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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    Durham, NC

    Kyrie and the Tuck-and-Run Offense (not another Kyrie thread!?)

    Sorry in advance for the additional Kyrie thread, but I wanted to see a separate and more focused discussion on this:

    A couple of posters have noticed Kyrie's tendency to tuck and run: he will drive into the lane and pick up his dribble for his last two steps, then clutch the ball low, around his midsection, somewhat like a linebacker. This seems to let him choose which hand to use for the lay-up very late, allowing him to reverse and re-reverse his finish at will.

    I was hoping some of the more knowledgeable basketball folks around here could chime in on this, so that I could steal your ideas and pass them off as my own. What are the advantages to this kind of drive? The disadvantages? Can you think of other players who have used this as much (or as effectively) as Kyrie?

  2. #2
    Quote Originally Posted by Jderf View Post
    Sorry in advance for the additional Kyrie thread, but I wanted to see a separate and more focused discussion on this:

    A couple of posters have noticed Kyrie's tendency to tuck and run: he will drive into the lane and pick up his dribble for his last two steps, then clutch the ball low, around his midsection, somewhat like a linebacker. This seems to let him choose which hand to use for the lay-up very late, allowing him to reverse and re-reverse his finish at will.

    I was hoping some of the more knowledgeable basketball folks around here could chime in on this. What are the advantages to this kind of drive? The disadvantages? Can you think of other players who have used this as much (or as effectively) as Kyrie?
    It protects the ball while you're getting to the rim. As long as once you get there you can get the ball back up in the air without being blocked or stripped it's very effective, assuming you're quick enough and strong enough to do it. Lots of players try it.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Durham, NC
    Bob Harris asked Kyrie about this in the post-game interview.
    Kyrie said that his HS coach didn't call too many fouls in practice, so he got pretty good at holding onto the ball at all costs while driving to the basket.
    Looks like it's working so far.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Greenville, SC
    I noticed that technique too. Kyrie looks more like a halfback than a point guard during those couple of steps. At first I was surprised that he got the shot off, but it became obvious that he's very good at protecting the ball in traffic and scoring it.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Nashville
    Yeah, it's pretty much impossible to slap down on the ball as he's going up when he does that, which is normally the easiest layup defense in traffic - whenever you play pickup with guys that have played college or NBA, your first couple (or at least my first couple) forays into the lane always end in the ball being forcefully pounded into the ground as I swoop into a layup with nothing in my hands. I think we sometimes forget how important protecting the ball in the lane is because it's less of a part of the game in pickup games at the Y, but good players are reallllly good at that. It takes big, strong hands and a lot of coordination to do what Kyrie does - and I think it's a borderline travel sometimes, if you really watch his steps - but I bet it really helps him maneuver around the lane.

    BTW, the play where he tucked the ball and finished with a triple pump layup was incredible. I mean, it takes a ton of hang time and strength to triple pump a layup at all, but to get it off with the perfect spin and touch he did was just nuts.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Fairfax County, Virginia
    I have noticed this all season and believe it is a GREAT strength; while I am NOT an expert, I find this to be tremendously effective, for the reasons already stated, ESPECIALLY PROTECTING THE BALL during the critical second(s) before laying it up (it really constrains the defense and it also allows Kyrie to go with either hand and -- potentially -- before or after reaching the basket).

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