Obradovic broke down his favorite system and coaching philosophy

The Euroleague has started the new webcast “Euroleague Masterminds”which will host great coaches for analysis and discussions about basketball and their work.

The first guest was Zeljko Obradovicwho analyzed his first steps with a mentor Alexander Nikolichis favorite system, what he loves about his job and his coaching philosophy.

What Zelimir Obradovic said in detail:

For starters and the elements he likes in his teams: “I started my coaching career in 1991. Now we are in 2023 (when the episode was filmed). It’s a very long time and basketball has changed a lot in that time. What I like about my teams is that they use their quality and play smart. You have to adapt and think about everything. It’s the little details that make the difference. For me it was a very good opportunity to work with my mentor, Aleksandar Nikolic. He really cared about the details. Maybe because of that, I pay a lot of attention to small details.”

For the system he used to select in transition states: “I remember we always played a system in transition. Let’s say the point guard starts somewhere here (45 degree right, outside the 3-pointer), to create a partnership with the screener at the “4”. “5” is here (p.s. points to the right of the basket, just outside the painted one) and “2” is here (p.s. points to the spot just below the basket). So the “5” screened for the corner three-point shooter outside the 6.75, while the “2” went a little further out and screened for the “5.”

The important thing is that the ball is in the hands of the point guard at 45 degrees. The player in the three-point corner, the shooter, must call for the ball in order for the defender to come upon him and block him. So the screens at that moment make sense. The guard who had the ball goes to the center of the circle. The shooter takes advantage of the two screens, goes under the basket and goes to the other side at 45 degrees. “5” takes the screen of “2” and goes out to the perimeter to get the shot. On the teams we played this system, players gained the ability to shoot for three points despite being a center. In that period it may have been a surprise that the “fives” were getting the shot. Now everyone can shoot”.

For the workouts: “First of all, it’s very important how your player copes in training, because training is very, very important. If you do well in practice, you will do well in the game. I hate it when my team is not focused in training. If I see that one or two players are not focused, then it is better to put them on the bench and continue with others.”

On what it means to be a coach: “Being a coach means thinking a lot and observing your players. What I ask of the point guards is to get the ball down quickly so that we have at least 20 seconds to set up a normal offense. Then we do the simple stuff. Simple things. What is basketball? You have a play inside the racquet (s.p. points to the left of the basket. What else?) You have a pick n’ roll on the perimeter (s.p. points to the right at 45 degrees and in the center outside the three-pointer) and you have a isolation game one on one. Every day is an opportunity to learn something new and get better. It’s a great privilege to do something you love in your life. I love basketball and I’m very happy to do something I love so much in my life”.