How Olivia Miles Creates Decisions for the Defense

The best guards do more than read the defense. They make the defense reveal what it values. That is the part of Olivia Miles’ game I have been thinking about as I continue breaking down what makes her different. Come off a screen and keep the trailing defender on your hip, and the big has to make a decision. Step toward Miles and the roller gains space behind the coverage. Stay closer to the roller and Miles can continue into the paint or settle into a short jumper. Wait too long and both defenders remain tied to the action while the rest of the defense starts shifting toward the ball. That extra beat matters. Miles often appears comfortable holding the possession in that uncertain space long enough to see which defender moves first. Then she starts working on the help behind them. A look toward the roller may pull the low defender deeper into the lane. A drive toward the middle can bring the defender at the nail one step closer. Either movement can create a passing angle somewhere else before Miles has released the ball. Sometimes the opening starts with her eyes. Sometimes with the angle of the dribble. Sometimes with patience. That is what I mean by making the defense declare itself. Chelsea Gray has made a career out of this kind of patience. She can wait until a defender leans, reaches or takes one step too far, then use the space that decision created. Chris Paul has done something similar by keeping the on-ball defender behind him after a screen. As long as that defender stays attached to his back, the big still has to account for the ball and the roller. The defense remains divided. The comparison I see with Miles is that specific comfort with uncertainty. She seems willing to keep the answer open while the defense shows its priority. That is what I would watch for. Watch the big’s feet. Watch the low defender’s first step. Watch whether Miles looks one direction before the ball goes another. The eventual pass may look obvious. The opening often started much earlier. I recognize a version of that in leadership. The first answer in a room usually reflects the most visible part of the problem. Giving the discussion another moment can reveal what people are protecting, which constraint actually matters and where there is still room to move. I have learned to value that extra read. Miss Mango currently asks one question and usually has three more ready before I finish answering the first. She may be onto something. Miles keeps reminding me that better decisions often come from learning a little more before choosing. #WNBA #LeadershipDevelopment