EPT1) Passing
Unless you're an elf you probably shouldn't be passing regularly. Passing takes a lot of roles, and therefore has a high chance of a turnover. If you do need to pass you should do as short a pass as possible. You can move and then pass. I've noticed people making very long passes without moving. In general you should move as close to your receiver as possible, then make your pass. You can also do a handoff, which only requires 1 roll (to catch), rather than 2 (pass & catch).
2) "Free" moves, and idle players
I've also noticed free players (no one in base contact) not getting moved a lot. These moves are free (don't require any rolls) and should typically be done very early in your turn, since they can't cause a turnover. Also, don't forget about players and have them just hanging out away from the action. At least move them towards the action or mark up some players or help with assists.
3) Crowd Pushes
If you have a player within 2 spaces of the sideline you should be looking out for crowd pushes. You should be especially worried if your opponent has any frenzy players. Additionally you should look at any opponent players near sidelines and ask yourself if you can crowd push them. Crowd pushes can be very powerful as the automatically remove a player from the drive. This can quickly cause a snowball effect as one team gets outnumbered. So be careful near the sidelines!!!!
4) Caging / Protecting the ball
There is a balance between being safe for THIS turn, and being able to advance and be safe NEXT turn. Think ahead for where you want to go and how to get there. Also look at where the opponents players can be next turn. If the opponent doesn't have enough move to reach the ball carrier he doesn't need any escorts. Also the most effective cage looks like the 5 on a die, like this:
X-X
-B-
X-X
Your opponet can't get to the ball carrier (B) without making some ridiculous dodges and will probably get a -2d block. A cross (+) is not very effective as your opponent can just walk up to the ball carrier without dodges.
5) Safe stuff first
Basically an extension of the second point, but in general you should be doing free stuff -> safe stuff -> risky stuff. Part of this is just getting familar with the odds on different actions and how the game mechanics work, but you should always ask yourself "how likely is this to result in a turnover, and how screwed would I be if this fails?". It sucks to basically lose a turn because you failed a roll before you got to move most of your players.
A lot of this is just experience and familiarity with the game, so don't get discouraged while you're learning!
