| MBB/WBB Nate Oats Contract Extension

[Justneedme81]

Well driving to basket to open 3s...hows that worked last monrh...?

I'm not gonna explain to you because I feel like @TerryP and @Brandon Van de Graaff touched on this recently about the inside to outside and outside to inside game and which one is popular.

 

[TerryP]

I'm not gonna explain

Remember:

 

[50+yeartidefan]

I'm not gonna explain to you because I feel like @TerryP and @Brandon Van de Graaff touched on this recently about the inside to outside and outside to inside game and which one is popular.

Thanks.

 

[alabamajack]

Yeah the defense was subpar in a lot of games and was absolutely putrid in some games but I'm freaking ecstatic for what Oates has done. I'd gladly take a 4 seed every year.

 

[Bammerboy321]

This is coming in next season. Reid is going to be damn good.

 

[alabama mike]

I really enoy the brand of basketball CNO has brought to Tuscaloosa and the excitement he has built again from the fan base. My only criticism with Oats is the horrendous defense we play, wish it was much better.

 

[BamaFan334]

I'm not gonna explain to you because I feel like @TerryP and @Brandon Van de Graaff touched on this recently about the inside to outside and outside to inside game and which one is popular.

Philosophy can be explained all day long, but the execution is what matters. Playing within the confines of your abilities is also necessary. If it ain't working, it doesn't matter how successful it sounds, it won't start working when you're considered limited. @50+yeartidefan is not wrong that the dribble inside kick out has hurt us. It hurt us under Avery Johnson. I've never been big on leaving your feet trying to create a passing lane or movement that allows you to pass in a very limited opportunity, especially heading out of bounds while in the air while teams are also playing the three point line! When you're careless with the ball, a difficult philosophy against top level competition makes it even harder to see success.

 

[BamaFan334]

I'll add this. Oats has been great for the University of Alabama. What he has done has been terrific. In my smaller window than most here of being an Alabama fan, it has mostly been filled with us biting our nails to see if we make the Dance or having to make a run in the SEC Tournament just to be given a chance. Nate has erased that and built a program that is a fixture in the Dance and faces big time competition head on with more success than failures. You can't not love that.

His offense needs a true point guard and a tough big man. Without those two we can't sustain an upward trajectory with the three point shooting and win ball games, because of the three point line defense. He'll figure it out as I'm sure there was some shock when some guys left for the NBA this past season, but he'll start recruiting more depth.

 

[Justneedme81]

Philosophy can be explained all day long, but the execution is what matters. Playing within the confines of your abilities is also necessary. If it ain't working, it doesn't matter how successful it sounds, it won't start working when you're considered limited. @50+yeartidefan is not wrong that the dribble inside kick out has hurt us. It hurt us under Avery Johnson. I've never been big on leaving your feet trying to create a passing lane or movement that allows you to pass in a very limited opportunity, especially heading out of bounds while in the air while teams are also playing the three point line! When you're careless with the ball, a difficult philosophy against top level competition makes it even harder to see success.

There's risk and reward with any offense that's run these days. motion offense: It can be exposed by an aggressive defense, force them to turn over the ball, especailly when the team has lack of talent that can't execute motion offense well.

We can run Triangle, zone offense, ISO offense, etc and there will always be something for people to complain.

 

[Justneedme81]

I encourage everyone to read the article. This explains Nat Oats offense in depth: It was written last year.

‘Bama Basketball Xs and Os: What exactly does Nate Oats system do?

Something borrowed, something (Villanova) blue. Something old, something new.

www.rollbamaroll.com

If A then B, if B then C, if C then D, then arriving at the conclusion: points and wins.

• The first step of is that chain, “A” is the defense.

That relies on good positioning, effort, foundational play strong rebounding, closing out on your man, harassing the shooter etc. And Alabama defends very well. It is 3rd-6th in most defensive efficiency matrices. But, more granularly, it is tied with Houston for No. 1 where it matters most: field goal efficiency defense. It is very hard to get open looks against the team when they are playing soundly. Because it is remarkably aggressive and fouls a great deal, the Tide do give up more points than most “defensive teams.” But make no mistake, this team is first and foremost built on that defense.

• That brings us to the second part of the “chain” — Transition.

Upon a change of possession, particularly a miss, the offense focuses on getting up the court with speed looking for an easy entry to the rim, a defender out of position, a trailing man falling off his shooter, etc. If the looks are there in transition, Alabama will absolutely take the shot, exploiting any weaknesses they spot in the the opponent’s transition defense.

• That brings us to the third part of the “chain” — Analytics.

First, the highest percentage play in basketball is around the rim: dunks, layups, put backs. It is there where Alabama focuses its initial attack. And why not: it’s a high-reward, low-risk play that converts into points, puts opponents into foul trouble, and sets up for many and-one plays — which are obviously easier to convert than three from the field.

• The fourth step of the “chain” — Dribble drive penetration and motion

If the Tide can’t convert in transition, then it sets up its offense: to the outside it looks like a Chinese fire drill of frenetic energy and extra passes played at such a pace that there’s simply no way for most teams to prepare for it in advance.

This is the “five-out” offense, and is exactly what the name implies.

Unlike traditional offenses where a center may man the post, and a forward is camping out near the key, all five of Alabama’s players begin by working the perimeter. And from there, they drive into the lane off of screens, cuts, etc. If points are to be had in the paint, they take them. If not, the team makes the extra pass and the ball works around the horn always trying to find the open look. In particular, Nate Oats loves dribble-drive penetration to the interior to collapse the defense, and then kicking it out to the baseline (either to take the three or swing the ball to another open shooter).

Floor spacing, crisp passing, screens, cutting.

The downside to all the passing and putting the ball on the floor (rather than iso play or the two-man game), is that Alabama traditionally turns the ball over a bit more than you’d expect for an elite team.

• The next step of the chain — Tempo.

We’ve discussed here many times in the context of football that good teams create additional possessions for themselves. The same concept applies in basketball. To do that, Alabama plays at breakneck speed. It is the fastest team in the country, in fact, at just about 78 possessions per game. As with the frenzied passing, there’s simply no way for teams to approximate the speed at which Alabama plays, nor do they have the conditioning to do so (and it is also no secret why Alabama’s bench runs 10-deep. They are human after all).

Defense. Three-and-rim. Do it fast.

The greatest analytical plays in basketball reflect the Crimson Tide: creating extra possessions and maximizing the possessions you do have.

And it all starts with defense.

 

[Justneedme81]

I'll add this. Oats has been great for the University of Alabama. What he has done has been terrific. In my smaller window than most here of being an Alabama fan, it has mostly been filled with us biting our nails to see if we make the Dance or having to make a run in the SEC Tournament just to be given a chance. Nate has erased that and built a program that is a fixture in the Dance and faces big time competition head on with more success than failures. You can't not love that.

His offense needs a true point guard and a tough big man. Without those two we can't sustain an upward trajectory with the three point shooting and win ball games, because of the three point line defense. He'll figure it out as I'm sure there was some shock when some guys left for the NBA this past season, but he'll start recruiting more depth.

The only part I disagree is the one in bold. We've done pretty good job with that this year.

 

[Justneedme81]

Philosophy can be explained all day long, but the execution is what matters. Playing within the confines of your abilities is also necessary. If it ain't working, it doesn't matter how successful it sounds, it won't start working when you're considered limited. @50+yeartidefan is not wrong that the dribble inside kick out has hurt us. It hurt us under Avery Johnson. I've never been big on leaving your feet trying to create a passing lane or movement that allows you to pass in a very limited opportunity, especially heading out of bounds while in the air while teams are also playing the three point line! When you're careless with the ball, a difficult philosophy against top level competition makes it even harder to see success.

I forgot to add that This collapse the defense. It forces the defense to overreact. This is how it gets guy open.

Another example:

Class was in session, and Pannone started with a formula.

Offense = Spacing + timing + ball movement + player movement + reading/decision making

It boils down to three simple steps.

“This is like your equation for offense,” Pannone said. “Now within that, you want to create the advantage, keep the advantage and use the advantage.”

Therein lies Alabama’s approach to offense. It’s been a staple of Oats’ teams over his five seasons at Alabama. It predates Pannone at Alabama, but on this afternoon in his office, Pannone became the teacher. Here’s the lesson:

The advantage: When a defender is not between you and the basket, an advantage is created. There are three stages:

1. Create the advantage. Find a way to create separation or an opening. Once you have it, you have a half second to decide what to do next.
2. Keep the advantage. Many players aren’t willing to keep the advantage because often that means passing and not shooting. It’s better to pass and keep the advantage than lose the advantage and attempt a contested shot, which isn’t efficient.
3. Use the advantage. If there’s an opportunity to score, make the most of it. If you have the defender on your hip, go to the basket and shoot. If you have an open look from deep, shoot. Both are efficient shots.

“When we’re looking to add guys, we wanted guys with a willingness to keep the advantage,” Pannone said. “Keep the advantage doesn’t mean use the advantage. Everyone wants to score. Now, if we have guys who only care about scoring, it kills your offense.”

Alabama’s offense is all about efficiency and creating an environment where efficient decisions are made. The Crimson Tide wants shots in this order: Free throws, layups and then 3-pointers.

“Free throws are the most efficient shot of the game,” Oats said. “How do you get to the free-throw line? You drive the ball. How do you drive the ball? You get the lane open.”

A common misconception about Alabama’s offense is that it only wants to shoot 3-pointers. No doubt, the Crimson Tide lets them fly at a high clip, but the 3-pointers aren’t the top priority.

“The threes are a byproduct of us trying to get layups,” Bauman said.

When teams have to collapse to defend the paint, it opens up players on the perimeter. If a player driving for a layup is covered but wants to keep the advantage, he will kick it to an open teammate who can drain a 3-pointer.

“Alabama is the only high-major program who runs an all-out NBA system,” Pannone said. “The transference of how I see the game of basketball to how it was being played at Alabama fit perfectly. For most programs that are not playing an open, up-tempo, analytically-driven style, the value I could bring to that program would be mitigated.”

 

[Justneedme81]

The offense in 2023-24 isn’t drastically different; It is still Oats’ offense that he has built through the years. However, there have been some tweaks to take it to the next level. New players brought new abilities. The return of others saw continued development. Also, Pannone brought a few ideas (He had offensive input conceptually in the summer and fall. Then he ran the defense for a portion of nonconference play before Oats moved Pannone to offense with Bauman while Oats switched to running the defense himself).

“What people don’t understand about Nate Oats is, one of his elite qualities is his openness,” Pannone said. “All he wants to do is find answers to get better. A grad assistant could give him an idea, and he’s going to listen.”

One concept: Shrink threes.

Pannone and Oats began talking about them before Pannone was even on staff. Then with Pannone on staff, Alabama adopted the concept this season.

What are shrink threes? They are essentially more efficient 3-pointers, taken when the defense must collapse in the paint, opening up a shooter from beyond the arc. The defense has to shrink, creating the opportunity for an open catch-and-shoot 3-pointer.

“That’s where we’re trying to get our guys,” Oats said. “Don’t take bad threes. Take these shrink threes. Pannone brought that concept in.”

Another new idea: Moving the big to a new spot.

Alabama has put its bigs on the perimeter more instead of playing them closer to the basket in the dunkers spot, which is just outside the lane near the baseline. But not to shoot necessarily: It's to help facilitate offense.

“He’s always going to be open,” Pannone said. “If you get there and don’t have anything, just go find the Five … He’s like the release valve.”

Nick Pringle has been invaluable for the offense in that way. He is described as a connector: His job is to connect the offense from one side of the floor to the other. Other players do that as well, but each coach raved about Pringle’s ability specifically.

“Nick Pringle does an unbelievable job of screening for others,” Bauman said. “He’s probably as good of a big we’ve had at creating shots for others off screens. He’s really unselfish that way.”

That’s just one example of selfless play in this offense, something Oats, Bauman and Pannone cited as a key ingredient.

Said Oats: "To have guys like Aaron, Wrightsell, Sears, guys that could continue to settle for less efficient, more selfish shots instead of getting the most efficient, best shot for the team as a whole ... you couldn’t put together an offense like this.”

 

[BamaFan334]

The only part I disagree is the one in bold. We've done pretty good job with that this year.

Well, I didn't mean that like we don't have one, I was just stating in general. I think Sears is a great point guard. We just missed the true big man this year. If we have both like we did last year with Bediako, Sears/Quinnerly, and Clowney, we showed we could penetrate, dish, layup/shoot and see high success.