The Importance of Playing .5 Basketball
What is the “.5 Basketball?”
Recently a clip of Steph Curry talking about playing “.5 basketball” was circulated by coaches across Twitter.
But what exactly is .5 basketball? Playing .5 basketball means that within a half second of catching the basketball, you are either shooting it, driving it or moving the ball to the next player. This concept is used to prevent the ball from sticking on the offensive end. You’ll hear some coaches refer to this concept as “zero second decision making” or “first touch decisions.” Regardless of whatever term you like best, understanding why this concept is so important is key to successfully implementing it within your offense.
Playing .5 basketball keeps the ball moving in the half court and can help to create an advantage through ball movement and player movement.
Not only can .5 basketball be used to create an advantage, but perhaps more importantly it can be used once an advantage is created to keep and convert the advantage into points. The easiest way to lose an advantage is by letting the ball stick. This often times allows the defense enough time to get back to neutral and kill the advantage. Making quick, first touch decisions on the catch keeps the defense in constant rotation, which often times ends in a high percentage shot.
The easiest way to teach and implement this within your offense is by teaching the following reads or decisions on the catch:
If I have space on the catch and it is a good shot for me, shoot it.
If I don’t have space because of a hard closeout, attack or drive it.
If I do not have space to shoot and there is no opportunity to drive it because the defender is chest-to-chest (short closeout), move it to the next player.
Once players understand the decision making process and reads on the catch, it can be repped through small sided games and emphasized in your offensive sessions.
This poster featuring their offensive pillars hangs in the Detroit Piston’s locker room. Pillar #2 discusses what the Piston’s refer to as “.5 Mentality.”