NBA Coaches Playbook Review: Basketball Plays and Lessons from NBA Coaches

You cannot say that a book featuring so many legendary coaches is not worth reading. In NBA Coaches Playbook, you come across some of the best-known names in basketball, starting with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He is not exactly a team coach, but he personally trained Andrew Bynum and Dwight Howard. Two great centers, although Bynum's career faded and Howard did not become quite the player he once promised to be.

There is also Mike Fratello, with his peculiar, almost mask-like face. Phil Jackson teaches us the “Blind Pig” action. I do not know why it has that name, but I like its originality. Avery Johnson explains his plays in a fast-paced and direct style, though his language can be hard for me to follow. Then there is Stan Van Gundy, and Dwight Howard who, metaphorically speaking, stabbed him in the back when Van Gundy coached the Orlando Magic.

Tex Winter mastered the triangle offense. Rubén Magnano coached that outstanding Argentina team with Manu Ginóbili as a leading player, if I remember correctly. These are the coaches I know best.

NBA Coaches Playbook ("Libro de jugadas de los entrenadores de la NBA" in Spanish)
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Peace Lilies (lirios de la paz)

Once you understand the main conventions used in the diagrams, which are explained at the beginning, you can start reading the basketball plays. I found the first three chapters harder to follow because they rely mainly on written explanations, and there were some taught moves that I couldn't understand. From the fourth chapter onwards, the diagrams make the plays more visual and easier to follow.

I am reading the book for the third time (I do not have an eidetic memory like Elon Musk does), and I understand the plays better with each reading. There are also entertaining explanations towards the end of many chapters.

Each coach teaches the aspects of basketball they understand best, so you get a firsthand look at how they think. The book also includes a chapter on players' physical training.

Overall, I enjoyed the whole book. It is true that I sometimes lost the thread, perhaps because of my limited knowledge or because some plays were not explained in a continuous way. That did not happen often, though.

Above all, I think it is a fantastic book for learning basketball plays. I recommend it to coaches and players. If you want to explore defense in more detail, read my review of 101 Defensive Basketball Drills. For the physical preparation mentioned in this book, see my review of Complete Conditioning for Basketball.

Book: NBA Coaches Playbook
Editor: Giorgio Gandolfi
Spanish edition: Libro de jugadas de los entrenadores de la NBA