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The Basketball Podcast: EP386 with DJ Bakker on Offensive Concepts vs. Switching
In this week’s basketball coaching conversation, Charlotte Hornets Assistant Coach DJ Bakker joins the Basketball Podcast to share insights on offensive concepts vs. switching.
DJ Bakker is the Head Coach of the Greensboro Swarm and an Assistant Coach with the Charlotte Hornets, bringing over a decade of NBA coaching experience and a proven track record in player development and team success. In the 2024–25 season, Bakker led the Swarm to their first playoff appearance in franchise history, finishing with a 31–19 record—best in team history and fourth overall in the G League. Under his leadership, the Swarm ranked third in Defensive Rating, top five in Net Rating, and first in both Clutch Net Rating and Offensive Rating. His dual role with the Hornets included overseeing the development of young NBA talent, including 2024 sixth overall draft pick Tidjane Salaun.
Before joining the Hornets organization, Bakker served as an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2023–24 season. He played a key role in shaping the team’s offensive identity to maximize the strengths of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, while also working individually with Khris Middleton and Malik Beasley. That season, the Bucks finished fifth in Offensive Rating and Bakker was part of the coaching staff for both the 2024 NBA All-Star Game and the playoffs. His G League success began with the Motor City Cruise, where he led the team to a 31–15 record in its inaugural season and a playoff berth, while developing five future NBA players.
Bakker’s coaching journey includes player development roles with the Detroit Pistons, Toronto Raptors, and Dallas Mavericks, where he worked with emerging stars like Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, and OG Anunoby. He also served as an advance scout for the Orlando Magic and began his NBA career with the Chicago Bulls. His foundation in skill development was shaped at ATTACK Athletics under Tim Grover, where he trained over 35 NBA players. Known for his adaptability, communication, and tactical clarity, Bakker continues to build competitive, development-focused environments at both the NBA and G League levels.
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DJ Bakker Quotes:
“When I was with Nick Nurse in Toronto, he told me all the time, ‘Go coach in the G League.’ Once I was fortunate enough to do it, I learned the growth and the development from it. How it exposes your weaknesses, how it confirms your strengths, and just stretches you in so many different ways from a leadership standpoint and from a basketball standpoint.”
“There’s nothing more frustrating, from an offensive standpoint, than when you’re running your actions, your sets and multiple actions and no advantages are created. So, I think that’s why teams do it [switch on defense] . . and the physicality piece, not allowing the freedom of movement is what allows teams to be really good at executing that coverage.”
“What type of switching team are they? Is it more important for them to switch aggressively on the ball and deter the ball handler from getting downhill or . . are they really focused on switching under to take away the roller?”
“Offensively, we have to fight for freedom of movement and we have to create indecision. You have to test how willing a team is to switch . . I think once we define that, then can we do it at a fast pace? The slower we go, the easier it is for them to communicate, the easier it is for them to grab and hold . . and you don’t create any indecision.”
“We have to create player recognition in the game. Maybe at a timeout we can tell them what’s going on, but they have to recognize a small ball 5 just checked into the game. This team now went from switching one through four and now they’re switching one through five. Our end goal as teachers and as coaches is to get player recognition and then players becoming adaptable.”
“There’s a read to it and there’s a decision-making component to it where they have to understand, ‘Can I read that defender’s feet?’ That’s where I’d start my foundational piece of it. If I’m a screener, I’m looking at the defender’s feet and, if they can understand that, I think the biggest thing is the screening angle . . teaching them to not allow the defender on the ball to release and get under you as a screener.”
“As coaches, we have to provide solutions with clarity. This is what the defense is doing. These are the couple of counters that we want to hone in on. And it’s just two or three max, until we really master those, then we can move on. And then, it’s repping it out over and over again to where it really becomes second nature to our players, where they understand, ‘I see the switch, I’m going to look to do this.’”
“The only way to be prepared from an offensive standpoint is to go live one through five. I would do that for on the ball and off the ball as well because I feel like a heavy emphasis is on ball. And I think the off ball is equally as important when teams start switching in your delay actions or whatever you might be in.”
“Every single day this [coverages and solutions] should be worked on in small group settings . . I think it has to be a daily focal point of your player development program and building out your team concepts. And you’re still working on the skills of the individual player.”
“For the handlers, I think the first thing we’re looking for is the race. What’s our advantage? It’s our foot speed and it’s the ability to race the big. And so, as the defender is coming up and he’s switching onto the ball, beating him to that outside foot and creating an open stance on the defender is our advantage. And when you’re working on your finishing, especially if it’s a guard versus big, you have to think shoulder to chest and eating up that space.”
“Because the big presses up a little bit [to contest the 3-point shot], they have an aggressive and early low man . . anticipating the drive and the blow by. So, the ball handler can just come off the screen, engage the 5, and swing it and swing it again. Two passes out of the switch is really important. It’s the second pass that’s going to force the long close out. And now we put the big in an uncomfortable situation.”
“I think the worst thing is the ball handler not being in attack mode . . allowing the switch to happen. Now, we just ran an action and no advantage was created. Changing the mindset and mentality the ball handler is how we’re going to make teams pay and still play in advantage mode. One of the options is they get off the ball. The other option is they get downhill and play in attack mode.”
“Our foundational principle is speed crushes switching. So, whether you’re on the ball, off the ball, half-court offense, offense after a dead ball, it doesn’t matter. Every action we do has to be done with speed.”
“If you can screen from angles where that defender has to turn his head or has poor body position to switch under, those are gold, those are the primary situation. If we can rip and slip, that’s great.”
DJ Bakker Breakdown:
DJ Bakker Selected Links from the Podcast:
D.J. Bakker
Tim Grover
Mike Procopio
Jamahl Mosely
Mike Weinar
Rick Carlisle
Melvin Hunt
Charles Lee
Dwane Casey
OG Anunoby
Fred VanVleet
Delon Wright
Norman Powell
Jakob Pöltl
Pascal Siakam
Micah Nori
Nick Nurse
Wayne Ellington
Kyle Lowry
Jrue Holiday
Jalen Brunson
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