Dave Severns Pistol Offense Notes & Diagrams by Tedi Yaghoubian
Dave Severns is the director of player development of the Los Angeles Clippers joining the Clippers at the start of 2011 NBA season after spending two years on Vinny Del Negro’s staff in Chicago as an assistant of player development. Prior to his NBA career, Dave Severns spent 13 years in player development with NIKE working with numerous college players at various All-American and All-Asia camps and Nike skill development academies. Coach Severns also spent time in college as a video coordinator and assistant coach for Fresno State University under Jerry Tarkanian. He spent 12 years as a high school coach prior to his collegiate career. The Dave Severns Pistol Offense is something that you will want to learn.
In a coaches clinic conducted at Northern Arizona University back in September of 2015, coach Severns presented the highly popular concepts of the Hurry-up / Pistol offense used today by just about every NBA team including the LA Clippers. Derived from coach Mike D’Antoni’s playbook, it is used to create good shots early in the clock while playing with good pace and good flow. There are 4 automatic options in this offense (as demonstrated in attached diagrams) which require no call. The offense is predicated on reads and the decision making of the point guard. The one action that requires a call is ‘At’ option – allowing a 4/5 player to attack the basket on a downhill. The Clippers run this action primarily for Blake Griffin to take advantage of his athleticism and ability to finish around the rim.
Coach stresses spacing as a huge element in order to run this offense effectively. The wings must run wide and should look over their inside shoulder to locate the ball. Ball side wing button hooks for a pitch ahead pass from the point guard – depending on the read the point guard makes. The Clippers may go through a period in a game where they might just run this offense for 5-7 minutes and play out of different reads these actions generate.
The effectiveness of this offense lies in its simplicity. It is easy to install and can be run at any level – pro, college or high school and can be tweaked depending on personnel. When you’re down late in games and need to generate quick but high percentage looks for your team – this is a great offense to have in your offensive system.
If you are looking for a simple offense with good flow and pace then this is something to consider this off-season for your team. I hope you find these notes and diagrams useful for your team and program.
Click on the pdf link to download the Dave Severns Pistol Offense Notes:
Dave Severns Pistol Offense Notes
Click on the Pdf link to download the Dave Severns Pistol Offense Diagrams:
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