What is a general definition of a blowout in basketball
A blowout is an informal term that is sometimes used to describe a situation during a basketball game when one particular team has a significant lead over another team, which is usually by a total of at least 15 to 20 points.
What are possible factors that could cause a team to be on the losing end of a blowout
Poor passing
If a team does not pass the ball enough or at all, particularly by way of ball reversal, then this could lead to low quality types of shots, which could include shots that are difficult to make in most cases or simply shots that are not open.
On the other hand, though, if a team passes the ball a little too much, then that could result in rushed shots at the end of a shot clock or that same team could possibly fail to take advantage of scoring opportunities that could be momentarily available when offensive players are open.
Additionally, offensive teams could simply make bad passes, which could lead to turnovers as opposed to assists.
Inadequate shooting
If a team is below average in terms of their ability to shoot the ball from the perimeter areas of the court, especially beyond the three-point line, then this could result in several missed shots as well as a low field goal percentage.
If that happens on a consistent basis over time, it could result in a team losing the game by a large amount of points, which would effectively be a blowout.
Conversely though, let’s say that a team does have the capability to typically make perimeter shots the majority of the time.
However, let’s also say that in one particular game, that same team is not able to make shots when they are needed.
Afterwards, if that team does not have a back-up plan and more specifically, the coaching staff does not make necessary adjustments such as focusing on preventing the opposition from scoring via hard-nosed defensive action, then this could become an issue and eventually cause the team to be on the receiving end of a blowout.
In addition to that, when a team does not take or make enough free throw attempts throughout the course of a game, this could also potentially result in that team getting blown out by the opposition.
This could possibly be even more of a factor when that same opposing team is able to take and make a large amount of free throws.
Also, in the case of inadequate free throw takes and/or makes, a blowout would generally happen when the team settles for taking jump shots (that are missed most of the time) with little to no dribble action in terms of attacking the rim to score or get fouled.
Ineffective dribbling
If one or more players on a team dribbles the basketball too much during a game, especially with no valid purpose, then this would more than likely cause the offense to become stagnated.
From that point, because of that stagnation, there is probably at least a moderate chance that the team would execute their offensive strategies and/or set plays very poorly, which could lead to undesirable shot selection and an eventual blowout.
Similarly a blowout could also happen when one or more players, particularly perimeter players such as the point guard, shooting guard, or small forward, can functionally dribble but those same players are not very good at attacking the rim to break down defenders.
Essentially, if dribble penetration does not occur, then the defense does not have to heavily focus on executing defensive rotations to ultimately prevent offensive scoring opportunities.
As a result, this could lead to poor shot selection, stagnated offense, as well as the losing end of a blowout for the offensive team.
In addition to all of that, if one or more players on a team simply cannot dribble the basketball at all, then it is possible that the end result would be a blowout for that same team.
However, it should be noted though that this scenario is probably rare outside of beginner youth basketball levels.
Insufficient cutting
If off-ball players on a team do not attempt to cut at all when it is practical to do so, then this could also lead to disruption of offensive flow, which in turn, could possibly result in that team being on the losing end of a blowout.
Basically, when an offensive player moves without the ball, the defender that is guarding that same offensive player has to focus on them and simultaneously, see where the ball is at all times, which could put pressure on that defender.
However, when an offensive player just stands in one spot while being off the ball, it is easier for the adjacent defender to cover that offensive player.
Essentially, the defender would be able to see the off-ball player out of their peripheral vision and know where the ball is at the same time.
Nonetheless, if an offensive player continues to move without the ball, primarily by way of basketball cuts, it is more challenging for a defensive player to watch the ball and cover their respective assignment concurrently with great success.
Substandard screening
If a certain player, especially a post player such as a power forward or center, were to set substandard basketball screens, then an offensive teammate who would use those screens would generally have a difficult time executing offensive actions with excellent efficiency.
For example, if an on-ball screen is set poorly for an offensive player in possession of the ball, then the on-ball defender that is guarding that same offensive player could easily go over the top of the screen or go under the screen.
When that happens, the on-ball defender would be able to stay in front of the offensive player with the ball and at the same time, the offensive player would have trouble attacking the rim or at least getting into the gaps of the defense, which is the general purpose of the on-ball screen in the first place.
From there, this could result in offensive disruption and low quality shot selection, which could also lead to a potential blowout if that were to happen consistently.
As another brief example, if an inadequate off-ball screen is set by a certain player, then it would be much more challenging for a secondary offensive player to get open after using that unprofitable screen.
This could, once again, lead to offensive stagnation, which could also result in low quality offensive execution.
Erroneous or faulty offensive strategies
In certain instances, coaches could implement erroneous or faulty offensive strategies for their own team that are not viable against the opposing team’s defensive strategies.
This particular error could not only be costly in terms of winning the game but it could cause the team to be on the losing end of a blowout as well.
For example, if an offensive team is undersized when compared to their opponent, then it would probably be very favorable for that team’s coaching staff to implement strategies that can open up the low post areas such as the 5 out motion offense, the circle offense, the horns offense, or the 1-4 high offense.
If the undersized team were to do this, it could possibly limit the abilities of the larger opposing team as it relates to their greater size and/or strength.
Essentially, those larger defenders would be initially pulled away from the basket and this would give the smaller team the capability to create high quality scoring opportunities, primarily by using their speed and quickness as a counter against their opponent’s size and strength.