It's All New! What to Expect On Offense and Defense Under Avery Johnson.

According to Avery Johnson, “More than anything, we are going to have a system.  The system is going to be laid out from game one.  How we play pick and rolls.  How we function in transition defense.  How we close out, and how we play the post.  There isn’t going to be a gray area.”

Once upon a time under Byron Scott and led by J. Kidd, the Nets ran, pushed the ball, and ran some more.  Then under Lawrence Frank, the Nets switched to the Princeton Offense.  Then the Nets changed to the Dribble-Drive Offense.  Then there was the every present Isolation-Offense featuring Vince Carter.  Last year, after L. Frank left, I'm not sure what the team approach was.  I'm guessing it was a basic pick and roll offense.  Whatever it was, it wasn't successful.  I'm intrigued by the roster makeover and the number of interchangeable (athletic) parts the team now features.  How best to maximize our new talents and what can we expect this year under Avery Johnson?  The simplest route to figure this out is by reviewing how Avery led the Mavs and utilized Devin Harris.  Let's take a peek at the archives and figure this out together, shall we:  Apologies for the length, but this is good stuff.  Hope you all enjoy. 

First tip of the hat to NetsAreScorching and a couple of well thought out articles.  On transition defense:

"The Nets’ transition defense may have been the worst aspect of their defense last year.  According to Synergy Sports, the Nets ranked 26th (the worst ranked aspect of their defense) in transition defense allowing 1.2 points per possession on 60.2% shooting.  With how bad their transition defense is, there are going to be some changes that need to be made, and I think we can look at Avery Johnson’s Dallas Mavericks to see what those changes will be."

http://netsarescorching.com/2010/06/28/what-the-nets%e2%80%99-defense-might-look-like-%e2%80%93-part-2-transition-defense/

On defending the pick and roll:  "From what I watched, it seemed that the Mavs had two ways to defend the screen and roll.  They play it one way when the ball handler is a shooting threat and another way when the ball handler isn’t a threat shooting the basketball."

http://netsarescorching.com/2010/06/21/what-the-nets-defense-might-look-like-part-1-the-pick-and-roll/

Here's a nice story about how Avery instill a sense of toughness and purpose to the Mavs:

"It happened by degrees, of course, but the Mavs, as much as any team in the league, came to assume the personality of their coach. Instead of talking about tightening up on defense, they tightened up on defense. Instead of talking about accountability on offense, they were held accountable. It wasn't in Nelson to infuse the team with toughness. It was--it is--in Johnson, an undrafted, undersized point guard out of unheralded Southern who had a 16-year NBA career in which he averaged 8.4 points and 5.5 assists. " Avery brings a toughness and discipline that we didn't have before," Griffin (now with the Chicago Bulls) said during the Finals, "and he knows how to bring that out [in his players]."  "It's Avery's spirit," says Howard. "He's never backed down from anybody. That's why he can sell toughness."

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1115043/2/index.htm

Another nice article about Avery's attention to team defense: 

"That gave Johnson just 18 regular-season games to alter the Mavericks' approach, to move Dallas away from its same-old-Mavs reputation--that this is a team that puts together fun-to-watch regular seasons and has no real chance to win in the playoffs. Johnson has refocused the team with an emphasis on protecting the paint by making his big men rotate crisply to provide better help defense . . . Entering the playoffs, it looked as if Johnson had been successful. The Mavericks finished 16-2 after Nelson's retirement, maintaining their offensive prowess while ramping up the defense. With Dampier back from a foot injury and Dirk Nowitzki pledging to become more of a defensive presence in the paint, the Mavericks gave up just 92.3 points on 42.7 percent shooting in their final 18 games. "In the past, we have played a certain way, then tried to change once we got to the playoffs," Johnson says. "You can't do that. You can't suddenly say, once the playoffs start, 'Let's play tough; let's start playing defense.'"

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1208/is_18_229/ai_n13678078/

And finally, Avery hawking his video on attacking man-to-man defenses, etc. (retailing for $39 LOL!!).  This link has a nice 34 second video of Avery preaching his schemes: 

"Coach Avery Johnson has quickly made himself known as a head NBA coach. His aggressive, fast-paced style as a player is mirrored in his coaching style also. The topic of attacking defense is presented in a unique manner. The first part of this presentation is attacking Man-to-Man defense from a defensive standpoint. Johnson lists several benefits for this style of play: It will disrupt the timing of your opponent's offense, it wears out the opponent and it turns up aggressiveness. Johnson also acknowledges there are disadvantages to attacking also. This defense can be vulnerable to transition baskets by the opponent. Picking up the ball, covering the basket, and getting to "threats" put pressure on defensive transition. After a made basket, Johnson shows some opportunities to jam the in-bound passer and slow down the possession. This defense philosophy looks to trap near the half court area and rotate with interceptors to force turnovers. This attack can be done at the full-court, _ court, or half court. In the half court, specific techniques and strategies are demonstrated and explained. Building a wall against penetration is crucial for good defensive teams. Once trapped, this defense makes it hard for the offense to pass. In Part II, Coach Johnson looks at attacking Man-to-Man defense from an offensive perspective. Transition basketball is a great way to put pressure on the defense. Once the ball is in the hands of the point guard, the goal is to push the ball hard as teammates run the floor. The options now presented are the pick & roll, post feed or screen and shoot. Against trapping and back court pressure, the offense must "square the floor up." Other concepts in the half court include pressure releases, spacing the floor and realizing mismatches. The pick & roll is a weapon and Coach Johnson shows the side and middle pick & roll technique."

http://www.championshipproductions.com/cgi-bin/champ/p/Basketball/Avery-Johnson-Attacking-Man-to-Man-Defenses-Part-I-II_BD-02691.html