Early motion on inbounds plays

[steveshea]

I was recently watching the 2013 NBA finals again. During a Spurs inbounds play from under the hoop (I think in game 3), the Spurs went in motion before the inbounder had the ball from the ref. I believe Jeff Van Gundy made some remark to the effect that he didn't understand why teams always started inbounds plays stationary. I don't know how much of an advantage the inbounding team will gain from the early motion, but I am intrigued. Does anyone know of college or NBA teams that fairly regularly run inbounds plays with motion before the inbounder has the ball?

Thanks

[Crow]

It might make general sense for the offensive player to be in motion beforehand if the direction and speed of motion is well-chosen and timed. I would think that an offensive player who plans to make and makes a cut of some kind would gain more of an edge when in motion than when not but one should consider degrees of freedom of motion, the role of inertia and visibility of player change of motion to the defense and reaction times. An offensive player in motion might be less able to make some changes in direction and speed of motion than one starting from a standstill. The defensive reaction times may vary for defenders at rest and in motion. It might be generally easier to respond to some unexpected cut if the defender is already overcome inertia and in motion. There may not be a universal answer but it is good to think about the question. Analysis of SportVU data in great detail could yield lots of new insights that could make their way into coaching and conscious player decision-making and instinctive movement.