THE FLOATER DEBATE & PLAYING FAST IN VEGAS
Why floaters are underrated & the Las Vegas Aces pushing pace
The W is back and I wanted to get a quick newsletter out discussing my immediate takeaways after Friday/Saturday’s opening games to kickoff the 2022 WNBA season (writing this on Sunday so not including those games). My thoughts weren’t really around specific games or players, instead I really just noticed two big themes from a skill and concept standpoint.
1) The use of the floater all around the league
2) The Las Vegas Aces transition baskets
FLOATERS? Love em' or Hate em’?
Throughout my basketball career as a player and now coach, I have listened to people debate over whether or not “floaters” are “bad” shots. I’ve often heard the statements “coaches shouldn’t teach floaters” or “floaters are not worth working on” which in some cases maybe is true. It wouldn't be any fun to just accept those statements at face value without doing some actual homework, so that’s what ended up happening this weekend. (we will group floaters and runners together for the sake of simplicity in this article)
Side note: Most people differentiate floaters and runners by the type of follow through used and the spin on the ball as it is released. Typically, a floater is shot with an open palm (basically no snap of the wrist, and usually has minimal rotation on it - think knuckleball). Where as a runner (Steve Nash special) is shot just like a normal jump shot but on the run. Snapping the wrist, fingers pointed down and a nice backspin on the basketball.
I’ve never had a particularly strong opinion one way or the other. My typical response is “it depends” and although that might sound like a cop out, it really does just depend…
Who is taking the floater?
Where on the floor is it being taken from?
What kind of shot is the defense enouraging the offense to take?
Is it a shot that a player practices consistently?
Those are a few of the thoughts that immediately pop into my mind when the topic is brought up, but after watching multiple WNBA games this weekend, I think I’m starting to move into the pro floater crowd. First off, being able to take and make this shot can only help and not hurt a player. Anytime you can add another move or finish to your “bag” as the kids say these days, confidence grows and you now have a new viable solution to solve a particular problem that a good defensive team may present.
After watching the opening games Friday and Saturday, it was evident that the best guards from each team were able to use the floater when driving to the basket. As you see in the clips above one of the most obvious reasons for using the floater is to avoid a crowd when attacking the paint. The floater enables Dana Evans and Chennedy Carter to avoid unnecessary contact that often times can result in charges. Their speed off the dribble gives them great momentum to get off the floor quickly, taking away any opportunity for the rotating post defenders to challenge the shot.
Jordin Canada, one of the leagues smallest point guards shows why the floater is crucial to her success in the clip above. This is a difficult shot and her touch is on display as she gets to a two foot stop in order to slow down and loft that ball way over the outstretched arms of 6’6 forward Azura Stevens. For Canada, getting to that floater is the solution that we touched upon earlier in order to combat the size and length that she is going to face on a nightly basis in the W.
Sabrina Ionescu is probably the best example of an ELITE guard who relies on her floater as a secondary scoring option when she can’t get all the way to the rim. In her 2022 debut on Saturday, Sabrina scored at all 3 levels and showed her versatility using both a pull up jumper and a floater when attacking downhill out of pick & rolls.
Connecticut played an aggressive style of pick and roll defense against the Liberty, hard hedging whenever possible with the goal of sending Ionescu away from the basket and towards half court. Sabrina is a pick & roll maestro, as we may remember from her days as a superstar at the University of Oregon, and was still able to make her way into the middle of the floor where the next closest defender was plopped deep in the lane. She took advantage of that space right below the free throw line multiple times throughout the course of the game to get to her floater forcing the defender to step up for a late contest that ended up turning into a 3 point play opportunity after absorbing the contact.
Maybe I convinced one or two of you to at least consider working on developing a floater/runner finish with your more advanced players this summer. If someone tells you it’s a bad shot or is totally a floater hater, these are the few points I would start with to defend your position…
Avoid charges
Throw off shot blockers timing - It’s quicker than a pull-up!
Maintain momentum & balance
1 foot vs. 2 foot option depending on situation
Effective against “drop” coverage or conservative pick & roll defense
Let’s remember that a “bad” or “inefficient” shot for one player will often times look very different for the next player, so on and so forth. Instead of labeling a particular type of shot as good or bad, we should probably take into greater consideration the quality of each shot and the expected field goal percentage for each of our players in that same scenario.
Las Vegas Aces in Transition
After watching the Aces DOMINATE the Mercury on Friday night, the best word I can use to describe the new look team led by first year head coach Becky Hammon is FAST. The Vegas guards got the ball up the floor at a pace that allowed them to create easy baskets all night long (15 fast break points & 25 points off turnovers). Aside from the fact that Phoenix is missing their MVP in Brittney Griner (the basketball world is praying for her right now), the Aces scored 106 points on 58% shooting and knocking down 11, I’ll say it again, 11 3 point shots.
If you watched the Aces play at all last season, you know that shooting the 3 was their last option under Bill Laimbeer. Credit to him, they were still successful - showing that there’s no one way to skin a cat but in my personal opinion, Vegas was SO MUCH more enjoyable to watch last night getting out in the open floor.
Two players that benefitted the most from the uptempo pace were Dearica Hamby and Jackie Young. Hamby’s versatility and athleticism was on display running the floor hard while Young was also able to sprint ahead and receive long outlet passes that got her to her sweet spot in the midrange with ease before the defense could get set.
Dearica Hamby
Jackie Young
All 5 starters scored in double figures. It was quite the all around performance from the Aces for Becky Hammon’s first career WNBA coaching victory.
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