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The best offensive patterns when you cannot outnumber the opponent are
two against two or three against three. Every basketball player needs to
be well versed on these basic plays that follow. When three players are involved, things do become a bit more complex.
There is timing, movement, and ball handling which increases chances for
error.
Two-man plays can involve:
- Guard with another guard.
- Guard with a forward.
- Guard with the center.
- Forward with the center
- Forward with another forward
As coach you must devote much practice time to two on two and three on
three situations using a limited court area. Game conditions are best
simulated at no more than half a front court.
Basketball Plays Without a Screen
Most play patterns use screens. The plays that follow are the only ones
not involving a screen:
- The Give and Go
- The Change of Direction
- The V-cut to receive ball
- The Inside Handoff
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Diagram 1. Give & Go -
1 passes to 2 faking a cut in 2's direction to move his own
defender. As defender #1 moves, offensive player 1 pushes off his
right foot around defender #1 cutting directly toward the basket.
Offensive player 2 returns the pass.
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Diagram 2 Reverse Cut
(Backdoor)-
Offensive player 1 has the ball and teammate 2 is on the
sideline. Offensive player 2 steps toward teammate 1 with his
right foot. As his foot is coming down, teammate 1 fakes the pass.
2's defender moves out, 2 pushes off his right foot, takes a short
step with his left foot, crosses long with the right foot and
takes a pass behind his defender.
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Diagram 3 Inside Cut -
Offensive player 2 fakes toward the basket, stepping with his
left foot getting his defender's attention. Offensive 2 pushes off
his left foot, takes a short step with the right foot and a long
step with the left foot cutting inside his defender taking a pass
from his teammate.
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Diagram 4 Alley Oop (Dummy Play) -
Offensive player 2 is being guarded by defender #2. Player 2 is
in the low-post position facing his teammate 1. His defender,
facing player 2 and his arms up cannot see the ball. Offensive
player 2 must dummy his defender into thinking he is not going to
receive the ball. He must remain without expression, making no
movements and not looking directly at the ball. Teammate passes
the high toward the rim. Player 2 must move quickly, catching and
shooting the ball all in one motion. |
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Diagram 5 Dummy Play Out of Bounds -
This is a dandy out-of-bounds play for a big man being guarded
by a much smaller opponent.
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Diagram 6 (A) Making a V-cut to get the
ball and (B) Receiving Inside Hand-off.
Making a V-cut to get the ball begins with a fake toward the
basket and a push-off with the far foot back toward the ball thus
freeing oneself for the ball. This is fhe basic method that any
potential pass receiver must use from any location on the court in
order to free himself from a close guarding defender.
Diagram 6 (B) - Any time an offensive player can cut inside
his defender and receive a pass within 15 feet of the basket, he
is in excellent shooting position and should be given the ball.
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Diagram 7 (A) This play may be made at
the strong side forward to strong side guard or it may be made to
a forward on the weak side when the ball is in the possession of a
guard on the opposite side if the key area is open as in Diagram
7 (B). |
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Diagram 8 Inside Screen -
Offensive player 1 has passed to teammate 2 and has moved into
position between 2's defender and the basket. The diagram shows
him setting an inside screen.
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Diagram 9 Inside Hand Off - Player 1
has passed to teammate 2 and moved between player 2 and his
defender. His teammate gives him an inside hand off and player 1
dribble drives to the basket. Player 1 should alway signal his
intention for an inside hand off, perhaps nodding his head as he
passes the ball to teammate 2. |
Coaching Basketball Plays Using Screens
Just a word about setting screens before we start: Don’t be a
telephone pole. Make yourself big. Too many players stand erect
with their hands over their nuts. This is wrong. The proper way to set a
screen is to get down in a defensive stance. Let the referee see your
hands. This makes you big and takes up more space. That said, let’s
get down to business.
You can set a screen as close as desired, as long as the screener is in
the normal field of vision of the player being screened. When out of his
field of vision, the screener must allow enough space for a normal step.
This will vary among referees; therefore, players must adjust. These
screens are called:
- Outside Screen
– Whenever the defender is playing his man
loosely, the screen should be outside the defender, that is, between the
defender and the man he is guarding.
- Inside Screen
– When the defender is close to the offensive
player being screened for, the screener should be inside the defender
and closer to the basket.
- Lateral Screen
- Whenever the defender is guarding an offensive
player in a way that lateral (side) screening might open that offensive
player for a shot, drive, or cut, to the basket, the screener stops on
either side of his teammate’s defender. The advantage to the lateral
screen is that it comes within the field of vision of the defender;
hence, it can be set with the wide base mentioned previously.
- Back Screen
– When an offensive player moves behind a
stationary teammate who has the ball, or dribbles behind a teammate, a
back screen is being set. Both defensive players will be inside and
closer to the basket than the offensive players.
- Rear Screen
– When a wing or pivot player moves behind a
defender from a position out of the visual field of that defender, he
sets a rear screen. It is an inside screen that is set by a player
moving from a close-in-to-the basket position to the rear of the
opponent. An excellent rear-screen maneuver is to have the pivot player
break from his post position toward the ball handler, who passes to him.
The pass is usually high enough that the pivot man must jump and catch
the ball in the air. He must be well in front of his defender as he
moves to the ball from directly behind the passer’s defender. As the
pivot player makes contact with the floor, he pivots toward the basket,
holding the ball high over his head. The passer immediately cuts of the
pivot player, to either side, running his defender into the pivot player’s
rear screen. The pivot passes to the cutter if no switch is made;
however, if a switch is made, he dribbles in for an easy lay-up,
himself.
- Double Screen
– A double screen is set when two offensive
players stop in a shoulder-to-shoulder position, parallel to,
perpendicular to, or oblique to the endline, anywhere within shooting
distance of the basketball goal. Many set offensive patterns use this
maneuver to obtain good shots or cutting opportunities.
The Offensive Roll
This is a pivoting maneuver used by a screener after screening for a
teammate after that teammate cuts off the screen. To do this, the screener
pivots on the left foot, taking a long step toward the basket with the
right foot when the cutter goes to the screener’s right. If the cutter
goes to the screener’s left side, the screener should pivot on his right
foot, taking the long step toward the basket with his left foot.
The Principles of Screening
The position of the defender guarding the teammate being screened for
dictates the type of screen to be used.
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Diagram 10 - Outside Screen - Player 1
passes to teammate 2 and since 2's defender has dropped back,
playing 2 loosely, player 1 screens outside defender 2 between him
and teammate 2. |
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Diagram 11 - Outside Handoff - Offensive
player 1 passes to 2 and cuts behind him and receives a handoff pass
on the outside. Player 1 can either take a shot from outside or
dribble drive to the basket. |
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Diagram 12 - Cutting off the ball -
Offensive player 2 dribbles directly in line between teammate
2's defender and the basket. Player 1 maneuvers his man into
teammate 2, cutting close to 2 toward the basket, receiving a return
pass if open. |
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Diagram 13 - Passing to the
screener - Offensive player 1 passes to 2 and screens 2's
defender inside. Teammate 2 dribbles off this screen to his right in
direction of the screen. Offensive player 1's defender switches to 2
as 2 dribble drives to the basket. At the switch offensive player 1
rolls to the basket taking 2's immediate pass. It is vastly
important the the ball be passed as the switch is made, since that
is when the opening is widest and both defenders are usually focused
on the driver. |
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Diagram 14 - Screening away - The
coach is at the head of the key with the ball. Offensive player 5
sets an inside screen for teammate 2 who cuts shoulder to shoulder
off 5's screen. If there is no switch, 2 will be free underneath the
basket. If defender 5 switches, offensive player 2 should cut
straight across the foul lane and teammate 5 should immediately roll
to the basket. In that case, the coach would pass to 5 on the
offensive roll. (This is another drill you can use to help players
to understand how to read the defense.) |
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Diagram 15 - Taking advantage of a
switch - Teammate 5, the center, sets a lateral screen for
teammate 2 who dribbles off this screen. Defender 5 switches to pick
up 2 and offensive player 5 rolls to the basket. He now has the
smaller defender guarding him. He assumes a pivot position to take
advantage of the mismatch anticipating a pass from teammate 2. The
option here would be to allow 2 to go one on one with a bigger and
slower defender while 5 draws defender 2 away from the basket. |
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