Finishing around the basket is a critical key to winning basketball games. Every player needs to be able to catch a pass in traffic and then finish around the basket from various angles. A player must be able to receive a difficult pass without bobbling it. Any miscue on the catch will allow the defense time to recover, making it a contested and more difficult finish.
This post-move basketball drill will help players catch passes from various angles, speed, and height, and then finish. The drill will maximize repetitions of receiving difficult passes and then immediately going up for the shot. The players will finish with both their right and left hand equally, which will make sure that players can finish well with both hands. Players must have quick, efficient footwork around the basket, and this basketball drill will help improve that as well. This is a great basketball drill to get a lot of quality finishing repetitions in a short period.
Basketball Drill Overview
Drill Name: Dump Off Basketball Finishing Drill
Equipment Needed: 1 basketball, a partner, and timer/clock (optional).
Similar Basketball Drills and Resources
- Guard Dump Off Basketball Shooting Drill
- Post Catch and Finish Basketball Drill
- Tough Catch Basketball Finishing Drill
Goals of the Drill
- Focus on being able to catch a dump-off pass and then go right up for the finish.
- Work on finishing with both hands equally from a variety of different angles.
- Work on footwork and balance around the basket.
Coaching Points
- Players should be in an athletic stance with hands ready and active to receive the basketball.
- Focus on getting the ball to a high release point as quickly as possible, away from the defense.
- The player should get their eyes to the rim as soon as they catch the basketball.
- On the finish, the player should reach high and fully extend.
- The type of passes should vary and challenge the finisher to make difficult catches.
Basketball Drill Instructions
- The player will start under the basket with their back to the baseline.
- The passer will start a few feet away, facing the player with the ball.
- When the drill begins, the passer will throw the basketball to the player.
- The player will catch and immediately finish with either hand.
- The player will rebound the basketball and throw it back to the passer.
- As the passer rotates right or left, the finisher will move and relocate to receive the next pass and finish.
- The finisher must keep their chest facing the passer the whole time.
- A player cannot finish with the same hand two times in a row.
- If the player misses the finish, they will immediately jump back up and try to tip the ball back in until it is made.
- Continue this pattern for the desired amount of repetitions or time.
Recommended Time, Scoring, and Repetitions
- Depending on the player’s level, you can adjust the amount of time for the drill, but typically, a minute per time through the drill is a reasonable amount of time.
- You could also do this drill for a set number of makes; 8-12 makes is going to be a good range.
- Players should tip in any misses that they may have, but if you keep track of makes, you could have any miss count as a negative. For example, if the player is at three makes and they miss, they go back to only have two makes.
- To modify the drill for a less advanced player, the partner can make easier passes to catch.
- To increase complexity and more game-like, you can add a defender to create contact on the finishes or use a blocking pad.
Dump Off Basketball Finishing Drill Conclusion
All players, regardless of position, need to be able to finish around the basket. Players need to have excellent hand-eye coordination to make tough catches in traffic, absorb contact, and finish quickly before the defense can rotate. To create separation from the defense, a player needs to move and relocate when their teammate drives. Once they have relocated, this space will allow for them to receive a pass for a quick catch and finish.
This is a great basketball drill to develop ball control, finesse, coordination, and awareness to produce great finishers. Having players that can catch and finish at a high percentage around the basket will make the offense more efficient and hard to guard.
