LEVEL 3Defense5v5
Breaking the Handoff
A dribble handoff is a screen disguised as a pass: one player dribbles at a teammate and hands them the ball, using their own body to block the new ball-handler's defender. If you're that defender, the danger is getting caught behind two bodies while your man curls off with the ball. The keys: see it coming — handoffs telegraph themselves when a player dribbles toward a teammate with no other purpose — and stay attached on the top side. If you trail even slightly, your teammate guarding the passer must step up and slow the ball until you recover.
READ THIS
See the handoff forming — a player dribbling toward a teammate with their body turned sideways, shoulders shaping to shield the exchange.
DO THIS
Call the coverage early, lock to the receiver's top shoulder through the exchange, and have the passer's defender step up to stall the curl until you recover.
COACHING LINEAGE
Tom Thibodeau
Help defense positioning: one pass away, always. Be early, not late.