Chris Oliver

@BBallImmersion • 62,713 subscribers

NBA Youth Development Consultant. Help 🏀 coaches get more out of their practices and players through game based coaching. Courses | Videos | Community

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Chris Oliver

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Replace traditional lay-up lines with Team Perceptual Layups. Why? Adding defenders enhances decision-making and increases transfer to games. See more possible constraints in this week's member video:

Why add 1-on-1 Cutting Game to your next practice? 1️⃣ Enhance perception-action coupling 2️⃣ Enhance offensive efficiency 3️⃣ Create finishing adaptability Members watch here:

#2 Most Popular Play of June Get a layup. Dribble at the wing and enter to the low post to trigger a Cyclone style back screen.

This inbound play is so unbelievable that it works this easily that we had to call it "I Can't Believe It Works." See more examples to prove it works out of different alignments

Need a quick hitter for a layup? 💥 A dribble at, post entry triggers a weak side back screen.

Really like this zone set play. Overload ball screen vs. a zone defense that features a snap back to a potential 2-on-1 advantage.

Get a layup! Great opening play from Fred Hoiberg. Learn more about his philosophy on his Basketball Podcast appearance

Guess why the mat is on the floor? So grateful for my daughter for allowing me to “try” some things with her that help all coaches who follow me. Literally some “development” ideas have been discovered and shaped in our sessions.

Use a Ricky screen and rescreen action to set up a backdoor.

Last second baseline inbound play. 1-4 flat into forced curl stagger screen action.

Start your shell drill from half-court. Houston Christian University head coach Craig Doty and I discussed this concept on the Basketball Podcast.

Love pistols? Here is one of my favorite complimentary actions to get a layup.

#1 Most Liked Play of September 👀 play vs. zone from EYBL. I used to run a similar action for a shooter because it could be run vs. man or zone.

Tired of aggressive defenses blowing up your ball screens? The Short Action is the ultimate counter. By hitting the cutter early, you punish the hedge and release the screener for easy looks. See it in action here:👇

I saw a few teams "trying" to attack 1-3-1 defenses this past weekend....I showed one coach this and their youth team started to create advantages and stimulate ball movement. Check out more possibilities here

Horns clear is an effective isolation play to create an advantage for a ball handler, especially when it is masked with an Iverson action. Check our more horns clear possibilities here

If you run 5 out (which many of us do) having a slip flare play to counter switching is a must.

This zone movement is a thing of beauty to create advantages in space.

Who's peel switching this year? Peel Switching isn’t just a tactic—it’s a mindset. Defense isn’t passive. It’s proactive.

Videos

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This is bad ass... High ball screen back screen pick the picker out of short action

Brilliant play design 😍 Flare and back screen pick the picker after a handoff.

#1 Most Popular Play of June This is bad ass... High ball screen back screen pick the picker out of short action

Shoot when you're open. Pass when someone else is open. Drive when nobody's open. This mantra simplifies decision-making. It teaches players to read the game, not just run plays. No overthinking—just clear, actionable choices.

3-man weave has no value. Add a defender to your on-air drills and see what happens.

Do you agree? Game coaching is over-rated. Don't miss this one. It has something for players, parents and coaches

Why do players make layups in practice but miss them in games? Because in drills, they stare at the rim. In games, they're reading defenders, teammates, space, and timing before they ever look at the basket. The solution isn't more reps. It's more representative reps.

4 things on my practice plan #1: Connect with every player about something other than basketball #2: Create belonging DM "4Things" for the full list and examples.

"I love doubling. I love creating chaos." Central Arkansas' John Shulman shares his uncommon coaching philosophy on The Basketball Podcast:

I once sat in on a film session where OKC’s Mark Daigneault clipped every rim roll that didn’t get the ball… but the team scored anyway. That’s advantage creation. I asked him about this in this clip 🤩

Unpopular Youth Coaching Takeaway: "The decision is more important than the technique." If learn when to shoot, pass, or drive, execution will improve with time. If they never learn the decision, “perfect form” won’t transfer. What made you rethink technique-first coaching?

Have a player who can run in a circle and then dunk it off a back screen? This is your play.

Conceptually a pass from the corner to wing can trigger an across cut like this...

No 3-man weave...here's why ⤵️ Research shows that perception and decision-making are what transfer most from practice to a game, not just technique repetition. Avoid drills without defenders where players never have to perceive, decide and execute. A thread 🧵

Most players never play uncoached basketball anymore. That changes how they learn. In an interview with Pistons HC J.B. Bickerstaff at All‑Star, we talked about designing practices where coaches step back so players learn to think, communicate, and adapt.

Congrats to long time Basketball Immersion member and supporter Dusty May!

Never a better time than now to revisit Ben McCollum's appearance on The Basketball Podcast He shared the insights behind his success. Here are 7 key takeaways for coaches looking to elevate their team.

Lateral zoom handoffs change the angle of a common action. Here Charlotte added a curl back screen to create more deception.

#1 Most Watched Membership Video of November 5-on-5 Build Up Create randomized situations that force defenders to adapt in real time—while challenging the offense to recognize and exploit emerging advantages.

Ghost boomerang ghost. Cool action that can be as a duet action between two best players.