The Read & React is based around the premise that the ball handler has the freedom to do anything he wants (almost) and the other four players on the court have one and only one reaction based on his choice.
So, in effect, this makes the ball handler the orchestrator of the offense. His choice of action dictates the actions of his teammates. This is a smart player’s dream, but it does come with some responsibilities.
Just like a conductor must be precise and deliberate in his movements so the orchestra knows what he wants from them, the ball handler must make readable actions so that his teammates understand how to react.
That means, North-South dribble penetration must look like North-South dribble penetration and not like a Dribble-At. A Power Dribble must be clearly a Power Dribble otherwise the player who the ball handler wants to come get the ball will cut instead.
But, the ball handler won’t just know what’s readable and what isn’t. It’s your responsibility as a coach to emphasize those readable actions in your Read & React drills. The more emphasis in practice, the fewer miscommunications in real game situations.
