Gregg Popovich appears on Coaches Corner
Spurs head coach breaks down a lob play from last season.
It’s not every day you get an in-depth breakdown of a San Antonio Spurs play from the mastermind of said play. That’s just what the NBA gave us on Tuesday.
This week’s edition of the NBA’s Coaches Corner featured Spurs head coach, Gregg Popovich breaking down a lob play from the 2022-23 season. Popovich joined Nekias Duncan and Steve Jones Jr., the co-hosts of The Dunker Spot to break down the X’s and O’s behind a game-tying play from last season.
In the play, the Spurs use Devonte’ Graham as a decoy, opening up a slip for Keldon Johnson to receive a game-tying dunk against the Dallas Mavericks. Popovich talks about the important use of misdirection to throw off a switching defense.
“One of the reasons something like this works is because everyone switches these days,” Popovich said. “That’s what has changed the game in the NBA to a great degree – all of the switches everybody does. You can theoretically stay in front of everyone, you can switch, but it allows for this kind of a (defensive) mistake.”
The Mavericks’ lack of communication on who is taking the screener leaves a wide-open lob attempt for Johnson, which he finished after the pass from Malaki Branham.
This is a rare in-depth breakdown from Popovich. He’s been famous in the past for not diving too deep into the X’s and O’s with the media in pre- and post-game interviews. This is great insight from one of the brightest minds in basketball history. Coaches Corner, in general, has been a great way for fans to learn more about the game directly from those orchestrating it.
