Quote Originally Posted by NSDukeFan View Post
Typically if you are trying to go by someone, either strong hand or cross over, you will likely be doing this rather quickly. A quick jab step, which should look very briefly like your strong move, is very useful to determine what move you should next use. If the defender doesn't react, you can continue to go by, if he does, you can either cross over or shoot, if given enough space. I think your impression of a jab step is different than mine, as I would not use it, or teach it, as something to make the defender think I was shooting. A ball fake would be better used in that situation, you can also use your eyes as you noted.
Your last bolded section doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me as one of the points of the triple threat position is that you are also in a position to pass THAT WILL ALLOW A TEAMMATE TO INITIATE THE OFFENSE THAT MIGHT BETTER CONTRIBUTE TO YOUR TEAM'S OVERALL ATTACK, OR JUST TO GIVE THE OTHER GUY A CHANCE. You may have to give a ball fake, but this can certainly be done from the triple threat position (which isn't a low crouch, but a position with knees bent where you are ready to move, shoot or pass.)
You get low and step briskly to the right and go to the left and I'll stand relatively upright and fake right and go left and I will be quicker than you. Neither of us will gain much advantage unless we get the defender off center. Your defender will be low and can step slide and is wide to begin with. My defender will be in a relatively unstable position and easier to fake. My move will be quicker in the transition than yours and I am soon to be 63. So I disagree about which position is more likely to create an opening on a crossover, absent making a tall guy play small if he is not used to it.

As a player I was a big fan of changing people up. I could play power off the catch getting low even on a smaller more athletic defender (hell, they were all althletic) and use it to freeze him so I could step, fake coming back, and then walk by him or simply move as I stepped into a shooting erect position, being reasonably certain that I would have an unimpeded look or if the guy sped to try to contest what he anticipated, beat him while he was still going up. However, I liked playing in a more erect position most of the time, except when I was going hard to the basket and would get low.

The problem with everybody doing the triple threat is that it slows the offense down, terribly. That was a huge differencein the Georgetown game. They have a lot of touches that just move the ball to different points of attack looking for someone with advantage given how the players are situated on the court. It empowers more initiators.

The triple threat catch as a regular practice in my mind kills effective half court offense, at least the kind that I appreciate the most.