptors (NBA) Head Coach from 2018 to 2023;
2019 NBA Champions;
2020 NBA Coach of the Year;
2020 NBA All-Star Game Head Coach;
Toronto Raptors Assistant Coach from 2013 to 2018;
Rio Grande Valley Vipers (NBA D-League) Head Coach from 2011 to 2013;
2013 NBA (D-League) Champions;
Iowa Energy (NBA D-League) Head Coach from 2007 to 2011;
2011 NBA (D-League) Champions;
2011 NBA G-League Dennis Johnson Coach of the Year;
head coach in the British Basketball League (BBL) for the Manchester Giants, London Towers and Brighton Bears between 1995 and 2006;
2x BBL Champions;
2x BBL Coach of the Year;
2003 English Cup;
1999 Uni-Ball Trophy;
Head coach for Telindus Oostende (Belgium) in 1998;
1998 Belgian Cup and Super Cup;
played collegiately for Northern Iowa

Over the course of his acclaimed coaching career, Nick Nurse has been a champion at every level of basketball. From an NBA championship to G-League Championships, to British League Championships - Nurse has built a successful legacy all over the world - implementing a winning style and tough-to-counter strategies on offense and defense.

Using the Spread Offense to build an explosive offensive attack and championship habits, Coach Nurse has developed some great finishers and dynamic scorers. In this instructional coaching video, Nurse lays out not only the basic foundation of the Spread Offense, but provides several winning entries and proven actions that you can use to build an attacking offensive system. 

Basic Setup, Drills

Coach Nurse begins by showcasing a 4-out and 1-down setup with two players positioned in the corners. He also utilizes a trail and point guard push player, and a rim runner so that your offense can start early in transition, push the pace and create an attacking style of play.

According to Nurse, attacking the rim with the point guard, who gets into the paint and looks to either finish at the rim or looks to execute a kick-out pass, makes the defense collapse and leaves catch-and-shoot 3-point shot options or ball reversals with an attack from the opposite side of the floor.  

Coach Nurse explains how these options alone makes your offense tough to defend in transition, but also, while building from the basic setup, you can begin to implement tactics such as pitch actions (which gets players going downhill) and enter the ball into the paint. From there, your point guards will have multiple options including: finishing at the rim, hitting the weak-side corner or hitting the strong-side corner.  

As a by-product of this attack, the ability to provide players with reps and work on finishing and reading defenders, builds up their offensive IQ.

Coach Nurse demonstrates a highly effective '3-On-1, Plus-a-Chaser Drill' that provides your offense with the opportunity to work on attacking the paint to practice finishing at the rim, execute kickout passes for quick ball reversals or look for catch-and-shoot 3-point opportunities.  The '3-On-1, Plus-a-Chaser Drill' is a great build-up drill and is perfect for building game-like situations. Nurse explains how the drill helps your offense translate defense into offense.

In the 'Finishing Drill,' players work on building their attacking skills and finishing around the rim in a 2-on-1 situation that begins from half court. This drill helps your players learn to think about the 'finish' first and making the pass second. 

Half-Court Offense And Actions 

Once positioned in the half court, your offense must operate smoothly and look to attack the paint as part of the Spread Offense philosophy. By incorporating Swing Action, Nurse shows how you can include 'Pistol Actions' or 'Dribble Hand-Off' actions as dynamic ways to attack the defense. 

Utilizing these two actions, according to Nurse, opens up great looks in a half-court offense and creates misdirection against any defense.

Any good action deserves a counter! Coach Nurse delivers game-tested counter options, which include ball reversals, drag screens, around and pin-down actions to get your offense moving and generate effective space within the Spread Offense.

Nurse explains how these actions force defenders to collapse toward the baseline, leaving driving angles and kick-out 3-point shots as excellent scoring options.  

5-Out Spread 

Coach Nurse concludes with a showcase of Spread Offense options from a 5-Out alignment that really puts defenses into a bind. Using similar actions such as 'around' and 'pin down' creates mismatches for help-side defenders. 

By forcing long close-outs or off-balance defenders, Nurse explains how you can add an extra layer of aggression to your offense and force defenses to struggle to put together a scouting report against your offense.

Attacking the rim and looking for catch-and-shoot 3-point shots places heavy pressure on opposing defenses. Nick Nurse has utilized this style of play to win championships at all levels and consistent success throughout his coaching career. 

In this highly valuable video, by opening his playbook and showcasing what the Spread Offense can do, Coach Nurse showcases why players love this style of offensive basketball - as they get a chance to focus on getting to the rim and knocking down 3-pointers.

This is a must-watch offensive presentation for all levels of basketball.

Customer Review: 5-Out of 5 Stars. 'Excellent video! Coach Nurse showcases the many options contained within the Spread Offense. It's a must-have for coaches who are looking to create an attacking style of play.' 

74 minutes. 2024.