

Jeff Van Gundy Returns! On Defending Great Players, Efficient Scoring Opportunities, and Giving Impactful Feedback {LA Clippers}
27 snips Aug 1, 2025
Join Jeff Van Gundy, Los Angeles Clippers assistant coach and former Knicks and Rockets head coach, as he shares his extensive coaching wisdom. He dives into the essentials of defending elite players, emphasizing disciplined technique and strong communication. Discover his unique insights on the evolving role of offensive rebounding and the critical balance in giving feedback that resonates. With humor, he introduces his 'sniper rule' for transition defense and reflects on the transition from broadcasting back to coaching, making this an enlightening listen for coaches everywhere.
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Basics in Defending Stars
- Defend great players by honoring the spot-up shooter as much as the star player.
- Prioritize transition defense, defensive rebounding, and avoiding reckless fouls to disrupt star players effectively.
Use Communication to Boost Physicality
- Encourage loud communication to boost defensive intensity and physicality.
- Legally hit everything moving toward the ball to assert physical defense without reckless fouling.
Value of Defensive Focus
- Having enough defensive variety to disrupt great players is more important than constantly changing schemes.
- Doing few things really well outweighs doing many things poorly in practice and execution.