The Yellow Giant: Who are you Georgie Sharmadini?

By: Omer Arian

This coming Friday, Hapoel will go to a real battle against Tenerife for the coveted (and historic) ticket to the Final Four of the BCL. 40 minutes apart. 40 minutes, and one group in yellow and black. In its center stands one. A bit to miss him in light of the fact that he stands at a height of 2.16 m. Georgi Sharmadini, one of the most experienced and dominant centers that the league has to offer, is the real goal of anyone who wants to pass Tenerife. And now he is the target of Aleksandar D?iki? and his gang. So how do you stop him? How do you attack him? And what should we be careful of? Come on, let's dive in.

First and foremost, like all of Tenerife, Sharmadini is a first-class offensive weapon. Sharmadini is what I call the "center of gravity". The significance of borrowing the physical concept of gravity to describe players lies in the way the defense reacts to them. When Sharmani is in the spotlight, everyone is attracted to him. The defense seems to collapse into him without touching the ball. That alone is a huge offensive advantage. And when it comes with great passing abilities that allow him to take advantage of those things, Real mess.

Ok, so an idea What if we leave the tall one inside the paint, and that way we don't have to reach for help every time? Good idea. isn't it? So that's it; besides Sharmadini, there are talanted gaurds. A real headache. Coaches who thought they had cracked the system, defended a "drop" defense in which the big man stayed in the paint, and shut down Sharmadini, discovered that they had uncovered another loophole.

So what do we do? Despite the indisputable dominance of the Georgian center, his limited skill set is also not debatable. The ability to dribble does not exist; shooting range is an irrelevant concept; and versatility is almost zero. Therefore, a defense that pushes Sharmadini to places that are less pleasant for him and further away from the paint or to things where he is less good, like short rolls of all types, will benefit. And who but Hapoel knows how to push players to places they like less?

With all that we said, as Hapoel made sure to teach us this year, basketball is not just a game of offense. The best way to deal with Sharmadini is to make it ineffective. Make him cost his team more points than he contributes. Not easy, but possible. The weakness of the giant from Tenerife is expressed in his slow feet. The size and height that are an advantage in offense may actually fail Sharmadini in defense. As a counter-action, Hapoel should take care of mobile and fast actions. attack the weak point. Let's demonstrate.

Although Hapoel doesn't usually do it, an efficient and fast running game while Sharmadini is on the field can create a built-in numerical advantage for the offense and make Sharmadini a burden in the eyes of Tenerife.

Or alternatively, attack quickly with quick and agile pick-and-roll moves. For that, you need an athletic center and explosive guards. Do you know any of these?

In the end, like everything in basketball, it's all about efficiency. Most teams wouldn't pretend to try and slow Shermadini down on offense; they would just try to make him irrelevant. From a brief introduction to the actors, Hapoel will go all the way. Make Shermadini live as much as possible outside the paint and, at the same time, take advantage of every second of slowness that is on the court. To a large extent, this battle may decide the game. For sure, it will be interesting.