7 Skills To Be A Dominant Big Man

The narrative that the dominant low post player is extinct is true and false. Bigs, otherwise known as "centers" and "power forwards," do not receive nearly the glory that perimeter players do. These days, it seems as though all players want to do is shoot and attack from the perimeter. A lot of players think a “Big” is just someone that does the dirty work. In reality, you can completely DOMINATE a game by being a force on the low block.

Right now, many believe it’s the "pace and space" era. It should be noted however, Duke just won the 2015 national championship game with a dominant low post player named Jahlil Okafor, and UNC was a game-winning 3 away from winning this years national championship with a dominant front line consisting of Brice Johnson, Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks. Furthermore, the San Antonio Spurs, the most consistent franchise in terms of winning over the last 20 years, won 67 games setting a franchise record for wins in a season. San Antonio has 2-3 dominant Bigs in their rotation. So shying away from the bumping and bruising may work for certain teams in certain situations, but don’t count the big man out just yet. Sports, just like everything in life, go through phases.

The reason many “bigs” have not reached the level of success they crave is they are not putting in the work necessary to be a successful big man. Below are the keys to success for any big man looking to dominate a game.

1) Run the Floor

Sprinting the floor puts an immense amount of pressure on the opposing team. Shaquille O'Neal said it best on an episode of the Open Court series when he said his first move was sprinting down the middle of the floor and getting position right in front of the rim, a.k.a. The Rim Run. Running the floor creates easy baskets for you and scoring opportunities for others on the wing.

Option 1: Whether or not you receive a pass during your rim run. While rim running, you create what is known as gravity. In basketball terms, gravity is a term used to explain how the defense sucks in toward the Big because their positioning is deadlier than others. This allows perimeter players to play off of said gravity, providing more space for penetration and kick outs to shooters.

Option 2: Your defender has beaten you down the floor during transition, but you are still disciplined with your rim run. Once you reach the top of the charge circle, you want to pivot, seal and get big, DEMANDING the ball. Essentially, you bury the defender under the basket for an easy score.

2) Positioning

DO YOUR WORK EARLY. Positioning can be the difference between and-1’s and double teams resulting in turnovers. Any time you can receive an entry pass with 2 feet in the paint, you create a great scoring opportunity and force the defense into only 1 option, which is fouling you. In addition, duck ins are offer great opportunities for easy scores, as well. Duck ins - sealing the defender with deep positioning - can occur on ball reversals, BLOB (baseline out of bounds) plays and at the end of pick and roll actions.

If you cannot get 2 feet in the paint, every Big should have a “couch.” Your “couch” is an area you feel most comfortable, about midway between the block and the next hash mark. When receiving the entry pass while in your “couch” you want to come to a quick jump stop. That way you have not established a pivot foot and are able to read how the defender is defending you.

3) Vision

Vision is just as vital a skill for Bigs as it is for perimeter players. Offensively, vision can be broken down into multiple actions; while on the block, vs. a double team, pick and roll, reading dribble penetration to space to the proper angle and when setting off ball screens. For the purpose of this post I will only talk about while on the low block and vs. double teams. I will dive into the options a Big has for reading dribble penetration, ball screens/dribble handoffs and off the ball screens in another post.

While on the block, Bigs need to demonstrate patience while letting cutters cut (past the midline) and screeners screen before making a move. Two of the best examples of demonstrating this skill are Andrew Bogut and Draymond Green. Both players have exceptional vision and posses a unique ability to thread the needle to cutters.

Once you become a successful low post player, double teams will be an every game read. For the most part, double teams on low post players come from the middle of the floor. To help negate or slow down a double team, ball fakes are critical. The best ball fake would be a 2 handed ball fake to the top of the key, on the catch, just to occupy the dig defenders - a defender guarding a perimeter player coming down with active hands playing cat and mouse, attempting to get you to pass the ball out of the post - for a split second.

If the double team comes regardless, you have a few options: turn towards the baseline immediately, quickly read cutters or become a playmaker. To become a playmaker you have a basic move and a counter. First, you will have to initiate your dribble, nudge your primary defender, and bounce back on 2 feet. From this position, you will have a read to make. The doubling defender will either fully commit, in which you throw a skip pass to an open player, or if they back off you can get into your pound dribble-cross step middle finish - 1 hard dribble toward the middle into a running hook.

4) Scoring

Of course everyone wants to be a scorer! Am I right? To be a go-to scorer a player needs go-to moves (packages) that they have mastered. To simplify a Bigs go-to package, you should have a Baseline Series and Middle Series. IF you are advanced enough you can add a Dream Shake Series and/or a turn around J.

Likewise, skills such as having soft hands, changing speeds, the ability to finish lobs, finishing in grey areas and the ability to knock down a 15-foot jump shot are all critical. Now let me be clear, the ability to knock down a 15-foot jump shot is not a necessity, it is the icing on the cake.

To preface what your go-to moves should be, I need to make a point on a few key skills. On the catch, you need to have a wide base and your shoulders should be angled toward the opposite elbow (see Hakeem Olajuwon below).

While engaged with a live dribble or not, before you make a move baseline or middle you have to ask yourself one question: When looking toward the opposite elbow, can you see your defenders nose? If yes, attacking move is baseline. If no, attacking move is going middle.

Additionally, the ability to catch the ball, having soft hands, is key. Whether you like it or not, guards will not throw perfect passes or lobs, so you need to have soft hands to convert lobs when thrown your way. Also, most people think changing speeds is a skill needed solely for perimeter players. Bigs need to posses the ability and patience to change speeds, controlling your back down dribble into an explosive move. Lastly, a tough skill to develop is the ability to convert baskets in grey areas on the court i.e. short corner “the room” on the baseline and 5-10 feet away on the baseline.

At last, on to the good stuff, go-to packages and moves. Bigs NEED to have 1 go-to move that they convert at a high success rate and should go to that move consistently until stopped! The ability to make hooks with both hands going baseline and middle are a MUST. To breakdown how to develop these series’, you have to master one skill at a time. Once you have mastered that skill, you add the counter to that move. Now, you have the defense at your mercy, playing a guessing game and once you have that, you have them beat.

Baseline Series:

1. Quick Spin

2. Drop Step

3. Hook

4. Up & Under

Middle Series:

1. Hook

2. Up & Under

5) Dominate The Boards

The first step to dominating the boards on defense or offense is the desire to do so. Bigs have to consciously be thinking about rebounding the ball. The best rebounder I have seen with my two eyes is my former teammate, Bryan Hockaday. Bryan was never the most athletic or biggest player on the court, but he always had the mindset to grab every rebound there was. He ended up being top 10 in the nation in rebounding during the 2013-14 season, pulling down 12.7 rebounds per game. If you have the desire and anticipation to rebound you will win most battles. There are a few techniques to aid in getting better position to rebound but in my opinion, it’s all about your mindset and ability to make a play on the ball.

Offensively, there are a few actions that can put you in great rebounding position. As the roll man in a ball screen, you are in a position to attack the basket on the roll putting you in great position for offensive put backs. Likewise, rim runs in transition put you in great position to clean up missed layups and 3’s.

6) Screening

Most young players associate screening as a chore, something a player that is not good has to do. That perception couldn’t be further from the truth. Screening creates scoring opportunities, whether that’s for the cutter or the screener. As a Big, you have 3 types of screens you can set: a ball screen, a dribble handoff and an off the ball screen.

With any screen you set, you have to come to a quick jump stop getting wide and low. Depending on your coach’s philosophy on screening (head hunting or stand still) you should target the hips of the defender. As a screener you are allowed to pivot prior to your teammate coming off of your screen but you must hold the screen until they have completely passed you. As for off the ball screens, you can either slip the screen (fake the screen and open up to the ball while diving to the basket) or shape up. A shape up is defined by once your teammate has either rejected or used your screen, you pivot to open up to the ball.

Likewise, the ball screen is increasingly becoming the most popular action in the game meaning as a Big you have to know how to read a ball screen. I believe as the Big you should develop the ability to read the situation as opposed to having a set destination (roll, pop, space, short roll, re-screen). Also, there are two types of ways to roll to the basket:

1) "The fundamental way": Reverse pivot and open up to the ball handler right away

2) "The running roll": Front pivot. Just know that if you front pivot you are not “open” for one extra step because of the front pivot.

Lastly, Bigs are becoming more and more involved in dribble handoff actions. Just like with the ball screen, there are two types of ways to perform a dribble handoff. First, you come to a jump stop into the dribble handoff. Second, you perform a mini pitch into the dribble handoff. Essentially, the second way is a mini ball screen and creates more contact than the first.

7) Anchor the defense

As a Big, you are more than likely to guard another Big who plays on the low post (unless they can shoot from distance). This means that you are in perfect position to anchor the defense because you can see everything going on. Essentially, you have the responsibility to communicate with your teammates and call out screens, cutters, etc. Communication is an invaluable skill in anchoring your team’s defense and the best player in recent memory that possesses this skill is Kevin Garnett.

Not to mention, as the last line of defense you have the responsibility to provide help to your teammates if they get beat. Now, not everyone is a shot blocker so you need to know who you are. In my opinion being able to wall up or jump straight up to contest a finish is more vital than a player who goes for every single shot attempt. Shot blockers are more susceptible to fouls and giving up easy baskets than a discipline Big whose intention is to make your finish as difficult as possible. The best example of the wall up/vertical skill is to watch Timofey Mozgov.

In conclusion, the Big man still exists, and is still a top priority when building a team. As a player, you can have a HUGE impact on the game for your team. Stick with the process and you will enjoy tons of success!