Sometimes basketball coaches have a tendency to over-think and over-complicate the game of basketball. Coaches get so caught-up with the game of basketball that they ask too much of their players and stop their players from being able to just play the game. In order to stop the game from becoming too complex, coaches should make sure that they use simple basketball plays whenever possible.

Basketball requires players to be able to play well and to do all the little things well that are required to play good basketball. However, in the end, the game of basketball is about players playing a game and that should always be remembered. The game should never become so complicated that players are forced to stop playing and start thinking all the time. A player needs to be able to what it is they he/she does best - play basketball.

Still, to be a good team and to work together as a team, basketball plays must be run. However, the plays should be kept simple enough so that all the players can run the plays without thinking too much about them.

Setting screens will always be a part of running simple basketball plays. Just about from the first day of practice, players are taught how to set screens and how to use screens to get free. So, any plays that involve setting screens – and most plays do – should be considered simple basketball plays. In fact, screens are often used on offense without there even being a set play.

There are other simple basketball plays that are used too. These plays involve just a couple passes and then a shot. Sometimes the plays involve a backdoor cut. Sometimes the plays involve a player getting open beyond the three point arc and then taking a three pointer. Other times the play involves the other players clearing out and letting the ball handler take his/her defender one-on-one. Clearing out means that all the offensive players take their defenders away from the basket and away from the ball handler. This play may be built on and involve the ball handler kicking the ball back out to another player when the ball handler drives on the defender and collapses the defense.

Sometimes the best moves in coaching are what coaches don’t do. Every once in a while coaches out-think themselves and try to control the game of basketball too much. When this happens the coach starts to make his players think too much on the basketball court. Then the players aren’t able to play as well because they’re thinking about what they’re supposed to be doing instead of just playing.

So, coaches need to get out of their own way and out of the way of their players. Coaches need to make sure they are designing simple basketball plays for their players to run. Coaches who can keep it simple and stop making the game too complicated are showing they know how to coach by not requiring too much of their players.