Below, we’ve got four steps to help you get more assists.
Creating opportunities for your teammates is a valuable skill in basketball.
Not only does it help you win, it makes you someone that people want to play with.
Let’s get started…
Step #1: Eyes up
Sounds obvious, but to get more assists, you need to be able to see your teammates when they’re open.
Way too many points are missed out on because the player with the ball has their head down.
Of course, when you’re making a move on a defender you might look down a little.
But, the ability to dribble your eyes up still remains important.
Here are some dribbling drills to help with this.
Whether you’ve just got the ball on the fastbreak, or you’re playing halfcourt…
Always look up to spot an open teammate.
Step #2: Make the right type of pass
Even when a teammate is open, if you don’t make the right type of pass, the opportunity could be missed.
If nobody is in between you and them, a chest pass is best.
This will get the ball to your teammate as quickly as possible.
How about if your teammate is open under the basket, but there’s an opponent halfway between you and them?
Here, it’s best to use a low bounce pass so that it’s harder for them to reach the ball.
With practice, learning to use the right type of pass will translate to you getting more assists.
Step #3: ‘Drive and Kick’ passing
This is one of the best ways to get more assists.
By driving past your defender to the basket, you leave your opponents with a tough choice:
- The other defenders can leave you open for an easy basket or…
- They can leave their assignment to rotate over and defend you
Often, a defender will choose that second option.
When they do this, don’t force a tough contested layup.
Instead, find the teammate that they’ve left open to defend you.
That’ll be a wide open shot for them and an assist for you.
Because of this, make sure you are aware of your teammates’ locations before driving to the basket.
Here are some quick moves to get past your defender, so you can force the other team into this tough decision.
Once you beat your defender, you just need to read the help defense and react accordingly.
Step #4: Don’t make the pass obvious
Often, players will miss out on assists and lose the ball, because their passes are too predictable.
Once you notice an open teammate, it’s best to mask your intentions from your defender.
One way to do this is by faking a pass in another direction, before finding the open teammate.
Additionally, you can do a ‘no-look’ pass.
This is exactly what it sounds like.
You make the pass without looking at the teammate receiving the ball.
Making your pass less obvious is key, if you really want to get more assists.
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Got all this down?
