New Orleans Pelicans assistant coach Darnell Lazare shares a comprehensive blueprint for building a disruptive NBA-style defense and developing modern bigs.

In this session, Lazare outlines defensive principles centered on communication, transition defense, ball containment, and rebounding — the foundation of New Orleans’ top-10 defense over the past five seasons. He breaks down several pick-and-roll coverages including "down," "red," and "hit" rotations, while walking through teaching points for closeouts, X-outs, and nail help responsibilities.

Lazare then demonstrates a few of his favorite competitive drills like 4-on-3 to 3-on-2 transition and half-court disadvantage scenarios (small-sided games) to improve communication, decision making, and reaction time.

On the player development side, he provides a clear framework for helping bigs thrive in today’s game, including finishing in traffic, operating in the pocket, relocating in spacing actions, and how to play effectively in tight windows.

This presentation is a must-watch that is filled with insights for coaches looking to modernize their approach to defense and big-man development.