Insulation : The Basketix Glossary

‘Is that why they’re all moving away ? Defend normally, right ?’ Have you ever heard this kind of comment from your family or friends during a basketball match where ‘isolation’ is being used? Well, today we’re going to focus on this tactic. It’s one of the most commonly used systems in our sport, and can have life-saving consequences if executed perfectly.

What is isolation?🧐

Let’s not beat around the bush: isolation is the act of isolating. There you go, thank you all.

Just kidding, let’s be serious. However, on the one hand, it’s clearly the truth. In basketball, isolation consists of isolating a player by giving them as much space as possible to play one-on-one. Generally, it’s the player with the best ball handling skills – often the point guard – who asks for isolation. From that moment on, all his teammates move away to the corners of the court, so they can watch from a distance while sipping a nice cocktail and mocking the defender, knowing full well that he’s going to be dancing around. During an ‘iso’, the attacker is in a position of strength over his opponent, even if he cannot be helped by a screen. He has several options available to him :

• Option 1 : Play his 1v1 and score the basket thanks to his ball-handling skills and finishing near the basket

• Option 2 : Play 1v1 and find an unmarked teammate at the 3-point line or offer an alley-oop, taking advantage of the opposing defensive help.

• Option 3 : Play 1v1 and use his quickness with the ball and solid footwork to rise up and take a mid-range shot or a shot from behind the arc.

However, on the other hand, isolation can also be a trap set by the opponent. This is the case in the NBA with the Oklahoma City Thunder franchise. With the best defence in the league, OKC has players capable of defending all positions, some of whom are even in the running for the DPOY (Defensive Player of the Year) title and a place on the All-Defensive 1st Team (the best defensive team in the league). The trap is simple. The goal is to put your best defender on the opposing player who has called for isolation. Typically, the point guard calls for a screen to force a defensive switch and create a favourable match-up. OKC’s plan is simple: organise their defence and force defensive switches so that Alex Caruso or Lu Dort are always on the man to manage the isolation. And 9 times out of 10, the Thunder recover the ball or concede no points.

James Harden, the master of the game 👑

Throughout its history, the NBA has seen some immense talent come and go. Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, Kyrie Irving, Luka Doncic and many others, all players who loved and still love to have the ball in their hands and work their opponents, have used ‘isolation’ to score numerous points. But one of them – also known as the ‘scorers’ – has become the master of isolation, namely James Harden.

During his years in Texas with the Houston Rockets, ‘The Beard’ tormented the league with his extremely quick ball handling combined with his ability to eliminate opponents. Have you seen Kirua in Hunter x Hunter? – if you don’t know who that is, go and find out – Well, Harden was exactly the same, but on a basketball court. A cold-blooded assassin, always ready to make his opponents eat the floor when they dared to challenge him 1-on-1 in isolation. He was a nightmare for NBA defences for five seasons, during which the bearded player averaged 32 points per game!

And since a picture is worth a thousand words, we’ll leave you to enjoy this lesson from the ‘God of Isolation’.