We all know that we "should" be patient.

But like many positive virtues, it can be easier said than done!

This is true in life. It's also true in basketball. Coaches talk about being patient on offense and finding a good shot. Patience is important in that context.

However, that's not the only place it matters. Patience is also important in allowing your offensive actions to develop with proper spacing!

This is true of every offense, including 3x State Champion Nate Steege's Zoom Offense.

What Dirty Dancing Got Wrong About Spacing

Patrick Swayze might have had a point when it comes to dancing, but basketball is a different beast!

The goal on offense is to maximize spacing. Using the corners allows you to do that. It's a great way to stretch the defense horizontally.

Some players feel underutilized in the corners. It's not a primary ball handling spot. That's okay.

There have been NBA players who've made tens of millions of dollars by being able to play a little defense and make corner 3's. It's indisputable that the corner has value on offense.

So what's the problem?

The Corner Conundrum: Helping Players Embrace Their Role

The issue is that players get antsy in the corner! As Coach Steege says, getting players to hold the corner is the most challenging part of the Zoom Offense.

You can see why this happens. The corner player wants to get involved in the offense. It's like they can't help themselves! You've got to make your players aware of this situation and explain the problems it causes.

2 HUGE Problems With Leaving The Corner Too Soon

Here are the biggest issues with players who leave the corner too soon:

• It messes up the timing of your actionsTake a traditional zoom, for instance, which involves a pindown into a handoff or pitch.

In the diagrams, 3 does a great job waiting for 1's screen. This does 2 things:

• Prevents 1 from getting called for an illegal screen. If 3 leaves too early, 1 doesn't have time to get set, meaning the screen is likely to be illegal or ineffective.
• Gives 3 options on how to use the screen. By being patient, 3 can see how X3 is going to defend, then decide to use the screen, curl the screen, or go backdoor. Patience buys the time to make that decision.

• It messes up your spacing -in the second frame of the Zoom Action, we see 3 take the handoff from 2 and attack the paint. Because 3 held the corner in the first frame, they received the handoff outside the paint.

This gives them space to attack. Remember, there are 4 players on the left side of the court (not shown). The wider 3 takes the handoff, the more space they have to attack the paint.

This puts the help defenders in a bind. If they don't help, 3 can get to the rim. If they do help, 3 can kick out to a shooter.

If 3 leaves early and ends up getting the handoff inside the elbows, those help defenders can help on the drive and get back to shooters.

Turning Talk into Action: Strategies for Teaching Patience

As Coach Steege says, you must make this a daily emphasis in practice. The more you harp on it, the more likely your players are to do it.

However, don't settle for just verbal reminders. Have a coach stand in the corner and hold the offensive player's jersey until the appropriate time to explode up out of the corner.

Progress to having the player hold a trash can that you've placed in the corner until the appropriate time to vacate. This puts the decision on the player and allows you to see if they are being patient enough.

Finally, watch film! The film doesn't lie. Show your players examples of when they leave too early. Show them the negative consequences of that decision.

Many players won't believe they are doing it until they see it. So make film your friend.

As part of this, ask them why they are leaving early. Getting them thinking about what causes them to do this can help bring about the desired change.

Small Adjustments, Big Results: The Power of Holding the Corner

Holding the corner for an extra beat doesn't seem like a big deal. But it is! If you can get your players to do this, your offense will run more smoothly.

The great thing is, your players don't have to get bigger, faster, or more skilled to do this-just more aware.

Show them the benefits and see your offense improve.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau once said, "Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet." This is true here as well. While it's hard for players to master this habit, they'll be happy they did!

Related Resources

The Zoom Conceptual Offense With Nate Steege

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