I recently had the honor to interview Mohammad Dakhil. Mo is a former NBA Video Coordinator for the Clippers, Spurs and the Australian Men’s Basketball from 2010-2012 Olympics. He is the founder of a relatively new site called The Jump Ball (https://thejumpball.net/) which is very popular among NBA fans. I hope you enjoy this interview.
When did you know that you wanted to be an NBA video coordinator and why?
MD: Let’s be honest, no one wants to be an NBA video coordinator, it is the mailroom to basketball operations and no one ever wants to stay in the mailroom. I wanted to be an NBA coach and knew this was my way in. I love hoops but I’ve always loved knowing why I always want to know why in any topic so I always wanted to know why a certain play works and why a team defended a play this way. The best way to learn why is by going through the film and that is how I found myself in the video room. From there I learned so much about basketball, I love the video room because it is there I began finding the answer to why.
There is a heated debate happening every day between NBA fans about stats vs the techniques a player uses. What would you say is more important?
MD: They go hand in hand. As a video coordinator, I used stats all the time as I began scouting a team. You can see from stats what teams are trying to do, are they shooting more threes than twos, do they crash the offensive glass, do they get to the line a lot etc. From game film you can learn how they are doing it, what are they doing to get those shots, are they getting rebounds because of opportunities or is a concerted effort, how are they drawing so many fouls. There have been times I would see a stat and need the film to confirm it wasn’t an anomaly, or I’ve seen teams doing something on film several times I would go to the stats to confirm it. One isn’t more important than the other, they’re both a piece of the puzzle.
There are so many superstars playing in the NBA today, who do you think has the best defense and who has the best offense?
MD: I mean fully healthy Kawhi Leonard is the best defensive player in the NBA, Draymond Green has one of the highest defensive IQs I’ve seen in a long time, he can diagnose a play and react quicker than anyone I’ve ever seen. Rudy Gobert and Joel Embiid are great rim protectors, Al Horford often gets overlooked as a defender but he is one of the best big man defenders, just try to move him, he’s a freaking rocking and just stands up post players all the time. Offensively there are so many guys, Steph will probably go down as the best shooter ever in our game, KD is just a swiss army knife, he can shoot, drive, and post up. Kyrie’s handles and ability to finish at the rim are out of this world. LeBron’s vision makes him dangerous any time he has the ball in his hands. As you can tell I can’t name one in either category, we are really lucky to be watching a league with so much talent that we can’t narrow it down to just one guy.
What do you think about Jamal Crawford still being a free agent?
MD: I am surprised, (I’m certainly biased, Jamal is an all-time favorite of mine) he might end up a free agent going into training camp. I think as teams see they are missing some firepower off the bench his phone might start ringing. Of course, he has his deficiencies on defense and there are times he can shoot you out of a game but he’s also going to come in and get you back into some games. In the right situation he can really help a team, maybe someone like Philly should take a look, he could definitely replace what Belinelli brought off the bench. Going to be interesting to see where he ends up, he still has some game left.
Why are you so passionate about basketball?
MD: Besides the strategy of it, I love watching five guys try to play as one. Even though we always highlight individuals but it is the ultimate team sport. I just love that, I love the challenge as a coach trying to get all the guys on the same page offensively and defensively. I really love watching great defenses working together.
Do you think this basketball revolution of playing for three-pointers will last long?
MD: I don’t see it ending at all. The beauty of the game is that it still is evolving, I think the three ball is here to stay for a long while. I guess the logical question is to ask where the game is going to go from here. I don’t think the mid-range shot or post is dead just dormant. It is going to become important as teams focus on how to take away the long ball. In this game, you can’t take everything away, you take something away and you open yourself up elsewhere. So when defenses learn how best to take that away it’ll open up those opportunities or guys will just start pulling up from beyond half court!
You started your own site The Jump Ball, and you have quite a lot of followers, what would you like to say to all your supporters?
MD: Thank you! I’m not a great writer, it was never my background, I’m a basketball guy that can almost put together a few sentences. I appreciate everyone that has ever read, watched, or listened to any content I’ve created, I do my best to give you my thoughts and show you what is going on behind the curtain. So thank you to anyone who has consumed any of my content and supported my site.
Which team do you think will have the biggest win jump compared to last season?
MD: I think the obvious answer is the Lakers, you add the best player in the game on your squad you are going to win more games. I don’t know if it is going to be drastic jump or anything I would expect them to be in the top three.
SLAM DUNK3 