Why Is Rebounding So Important?
Rebounding is one of the core elements of basketball but is usually overlooked by many players because it isn’t a glamorous job and does not usually make the highlight reels. However a team that rebounds more than their opponent will have a much higher chance of winning the game. Everyone misses shots in basketball regardless of the level they play at and so it is vitally important to your success as a team or a player to go after them.
Importance Of Offensive Rebounds
Offensive Rebounds give your team extra opportunities to either score and put points on the board or get fouled and go to the free throw line. Offensive rebounds also can help mask the shortcomings of a teams offense, if you’re team is below average at scoring the ball but have great offensive rebounders then odds are they will still manage to put a decent amount of points on the scoreboard. This also isn’t taking into account how usually offensive rebounds lead to a higher scoring conversion rate as catching a rebound close to the rim with inside position on a defender leads to easier scoring looks which will boost teams scoring percentage. By grabbing offensive rebounds you also prevent the opposing team turning a defensive rebound into a fast break or quick attack on the other end.
Offensive rebounds also lead to frustration from the defending team which can result in them fouling you at a higher rate leading to free throws and potentially putting the other team into foul trouble leading to even more points later in the quarter and forcing the other team to play their bench players longer than they would possibly like to and this could compromise their offense and defense if less talented players are forced to play a higher share of minutes.
Importance Of Defensive Rebounds
Defensive rebounding limits your opponents scoring opportunities by giving them limited chance to score against your team. Defensive rebounds are far more common than offensive rebounds and we tend to see three defensive rebounds for every offensive one. This is due to the defenders usually having a better rebounding position at the beginning the rebounding battle. If you have a player that is an elite defensive rebounder and has elite outlet passing ability (someone like Kevin Love in the modern game and Bill Walton in the past) then defensive rebounds can turn into quick easy layups on the other end. In the modern game you also see a lot of high rebounding guards and forwards who can initiate a fast break straight away from a rebound (players like Westbrook or Lebron do this a lot).
Defensive rebounding is important because no team or player wants to play hard nosed defense, force a player into a bad shot just to give away a quick putback after the miss because no one secured the board. Defensive rebounding is just as important as playing defense itself and two go hand in hand. If your defense is poor then you will have fewer defensive rebounding opportunities and will be forced to attack a defense that is already set on the other end which in turn makes your offense harder to execute.
As you can see rebounding can have a massive effect on your chance of winning a basketball game and therefore should be a point of emphasis for every player and coach in the game of basketball. Great rebounders are truly rare and a coveted asset for teams so if you want to stand out for the crowd becoming an elite rebounder is a great way to get noticed and earn yourself more minutes. If you want to get better at rebounding check out our tips here
