The best players always seem to know what’s going to happen before it does.

Think of Nicola Jokic. His ability to scan the defense and anticipate openings is uncanny. It’s a big part of why he’s a 3x MVP.

Some people are born fast. Not all who are born fast can play fast.

Others, like Jokic, don’t seem to be quick, but always get where they want to on the court.

Why? Because speed is not just physical. A large part of it is mental. And the great news is, every player can become faster mentally by embracing and practicing one skill!

Why Scanning Separates The Best From The Rest

The idea of court vision has been around for a long time. The concept of scanning as relates to sports was most recently popularized by Doug Lemov’s book The Coach’s Guide To Teaching.

Scanning is the ability to look away from the ball to see the position of players around you.

Most players are ball watchers. Their eyes are locked on the ball and they miss most of what is happening on the floor.

However, don’t take this to mean you have to see everything. That’s not possible, nor is it desirable.

You don’t want to see everything. Lemov refers to that as ‘nervous eyes’. This is the player who tries to factor every variable into their decision and ends up indecisive. In other words, paralysis by analysis.

What you want to do is to see what’s important. That’s what Lemov calls the ‘quiet eye’. With a quiet eye, you focus only on what’s important and you tune everything else out.

That sounds great. But how do you do it? How do you know what to pay attention to and what to ignore?

Is What You’re Seeing Signal Or Noise?

Lemov refers to relevant information as signals. Everything else is just noise.

So what are the signals you should look at? Let’s consider some common situations you find yourself in:

• Receiving a pass - in this case, the position of your defender is a huge signal. As the ball is coming to you, you should sneak a peek at your defender. Knowing their position before you catch the ball allows you to be decisive.

  If you see them playing off, catch ready to shoot. If you see them trailing, look to run through the pass and continue for a layup.

  It’s true that in most cases you are the most open when you receive the ball.  Too many players catch and then look at their defender. This gives away your advantage.

  By seeing the defender first, you can be decisive on the catch and keep the advantage.

  A second signal is the rim. It’s a good habit to get your head to the rim when receiving a pass.  You might see an open cutter. You might see a teammate posting up.

  This also makes your defender believe you are a scoring threat. When you catch and never see the rim, you are much easier to guard.

  Finally, by getting your head to the rim, your peripheral vision will pick up other scoring opportunities.

• When off the ball - your defender is the signal. Is your defender overplaying? Cut backdoor. If your defender sags off? Stay wide.

  In transition, are you behind the defense? Then run to the rim. Are there defenders back in the paint? Run to the arc.

  Remember, space is the goal of offense. So see your defender and find space accordingly.

• When looking to pass - the player guarding you is noise. Poor players get overwhelmed and focus on their defender. This prevents them from seeing what’s happening around them.

  The signal is the off ball defenders. Yes, you need to know where your teammates are. But, it’s usually the positioning of the defenders that tell you what to do.

  Is the defender hugged up on their player? Don’t throw it. Is a defender sitting in the gap while you dribble? Throw it to the player they are guarding.

  You’ll notice I said “defender(s)”. This is because you often need to see multiple defenders. Think of a backdoor pass or a post entry. You’ll likely need to see not just the on ball defender but the help defender as well. 

• When driving - when you drive there are a couple signals. The first is your relationship to the player guarding you.

  As a general rule, if your shoulder is on their chest, you have an advantage. Keep going! Too many players don’t do this.

  Once you’ve read that signal and established you have an advantage, your signal is the help defender.

  There are a couple ways to interpret that signal:

  • Pass where the help comes from - if the help comes from the strong side corner, kick it out to that player.

  • Early help, early pass; late help, late pass - if the help comes early, give the ball up early. If the help comes late, give the ball up late. Make the pass when the help commits.

  • If you see shoulder, attack; if you see chest, pass - look at the position of the help defender. If their shoulder is facing you, keep attacking. They are mostly thinking about recovering to their player.

    However, if you see chest (you can see their numbers), pass. In that position they are prioritizing stopping your drive and the pass should be available.

  If the defender gets their chest in front of you (chest to chest), that’s the defense’s advantage. In that case, you have to divert your drive.

  You could execute a bounce out dribble. You could turn your drive into a post up. You could go between the legs or behind the back and change directions.

  The signal has told you that you don’t have an advantage. Thus, you need to alter your plan.

• When shooting - the rim! This seems obvious, but too many players are distracted by noise when shooting. They are worried about getting their shot blocked.

  One other way noise interferes with shooting is when players use changing targets. Decide what you will aim for - the center of the hoops, the front of the rim, the back of the rim, etc. Then stick to it. Be consistent with the signal you pick.

• When a shot goes up - the flight of the ball is your signal. Too many players look at the player they are boxing out (on defense) or is boxing them out (on offense). This is a secondary signal.

  You should first use the flight of the ball to determine where you think the shot is going to go. I can’t tell you how many players who are so focused on boxing out that the ball bounces right past them.

  This is not to say that boxing out is not important. It is. But knowing where the ball is likely to come off informs your box out.  If the shot is going to be an air ball, you may not even need to box out.

• When guarding the ball - your defender's midsection is the primary signal. Your defender can fake with their feet and the ball. However, they can’t fake with their midsection. Learning to focus your attention there first is a good starting point.

  Their eyes would be the secondary signal. Yes, players can deceive with their eyes. But most don’t. Most players telegraph their next move with their vision. Watch their eyes to anticipate what’s coming next.

  Finally, the ball is a third signal. This is especially true when the player is not dribbling. If the ball is above their head, the only good option is to pass. This means you can pressure more and shadow the ball with your hands.

  If the ball is below their waist, they are more likely to dribble. This means you should give a little more space and keep your hands at ball height.

Train Your Eyes & See Your Game Grow

Start using these signals when you practice and play. Once you know what to look for, the game becomes much simpler.

You’re able to narrow your focus and see what truly matters.

When you practice, remind yourself of the signal you need to look for before a drill. After a period of time, they’ll become second nature.

In doing so, you’ll play at a quicker speed. You’ll also make smarter decisions. That puts you on the fast track to becoming a better player!

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