In the world of professional basketball, success often hinges on the tiniest of margins. For the New Zealand Breakers, a team that’s long struggled to keep pace in Australia’s NBL, finding an edge has been a constant challenge. But this season, they appear to have stumbled upon a formula that’s not only keeping them competitive but actually helping them defy the odds.
The Secret Weapon: “Tagging Up”
The Breakers’ unlikely surge can be attributed to a strategy known as “tagging up.” Developed by Australian coaching guru Aaron Fearne, this tactic involves all five players crashing the offensive glass while simultaneously matching up with their defensive assignments. The goal? To create extra possessions through offensive rebounds while stifling the opponent’s transition game.
“We were a historically bad offensive rebounding team,” Breakers assistant coach Daniel Sokolovsky told ESPN. “We don’t have a wealth of talent, so we want to win the possessions margin. How do we create more possessions? We want to shoot a lot of threes anyway, so these are the best opportunities to tag.”
It’s a system that requires discipline and coordination, but when executed properly, it can be incredibly effective. The Breakers have seen firsthand the benefits, particularly in their recent upset victory over the Sydney Kings.
Neutralizing the Kings’ Transition Game
Coming into the matchup, the Kings boasted the NBL’s most potent transition offense, scoring on a league-leading 16.5% of their possessions. But against the Breakers’ “tagging up” strategy, that number plummeted to just 10%. By committing to the offensive glass and immediately matching up defensively, the Breakers effectively short-circuited the Kings’ ability to get out and run.
“We just wanted to take the sting off their first wave,” Sokolovsky explained. “Not allowing Xavier [Cooks] to get the rebound and find a head of steam, which I think we found a lot of success with. Every time you land with your rebounder, there’s somebody in front of you. It’s hard to just take off.”
Exploiting the Kings’ Halfcourt Struggles
The Breakers’ strategy also took advantage of the Kings’ current personnel issues. With star import guard Jaylen Adams sidelined, Sydney has struggled to generate consistent offense in the halfcourt, averaging just 15.8 points per game out of the pick-and-roll in his absence compared to 22 points per game when he plays.
By taking away easy transition buckets and forcing the Kings to operate in the halfcourt, the Breakers were able to exploit this weakness and keep the game on their terms.
The Rise of Karim Lopez
Perhaps no Breaker has benefited more from the “tagging up” system than Next Star prospect Karim Lopez. The athletic forward turned in a breakout performance against the Kings, tallying 13 points, 10 rebounds (5 offensive), and a block.
“Anything that has to do with physicality and athleticism, it’s gonna be favourable to him,” Sokolovsky said of Lopez. “Every instinct he’s had up to this point has been: hey, kid, you’re a freak athlete, just go get it… Once he figured out the rules, he realised he could get just as many – if not more – offensive rebounds this way, and he doesn’t have to worry about transition.”
For a raw prospect still learning the nuances of professional basketball, a system that simplifies his responsibilities and plays to his strengths could be a game-changer in accelerating his development.
A Winning Formula?
Of course, no single strategy is a panacea, and the Breakers still have their work cut out for them if they hope to make real noise in the NBL this season. But in a league where innovation often wins out, their commitment to the unorthodox is already paying dividends.
If they can continue to refine and execute their “tagging up” system, while developing young talents like Lopez in the process, the Breakers may just have a formula to keep defying the odds. In a basketball world that often favors the status quo, that would be a true
