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← Library of Schemes

offense

Gregg Popovich: public offensive families

Popovich described an offense that changed as coaches and players found useful options. Public examples include Strong, Weak and Loop. These plays use cuts and screens away from the ball to set up a pass near the basket or a ball screen.

How it runs

Start with Strong, then choose another Spurs action

Selected historical Strong, Weak and Loop actions. These are different starts, not a complete or timeless Popovich playbook. Choose an action below.

1–5 are players on offense. X1–X5 are defenders. Each number stays with the same player in every step; it does not lock that player into a position.

1. Pass back and become the first screenerHalf court diagram, frame 1 of 4: 1. Pass back and become the first screener. 5 players, showing pass, screen.12345

Diagram 1 of 4

1. Pass back and become the first screener

1 passes to following teammate 5, then moves down to set the first screen for corner player 2.

Diagram key

  • Offense
  • Defense
  • Coach
  • Neutral
  • Ball
  • Cone
  • Cut
  • Dribble
  • Pass
  • Screen
  • Hand-off
  • Shot
  • Def. slide

Use Previous and Next beside the court, or choose a numbered step. Arrows on the court show where players or the ball move. CoachAssist drew this example; it does not show every way to run the scheme.

This is an overview of selected Spurs examples, not a timeless Popovich playbook. Our default is Strong; choose Weak or Loop explicitly. The practice recommendations are CoachAssist designs, not attributed Spurs drills.

In this guide · jump to a topic

Starting jobs and useful space

Start with one action the team can explain

Open the chosen drawing and identify its first ball handler, first receiver, initial screener and off-ball receiver. In the default Strong example those jobs lead toward two successive screens. The Weak and Loop choices begin differently, so their player jobs cannot be inferred from the word Spurs.

Ask the other players how they preserve a pass or clear space while the named action runs. Do not select a historical play because famous players used it. Select a teachable problem: freeing a receiver, improving an entry angle or connecting an outside catch to another action.

CoachAssist suggestion—not the source’s exact practice.

Keep the possession going

Connect a useful action, not a collection of names

Install one entry and one covered-option continuation. Run the entry until everyone can identify which defender it asks to move; then let that defender vary the answer. If a good catch appears, continue naturally. If not, use the taught second action without pretending the first produced an advantage.

Review the possession from its first meaningful decision through the shot and rebound. A polished first screen followed by a rushed pass is not a complete possession. Equally, a safe return can be a good choice even when it looks less dramatic than the original game clip.

CoachAssist suggestion—not the source’s exact practice.

Decisions against the defense

The featured action does not suit this lineup

When: The intended receiver cannot use the available catch effectively.

Do this: Change the receiver’s job or select another understood action; do not demand the skill of a different player from a different era.

Then: Test the change against live defense before expanding the call sheet.

CoachAssist suggestion—not the source’s exact practice.

The first screen frees nobody

When: Defenders remain connected to the receivers.

Do this: Identify whether timing, spacing or coverage removed the chance.

Then: Use the taught continuation when its passing lanes exist; otherwise keep the ball and organize.

CoachAssist suggestion—not the source’s exact practice.

Basketball glossary

Open full glossary page

What to emphasize

  • Teach a few ways to start the offense and what players should watch. Then add options for when defenders stop the first action.

Problems, fixes and checks

Players recognize a name but not the sequence

Problem: Calling Strong or Weak produces different starts.

Try this correction: Use one drawing and ask players to demonstrate only the first two exchanges.

Check: Each player names the same next receiver.

CoachAssist suggestion—not the source’s exact practice.

Practice copies a successful clip without defenders

Problem: Players expect the same opening every repetition.

Try this correction: Let a defender remove the highlighted pass and observe the response.

Check: The group keeps playing when the original scoring moment never appears.

CoachAssist suggestion—not the source’s exact practice.

Versions and diagram coverage

Choose a dated Loop example

Changes: entry, continuation.

  • Loop examples vary across seasons; the overview does not merge them into one possession.

When to use it: Read the selected example’s scope before teaching it.

CoachAssist suggestion—not the source’s exact practice.

A coach’s name is not an action

Changes: names only.

  • Personnel, era and defensive context matter. A generic handoff is not automatically a documented Popovich call.

When to use it: Credit an original adaptation as your teaching choice rather than attributing it to an unverified team installation.

Written variant · this option does not have its own walkthrough here.

CoachAssist suggestion—not the source’s exact practice.

How to teach it

Choose the level that matches what your players can do now. These steps work for boys and girls. Start simpler if players need more practice.

Practice it step by step

Learn screening as cooperation

Set it up: Three attackers with an adult passer; choose one action fragment.

  1. Name who waits and who screens.
  2. Rotate so everyone learns receiving and creating space.

Add more when: The group can perform the fragment safely without a play-name reminder.

Check it in play
  • Passer sees the receiver before throwing.

CoachAssist suggestion—not the source’s exact practice.

CoachAssist wrote these teaching steps. They are not an exact copy of any coach’s practice plan.

What can go wrong and how to adjust
  • These are a few public examples of Spurs plays. For an exact version, name the season, players and play.
Coaches and teams that use it
Drills for this scheme · steps and diagrams

The level selector changes the teaching steps above. It does not change these drills. Check the number of players, equipment and difficulty before using a drill.

Popovich Loop 5-on-0 Walkthrough
Court diagram · view the drill first

Basketball glossary

Open full glossary page

Practices this scheme: The reviewed five-on-zero Loop example is one public Popovich family; it does not stand for the full Spurs playbook or every era.

Rehearse the Loop entry: a corner player circles a post player to receive the ball, then teammates respond to off-ball screens.

5–15 players · 5–12 minutes · basketballs

Purpose

Rehearse the Loop entry: a corner player circles a post player to receive the ball, then teammates respond to off-ball screens.

Set it up

A wing ballhandler, two corner players and two post players walk through before adding defense. Name which post leads the action and which follows. Spare balls and waiting players stay outside the active routes.

Run the drill

  1. Agree on a short timed interval and begin at walkthrough pace. Use one active ball and one group in the playing area; add controlled opposition only when players understand the routes and can stop safely.
  2. Corner guard loops around the lead post toward the top and receives the wing pass.
  3. The following post player screens toward the baseline for the opposite wing; the leading post player screens for the original passer.
  4. Pass to an open cutter. If no cutter is open, continue the offense the coach has chosen.
  5. End the repetition on a controlled finish, dead ball or coach stop. Clear the ball and landing area before restarting; rotate roles and rest within the planned interval, without extending it to reach a target.

Scoring

Optional: within a short coach-chosen timed interval, count sound decisions, controlled catches or completed defensive possessions. Stop at the planned time or sooner; no required makes, winning streak or exercise penalty. Rotate roles and allow rest regardless of the score.

Coach the details

  • Teach timing before speed.
  • This is one public Loop example.
  • Stop and name the next read when the first cutter is denied.
  • Use comfortable passing and shooting distances and an appropriate ball. Progress by demonstrated control, not speed: keep eyes on the play, leave stopping/landing space, and stop if a route or loose ball creates a collision risk.
  • Screens begin without contact. Establish a balanced, stationary position with the time and space required by the competition rules; keep arms in and do not lean, hold, shove or step into an approaching defender. Decline the action when legal clearance is unavailable.

Ways to adapt the drill

  • Original CoachAssist display adaptation: these edited steps, workload limits and optional scoring are coaching adaptations, not a claim that the cited author prescribed this exact version.
  • The teaching-level selector does not automatically adapt these drills for age or ability. A coach must choose suitable roles, equipment, contact, space and progressions; simplify or defer anything the group is not ready to perform.
  • Provenance (source-based): Core teaching idea is supported by the linked public source. Coordinates, timings and rotation logistics are original SportsPlay teaching aids, not reproduced source diagrams. Coach review is required.
Staggered Screen Shooting Drill
Court diagram · view the drill first

Basketball glossary

Open full glossary page

Builds a skill used in this scheme: Develops using successive screens and choosing when to turn closely around one, useful in Motion Strong. This catalog drill is not attributed to Popovich.

A shooter reads two separate off-ball screens in sequence.

4–12 players · 6–12 minutes · basketballs

Purpose

A shooter reads two separate off-ball screens in sequence.

Set it up

Four players: shooter, two screeners and passer, one ball. Start without a defender; a guided defender following the shooter needs a fifth player. Separate the screening positions and clear the landing area. Spare balls and waiting players stay outside the active routes.

Run the drill

  1. Agree on a short timed interval and begin at walkthrough pace. Use one active ball and one group in the playing area; add controlled opposition only when players understand the routes and can stop safely.
  2. Both screeners establish stationary positions with enough separation for two distinct reads.
  3. The shooter sets up the route, waits for each screen and uses the appropriate curl, straight or outward cut.
  4. The passer delivers only to an open, balanced receiving window.
  5. After the cutter clears, screeners open to separate possible outlets; reset before changing side or role.
  6. End the repetition on a controlled finish, dead ball or coach stop. Clear the ball and landing area before restarting; rotate roles and rest within the planned interval, without extending it to reach a target.

Scoring

Optional: within a short coach-chosen timed interval, count sound decisions, controlled catches or completed defensive possessions. Stop at the planned time or sooner; no required makes, winning streak or exercise penalty. Rotate roles and allow rest regardless of the score.

Coach the details

  • One ball and one side are active; screeners never close space by leaning or moving into a defender.
  • Read the chosen defender cue rather than expecting contact or a guaranteed shot.
  • Use comfortable passing and shooting distances and an appropriate ball. Progress by demonstrated control, not speed: keep eyes on the play, leave stopping/landing space, and stop if a route or loose ball creates a collision risk.
  • Screens begin without contact. Establish a balanced, stationary position with the time and space required by the competition rules; keep arms in and do not lean, hold, shove or step into an approaching defender. Decline the action when legal clearance is unavailable.

Ways to adapt the drill

  • Original CoachAssist display adaptation: these edited steps, workload limits and optional scoring are coaching adaptations, not a claim that the cited author prescribed this exact version.
  • The teaching-level selector does not automatically adapt these drills for age or ability. A coach must choose suitable roles, equipment, contact, space and progressions; simplify or defer anything the group is not ready to perform.
Pin Down Four Reads
Court diagram · view the drill first

Basketball glossary

Open full glossary page

Builds a skill used in this scheme: Practices off-ball screen reads relevant to Weak/Loop continuations, without claiming to reproduce a complete Spurs action.

A screen for a low cutter offers a curved cut, a straight cut, an outward cut or a cut behind the defender, depending on the guided defense.

4–12 players · 8–15 minutes · basketballs

Purpose

A screen for a low cutter offers a curved cut, a straight cut, an outward cut or a cut behind the defender, depending on the guided defense.

Set it up

Four players: passer, screener, cutter and guided cutter defender; a coach indicates the coverage. Use one ball and rehearse one cut at a time. Spare balls and waiting players stay outside the active routes.

Run the drill

  1. Agree on a short timed interval and begin at walkthrough pace. Use one active ball and one group in the playing area; add controlled opposition only when players understand the routes and can stop safely.
  2. The defender shows the agreed cue; the screener becomes stationary before the cutter leaves.
  3. When the defender follows behind, consider curving around the screen; if the route opens, consider the straight cut.
  4. If the defender leaves space or stands above the cutter to block the route toward the screen, consider moving outward or cutting behind the defender only when that space is clear.
  5. Pass to an available target for a controlled shot or reset. Rotate all four roles.
  6. End the repetition on a controlled finish, dead ball or coach stop. Clear the ball and landing area before restarting; rotate roles and rest within the planned interval, without extending it to reach a target.

Scoring

Optional: within a short coach-chosen timed interval, count sound decisions, controlled catches or completed defensive possessions. Stop at the planned time or sooner; no required makes, winning streak or exercise penalty. Rotate roles and allow rest regardless of the score.

Coach the details

  • These are possible reads, not guaranteed scoring outcomes.
  • The diagram’s four paths are alternatives. A sound read still counts as learning when a shot misses.
  • Use comfortable passing and shooting distances and an appropriate ball. Progress by demonstrated control, not speed: keep eyes on the play, leave stopping/landing space, and stop if a route or loose ball creates a collision risk.
  • Screens begin without contact. Establish a balanced, stationary position with the time and space required by the competition rules; keep arms in and do not lean, hold, shove or step into an approaching defender. Decline the action when legal clearance is unavailable.

Ways to adapt the drill

  • Original CoachAssist display adaptation: these edited steps, workload limits and optional scoring are coaching adaptations, not a claim that the cited author prescribed this exact version.
  • The teaching-level selector does not automatically adapt these drills for age or ability. A coach must choose suitable roles, equipment, contact, space and progressions; simplify or defer anything the group is not ready to perform.
Sources and what we could confirm

The sources support the system guide. CoachAssist created the practice steps and checks; they are suggestions, not tested programs or a coach’s full playbook. The linked drills practice parts of the system.

The main ideas are supported by the sources below. These sources do not cover every possible version.

Gregg Popovich: public offensive families · Library of Schemes · CoachAssist