This NBA Defense Shouldn't Work, But Does

#celtics #nba Special thanks to Geologie, save 70% by using my code COACHNICK, plus a special gift, at: geolog.ie/COACHNICK
When Boston Celtics center Luke Kornet started defending 3 pointers like this, you could see people laugh on the court. There's on way it could work, could it. But then he kept at it, and players kept missing. Coach Nick interviews Kornet himself to get his take on what works and why it might catch on.
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[@bonkersdonkers7381]

This makes sense. Shooters have it automatic to look at the rim to spatially organize themselves. Obscure that anchor point then you lower their percentage. However, some shooters have such absurd muscle memory that they could have a blind fold on and still make a 3.

[@jthrgrc574]

Like klay and curry

[@chalnervassor9430]

I guess its a mental thing.

[@YTzaecapone]

@@jthrgrc574 yeah don’t try this with Steph that’s a new 3pt record for him

[@ZincAddict]

this works on average shooters.... but if you can afford to leave average shooters wide open, that's a W for the D

[@sebastienlariviere8042]

SportsCenter did an episode on this and Klay was hitting 3s in complete darkness it was absolutely insane

[@Stoneflyfish]

This is unbelievable. I’m happy to see some defensive innovation in the League, it sorely needed it.

[@jonq8714]

The NBA will probably make this a non-contact offense foul...

[@acedaatlien9214]

@@jonq8714 Knowing the NBA they probably would.

[@jmgonzales7701]

I mean isnt there any defensive innovation?

[@trippinatormachine]

@Tyler Holt Exactly. Defense now is way more complex than how it was decades ago in terms of switching, drop coverage, hedging, etc. Players getting substantially better on offense within the past 10 years is a big reason for that, and is also a big reason why people tend to think defense has gotten worse but in reality it just hasn’t caught up to how good offense is now and it most likely never will.

[@MrHellothisisme]

I love just it: “What made you come up with this?” “Basically I was too lazy to run, so I jumped.” 😂

[@acctsys]

Lazy and smart makes for innovation

[@esekay3648]

Great way to put it. Sometimes working smart beats working hard.

[@ronvillejo7596]

Right 🙌🏻

[@frankenviews4069]

This kind of 3 point defense could have kept Golbert in Utah.

[@jayash2957]

Deadass thats funny asf😭

[@texchu8331]

pfftt. 😭 hey, it's not too late for minnesota to save their season. new twin tower defense!

[@YeeSoest]

PLEASE keep us updated on the stats on this. If it lowers the percentages all season, I'm betting we'll see it a lot next year!!

[@ZeitGeist_TV]

NBA is analytics driven so if the efficacy of this is consistent enough you'll definitely see teams adopt it.

[@mbvglider]

I think even if it works against the shooter, there'll be more technique involved in the future to keep the big man involved in contesting the rebound. Right now, he's not doing this.

[@brendanyu3547]

@@mbvglider In a PnR defense, the goal of the rim protector is to provide help for the roll man, then contest out for a corner 3. So technically whoever was on the roll man initially will box the rim runner anyways. Plus, jumping in the air like that actually puts him in a better position to grab rebounds than running out to the corner and jumping up. Its all situational though, there are times where you shouldn't use it if your defender will get an open dunk off of it

[@Steven-wq8tx]

Not gonna lie the worst thing for me shooting is when a long ass guy is closing out on me, I feel like I need to put extra arc on it or I’ll get blocked. Could be the same psychological thing with this

[@oxfordbambooshootify]

Very interesting method for contesting. The best shooters are trained daily to shoot over a suffocating closeout so just contesting far away from the shooter is already throwing the shooter's rhythm in for a loop on top of blocking the view of the rim

[@nathanielknight1838]

close to a mil is crazy, I've been watching this since the very beginning. Just amazing how much this channel grew and never really lost what it tried to do. No hype bs here, just facts.

[@xarmanhsh2981]

He is not close

[@acctsys]

I could imagine this working very well particularly for shots from the corners. Without the backboard as reference for distance, putting those hands up makes it challenging to judge distance. At the least, it messes up the rhythm unless the player practices shooting from an exact spot so much that muscle memory takes over overriding visual cues.

[@connorlittler266]

Great video. Do you think this defense would have less of an effect on those elite shooters you've talked about before who briefly follow the ball with their eyes as it leaves their hands rather than fixing on the rim? I suppose it depends on the timing of the jump from the defender. It will be very interesting to see if there is a discrepancy as the sample size starts to increase. Some interesting stats incoming...

[@bballbreakdown]

Now that’s an interesting question

[@texchu8331]

I do notice that he jumps very early, trying to disrupt the aiming phase of the shot, so yea, I agree that it seems like elite shooters that only take a glance wouldn't be too bothered by it. Of course, the Celtics aren't defending elite shooters like this, so it will be difficult to get this data. More sample size on the average shooters will still be interesting for sure though.

[@ed3115]

With elite shooters, what if you just double team them by adding this defense to someone already manning them up?

[@tikkabrno]

How much effect on elite shooters does running & jumping toward them have anyway?

[@BOnYTB]

@@tikkabrno if there’s a 0% chance of blocking their shot and they know it, likely zero. And usually if they think there’s a chance you’ll get close enough to effect the shot or get a piece of it, they’ll pump fake and take a dribble to the side or whatever. Some of these guys are just too good.

[@gedrictudio]

Yes, Luke. Please do this to the Warriors for this season's finals. I am begging you to try this shit on Curry, Poole and Klay.

[@bballbreakdown]

🤣😂😅

[@paulostatic8497]

What finals?

[@Oridginale24]

Warriors have to make the Playoffs first. They just got blasted last night and they’ll get blasted again vs the Nets tonight.

[@RealEyesRealizeFascists]

@@Oridginale24 settle down Skip Bayless, it’s only December

[@adityavarshney6690]

Kornet is a legend for this hahaha "our staff approves of me standing and jumping"

[@EllisHCN]

Another fantastic video, Coach Nick!!!

[@da_jeezuss8922]

I would have thought he got it from the way Shane Battier used to guard Kobe, when he would put his hand over his face instaed of going for the ball

[@JordanBrown-ge9tn]

Jalen Duren has also been doing this all season. Impressive IQ for a guy who just turned 19

[@hessulipoika13]

You dont need high iq to copy

[@saucemandela7747]

19???🧍🏾‍♂️I’m thinking he bout 28

[@Riqharris]

@@saucemandela7747 yea he very young he been 6’9 since like 8th grade

[@bearsoulman]

@@hessulipoika13 you need high iq to execute lol. please bro bro lol

[@benraposa1597]

Yeah nah that’s crazy, I’m officially at that point where dudes in the nba are younger than me… it’s only a year or 2 till I’m older than nfl rookies. Doesn’t mean shit at all but it’s still wild to think about, shout out Covid you made my important years the best😁

[@tatt4music]

Makes total sense. It’s simple yet brilliant. Always distract your opponent whenever possible.

[@TaylorXIV]

im sure other people here were also taught growing up to put a hand in the face of the shooter to distract and obscure their vision of the basket this is just the tall, athletic guys taking it to the next level :P

[@scarfaceplays6297]

1 of the most interesting defensive tactics since battier's face to the hand 👌

[@rnuke_rocket]

Not a Cs fan, but I think it was awesome when I first saw the Kornett Kontest against the Cavs. It just shows the player's bball IQ since he's slow in closing out on the perimeter.

[@edwardbates2559]

3:08 you scared me for a second coach LOL

[@micetro614]

haha i was looking for this comment

[@mikg6502]

Now I wonder what Yao Ming would’ve looked like doing that

[@natochizmar530]

As a cavs fan I promise you Okoro would have missed both those if the court was empty

[@BOnYTB]

😂

[@elzentank_ml]

Damn that protection so smooth🤣🤣

[@taliafrost4657]

Super interesting topic. It would be really fun to see this change the way that NBA teams, and basketball teams in general, play defense. I have major doubts about whether this would have any effect at all on elite shooters like Steph and Klay. However, I'm also not sure that it has to. If this can take away open look from bad or mediocre (relative to the NBA) shooters, that's huge for the defense.

[@usernameiphone3gkid]

I love how everyone uses this picture of Pat Williams and Luke Kornet when talking good about Lukes jump he does, but Pat still made that shot in the pic lmao

[@Jonteponte71]

I LOVE that all we can see of you in that clip coach, is your head :)

[@Jonteponte71]

And also, as a Celtics fan the Kornet Kontest is one of my favorite little wrinkles with the team this year. Now when Rob the lob is back I'm guessing we will see it a lot less :(

[@bballbreakdown]

That was the hardest framing job I’ve ever had to do. Dude is TALL

[@Jonteponte71]

@@bballbreakdown 😁

[@ChillRichard]

I like that he explained this is what he uses when his opponent is already far from him, and not a normal contest. We see a lot of players who are in the same position, and just slowly jog or stand still, at least the Kornet Kontest does something to contest the vision. It would be best for him to contest and still stay in the lane as opposed to already assuming his team will get the rebound

[@josaphatsaril2426]

I've tried it multiple times, and I'm very short. But when I do it I let them leave their feet first and contest like kornet, it works because the defender force the shooter to aim higher and shoot higher.

[@imakeslappers]

its so funny being a huge celtics fan bc it feels like everytime kornet does it the shooter misses and it makes me so happy

[@vh2712]

I've trained with making contested shots as when I am open I tend to miss them since I'm thinking about the shot. Whereas when defended and contested I usually make my shots lol.

[@ericfranklin1802]

I mean it’s interesting and makes sense from the point of shootings requiring that you can see the net to make a more efficient shot. I think the only issue is that it is working off a really small data set and when Kornet is on the floor it’s not like the best shooters are always on the floor as well. Not going to outright say this is a mirage but will be VERY interesting to see if this continues over a longer period of time and with the better shooters on the floor. Here are the players I’ve seen him contest in a couple video compilations: Banchero, Caruso, Okoro, Herb Jones, Culver, Kuzma, MPJ, Bullock, Diallo, Oubre, Beal, Patrick Williams, Keegan Murray, Sabonis, Haslem, Dedmon. Now with the exception of Murray, Sabonis, Beal, MPJ Williams, and Caruso, all of those guys are below avg or bad shooters from 3 and the exceptions are where all but one of the makes came from and there was other stuff going on that could effect the shot (ie. defender coming from behind putting their hand in front of Sabonis’ face on his shot or Beal waiting for Kornet to land and then taking the shot). So again it looks interesting but needs a much larger and more extensive sample size.

[@caelenow2829]

Maybe that’s the point. Why bother fully contesting bad shooters. Clog up the paint and whatever happens at the 3 line, it is what it is. And if this drops the percent down by 5%, that’s good enough to keep doing it

[@ericfranklin1802]

@@caelenow2829 I agree, but what I’m getting at is that without a larger sample size we really don’t know if will even do -5%. Plus one of the bigger reasons you want to make sure this gets tried on better shooters is because it’d be better proof s to whether or not it works, f a guy who usually shoots 30% or under from 3 misses that could just mean he just missed a shot he may missed anyway but if it works against say Steph Curry or Damian Lillard then we know there is a place for it as a legitimate defence. If it doesn’t, then I don’t see why rams would adopt it. If it does work then all of a sudden good shooting guards may have to think more about driving when the center does that, leading to more time for the defence to recover. The purpose of it is clear as day and it would be a BIG change for the NBA if it turns out to be workable with a much larger sample size, I mean then centers who are 7’1” and bigger who have a hard time keeping up with guards would have a place on the floor more so than they have in years.

[@kleontang]

The camera guy trying to get Coach and Kornet in the same shot deserves a raise

[@keithmadeit]

I don’t think they should overuse this during the regular season. It could potentially be a great defensive weapon in the playoffs, but the more they use it the more teams can scout and prepare better for it.

[@waynetables6414]

Luke Kornett is like their 9th best player so it would truly be interesting to see if other members of the Celtics who get more playing time start doing this lmao imagine Rob Williams doing this

[@canyouread]

Sometimes instead of contesting a shooter high (when I'm not close enough to properly contest), I sweep below them to try distracting them and bring their eyes away from the rim for a bit. Works sometimes.

[@miguelbraz2629]

Halle Berry contest, it's actually working. The thing is Celtics players have to compensate boxing out because the big Kornet is defending gets open

[@bballbreakdown]

Right, that’s what I pointed out and it’s a little worrying

[@AnacondaHL]

@@bballbreakdown couldn't Kornet just adjust where he steps after the jump to mitigate this? Or, if the reason he keeps moving was to get a head start on running back up the court, instead have teammates rotate a bit to cover whenever this happens? Great video!

[@sonnyestanislao4801]

normally i hate ads, now i always wait for Coach Nick's ads LOL

[@adrianrodriguez6869]

hey coach I just though it would be great to see how his contest looks from a shooter perspective ?

[@sirchdj]

Hey coach Nick, can you do a breakdown on the Knicks recent good play and whether or not you think it might be sustainable??

[@BlueShadesAll]

I LOVE THIS! if this works then we could finally take vertical, but lumbering BIG men back on the modern day 3pt era!

[@burgermane8839]

I always thought to myself why more people don’t do this

[@qqw743]

Would love to see if it works against the better shooters at statistically reliable levels. Guys like Steph or Hield don't really need much view of the basket.

[@texchu8331]

I think teams always have someone glued to those players, so it will be difficult to get the data. It's the average shooters that get left open.

[@nicolasm.3708]

I would be interested in what you think is the biggest reason the Raptors are struggling so much this year.

[@sheed321]

Their defense, Barnes just came back though

[@paulostatic8497]

Because they don't use Kornet Kontest.

[@thisisSPARTAorsprite]

Wrong they have no half court offense

[@tiffanyhwang1738]

They suck

[@reidb6327]

They can’t shoot

[@BezmenovWasRight]

This is so interesting.

[@zanehudson3680]

Makes sense, definitely harder for me to shoot if someone is blocking my view of the basket

[@marlow7376]

I hope this brings back the middle range pull up

[@captainsmoke1612]

Credit for even seeing that shit. Kind of mind blowing.

[@JepsXIV]

Here's an idea, same thing but jump TOWARDS the hoop (making sure of course not to touch the ring), obscuring more of the hoop in the process.

[@bigtasty16]

I wonder if part of it is perhaps the surprise factor as well. Kornet likely isn't showing up on scouting reports, so players might not be aware that he does this. I know when I saw this for the first time, it made me chuckle. Maybe chuckle or double take could happen to the shooter as he's firing, throwing him off a bit. Now that there's some publicity to this and more players see it in games, perhaps it won't throw them off as bad. Not sure how you could prove any of this, but it's something to think about.

[@YoungXelDong]

I often do that thinking that the unusual defense might put the shooter off and make him miss

[@DavidW0325]

Lol I play college ball and I have been doing this all season. Works like a charm I’m only 6’2” by the way. As long as you block the view of the rim and don’t do it too much it works great

[@bballbreakdown]

Fascinating.

[@jsfbr]

Cool!

[@TaxTaxes]

I love crazy shit like this

[@sticky-fingers]

already saw that elsewhere...

[@BOnYTB]

Just something weird can mess people up sometimes too. If they’re stone wide open, it’s usually gonna be someone who doesn’t take a million 3s a day in practice. But every pro who even attempts 3s still usually has their way of doing things. Shooters are usually creatures of habit. It’s not hard to tone out the crowd doing weird stuff or yelling weird stuff since that’s part of every game. But a 7 footer randomly jumping when he’s in no position to contest your shot what so ever is weird. The last thing you want to do is be thinking when you shoot really, and something like that could make some people think. Alter their normal pattern. Maybe it only works the first time you do it against somebody, and/or it has to be a certain type of shooter, but I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest if doing that could lower a wide above the break 3 from like 33% to 32 or 31%, something like that. Players are used to a late contest. They know you have absolutely zero chance of blocking their shot and they see it all the time. But what they don’t see is Luke Kornet jumping w his arms up from like the FT line or just inside the paint when you’re at the top of the key 3. It’s interesting for sure. As long as your teammates know it, I don’t think it’ll affect the DREB. Plus rebounds often bounce far on 3s, so being at the FT line, it might actually bounce right to you when normally it’d bounce, nobody would be there, and someone on offense would be able to tap the ball back out or run and grab it etc. Wayyyy too small of a sample to say now obviously, and we’d likely need years of data from more than just Kornet doing it for a decent sample. But also if everyone starts doing it, it’ll likely lose a lot of its effectiveness since ppl will be used to it. But ya if he can lower that shot by even 1% it’s obviously worth it.

[@YeeSoest]

"...but first let me explain how normal defense works!" Take notes, Trae...

[@silencedowellii7872]

What's most important about this defensive play is that you must block the shooter's line of sight of the rim, and the shorter you are the closer you must be to the shooter!!!

[@CautiousKieran]

its not enough to jump at the shooter, you have to yell. Yelling is equally effective, especially if you can get your opponent to get a tech in frustration.

[@Steven-wq8tx]

It’s like volleyball players blocking the angle of spikes. Imagine two 7 footers trying this method out together at the same time completely blocking the entire rim and backboard lol

[@_JusDavid_]

7:10 AYYYOOO?!

[@jhinkada5050]

They should add the kornet kontest in the three point contest to spice things up

[@poisonpotato1]

Imagine angle of vision from shooter to rim is like

[@ronvillejo7596]

“So in” on this cool D 😅

[@kreizeeboi]

@6:50 that's not because of the kornet defense, it's just the lakers being the lakers.

[@DKtrek21]

Looking at it for a few times and I laughed my ass off. My god, how can someone think that it would work on the best shooters on the planet. And the funny part is it works. Oh my God, I love this guy already.

[@Glaedr11]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but it is as simple as comparing league average open 3s to league average open 3s with a defender blocking sight of rim to test the effectiveness?

[@MichaelJordan3000]

Next question is - why even run out to the shooter ? You can just jump right in front of the rim and obscure it with the hands. The effect should be somewhat the same, but the defender also saves energy and stays in the paint for a rebound.

[@Introvrti]

Professional basketball player here who specializes in defense and mid range scoring as well as slashing anything you can do to encumber the offense of player is good whether you nag a hand you put weight on a leg you obscure vision anything you need to do without filing is good defense it may look silly but if it changes a shooter from 40% to 37% I had a good night

[@ImJuneski]

Okay I just commented but I just made a pros and cons list for this, reply with any more, im curious lmao Pros: Lowers 3pt% (so far, limited sample size) Never get beat off the dribble on a closeout Keeps him in the lane to rebound (if he doesn't leak out, 3:04) Prevents energy exertion on a half-ass run out contest Cons: Invites open mid-range pull ups Potentially gives open shots for stretch 4's 5's (Valenciunas, Kleber, Porzingis) on pick and pops May confuse teammates who don't see anyone running to contest the shot leading to an open one more pass.

[@nochill9722]

I think players will just be like no this guy again, distract themselves and miss. Also cause we all got the brick reference 😂

[@mrShinglez]

I think nba players don’t want to copy but they know he doing something most guys try to stop or steal the ball when defending he’s literally stopping your view to the basket

[@trendingviralchannel1234]

That actually works as it blocking the shooters vision for the ring

[@TheMorgalion]

I thought this is a Shaqtin' a Fool moment hehehe. It seems that he always doing that hahaha

[@jacknimble1]

Leave it to Kornet. Love this guy. He has been pretty good in his time on the floor while the Timelord is out. Obviously his coaches have not told him not to do it so that counts for something.

[@TheSuperGuitarGuy]

Can you imagine if they started teaching this and it became the standard way to contest

[@JohnPaul-vs5zf]

At this rate. Someone will try to cover the rim with their hands before the opponents shoot or twerk in front of the opponent just to distract them 😂😂😂

[@bballbreakdown]

I don’t know why they don’t fake like they’re going to punch the shooter in the nuts

[@emergencelive6194]

@@bballbreakdown xD

[@grapplerke]

Yeah but you probably don’t want to give up the wide open corner 3

[@romaobraz4295]

kornet seems like a cool dude

[@123fourfive5]

Doesn't matter how many times I watch the clips. It's incredible how known shooters miss wide open 3s like that. You can imagine that if this is proven to work and cannot be countered, all teams will pick up this technique.

[@ImJuneski]

The eclipse is definitely interesting, and the numbers show its effective. **Here's the one problem I have.** If you're going to do the _Kornet Kontest_ on a shooter while standing in the lane, you better turn around and go rebound the damn basketball. He leaks out after his contest at 3:04. This would piss me off as a coach. You haven't done anything If you're just gonna not rebound, not box out, and attempt to leak out on a fast break as one of the slowest players on the court. My thought was the secondary reason you'd do this type of contest as a 7 footer, is to also have a better shot at securing a rebound. We'll see how this works for him as he attempts it more often.

[@ImJuneski]

I commented before I got to the part where you talked about it, lol

[@unique8637]

Hedge with certain player's that can shoot and don't with can't but rotate on weekside help and talk to each other that's defense nba doesn't know or doesn't want too

[@ethanlatvala]

2K should add this just for Kornet if you play as him or against him.

[@rubenvalce]

i'm going to start teaching this to my 5s

[@threeteeflee]

This how I play defense in pickup when I’m tired and can’t close out. 😂

[@bradwurst8141]

Pat Williams made the shot from the thumbnail

[@johndotcue]

God I non-ironically love this type of defense!

[@bigbird2240]

Reminds me of how volleyball players do big fake spikes

[@CleanMusicLover229]

The Celtics still need an interior big man that can get them 15+ boards and 15+ points a night.

[@derrickpatterson522]

what if people started to wait until he’s at the peak of his jump then drive to possibly draw a foul ofc

[@RampartPh]

makes sense

[@thetaikonaut8397]

Imagine you are in the air taking a shoot and cant even see the rim.

[@ilai7893]

Someone show this to Rudy Gobert, maybe that'll help the T Wolves

[@napndash]

Genius

[@viclavar9298]

This is the second video I've seen of this. By the time this man jumps elite shooters have already completed their targeting. See Klay Thompson in the sports science video. The man targets so fast and well he doesn't even need the lights on. This is merely circumstantial evidence given the sample size and who is shooting for sure.

[@Catnotic]

Luke Kornet looks like Abraham Lincoln

[@unique8637]

Thank you for bringing up the bad defense but I don't think it has to do with a guy putting up his hands. It's because they don't communicate on screens like they used too. I watch these games and can't figure how they can't guard a pick

[@lealand1000]

I'll have to see it done on myself to believe in its efficacy. Regardless, great video coach Gregg.

[@bballbreakdown]

Thanks! And who’s Gregg?

[@shadowambush711]

@@bballbreakdown LMAOOOO

[@hippieseven5582]

You probably shoot 12% from 3 regardless of the defense

[@Adrik808]

@@hippieseven5582 I'm feeling attacked hahahhaa

[@Jack-ro8hw]

@@bballbreakdown Gregg Popovich

[@jamesevangelista6460]

Bruh this will make Kornet stay in the league for a long time lmao

[@richardvargo2740]

Kept wondering why the interviewer was sitting down before the answer dawned upon me...

[@FS-zt6tm]

webanyama could probably get away with doing this...except he'll end up blocking the shot

[@bigbird2240]

I’ve noticed all the shots hit back of rim so it probably does work

[@TrollerSlap]

got the Korn on himself 🌽