Basketball Screens

Off the Ball Screens

While screening action occurs nearly constantly in today’s game, it is amazing to me how poorly screening is executed. The most common fault is the impatience of the offensive players involved.

There is a lot of teamwork involved in effective screening. It requires the screener to have a true desire to set a screen on his teammate’s defender; and it requires the player who is receiving the screen to properly set up his defender to be screened. It also requires the passer to deliver the ball accurately and timely. Lastly, the two players involved in the screening action need to properly read how the defense is playing, and to react accordingly to the defense’s actions.

The player receiving the screen has 3 options, keeping with the 3 options concept.

1. If the defender is trailing, the receiver can come straight off the screen, or can curl the screen.

2. If the defender goes over the top of the screen, the receiver should fade.

3. If the defender tries to beat the offensive player to the screen, the receiver should back cut to the basket.

The screener should always react to what their teammate does. Put simply, the screener should go the opposite way the receiver goes. If the receiver comes off the screen, going away from the basket by popping out or fading, then the screener should go to the basket, slipping or posting up. If the receiver goes toward the basket, with backcut or a curl, then the screener should quickly react and step to the ball for a jump shot.

Let’s look at why the screener reacts in these ways.

• If the receiver comes off the screen, the screener’s defender probably has the responsibility to show on the screen. This puts the screener’s defender in a vulnerable position for a slip or a post up, if the screener reacts quickly.
• If the receiver fades, it’s probably because the defender tried to go over the top of the screen. If so, then the screener’s defender probably has the responsibility to help on the fade, or even switch. Either way, a quick post up for the screener is available.
• If the receiver goes to the basket with curl, the screener’s defender will have the responsibility to step out and help on the receiver. This makes the screener’s defender vulnerable to the screener fading.
• If the receiver backcuts because the defender tried to beat the screen, the screener’s defender will try to protect the basket, leaving a long way to recover if the screener reacts quickly and steps to the ball for a jump shot.
  

  Setting the Defensive up and Exploiting the Defense

  We have covered where the receiver and the screener should go, depending on how the defense plays them. Now, I would like to talk about how to set the defenders up, before the screen actually occurs. Remember the old adage that no matter how the defense is playing, the defense is always taking something away, and the defense is always giving something up. It is up to the offensive players to recognize how the defense is playing and to exploit it.

  The offense, recognizing what the defense is taking away, should make the defense take more away in order to be easier to exploit what the defense is giving up. For instance, if the receiver’s defender is going to trail (defense taking away the inside, giving up the outside), thereby forcing the receiver to come off the screen, the receiver should take the defender lower. Now, the screen will be set lower and closer to the basket, so as the receiver comes off the screen, they will receive the ball closer to the basket = Easier shot.

  If the defender is going to try to go over the top of the screen (defense taking way the outside, potentially giving up the inside), then the receiver should move the defender up the floor. Now the screen will be set higher on the floor, thereby opening up more room for the fade–one of the correct reactions if the defender goes over the top of the screen. Or, the receiver might backcut to the basket, and again, by moving the screen up the floor, there will be more room to backcut, more room to exploit the defense.

  Similarly, if the defense is is going to try to beat the screen (defense taking away the outside, giving up the inside), then the receiver should take the defender further out on the floor. Now the screen will be set further out on the floor, again opening up more room for a backcut, the correct reaction. In all three situations, the offense made the defense take away more than what it was already taking away, thereby making it easier to exploit what the defense was giving up.

  There are two common errors that occur during the screening action.

  1. The player receiving the screen becomes impatient and moves too quickly. This impatience causes two problems. The screen ends up not happening where it is supposed to occur. By moving too early the screen gets set further out on the floor, so the receiver, after coming off the screen, will receive the ball further away from the basket. And secondly, maybe a bigger problem, it is tougher for the screener to set a good screen. If a defender is moving while defending the receiver, the screener has to be careful about setting an illegal screen, which could result in an offensive foul.

  2. The second biggest problem is that the screener often stops short of the receiver’s defender. The screener ends up not making contact with the defender, but instead the screener ends up screening air. The end result is that the receiver and the screener end up like “two ships passing in the night “being careful to avoid contact with each other. Instead, the screener should go “head hunt” the defender, with a wide stance, legs bent in order to move quickly laterally. The screener should have the attitude of getting their teammate open. Too often screeners are more concerned with how they are going to get the ball and neglect to set the screen .

     Of course there are those players who do not like the contact that may be required in setting a good screen. For those players, emphasizing that by setting a good screen, the screener gets open more often than the receiver. This is because the screener’s defender will probably have to help on the receiver if a good screen is set ..

  During my years of scouting NBA and college players, I observed a different type of screener. There are certain guys who if the play is designed to get the ball to them after the screen, they set a good screen so the receiver can catch the ball on the wing and feed the post. If the screen is supposed to get the receiver open for a jump shot, then they don’t set a good screen, and then they become the second option on a post up. Not exactly a team player, and not the kind of player a coach wants on a team. There are all kind of tricks selfish players can use, and it amazes me that they think they are fooling their coaches and teammates.

  Points of Emphasis

  • Set the defense up
  • Read how the defense is playing the screen and react accordingly
  • Be patient. “Better late then early”
  • Screener should “head hunt” the defender
  • Receiver should brush shoulders with the screener when coming off the screen
  • Screener goes opposite the receiver

  Back Screens

  The back screen is being used a lot in today’s game and the reason for this is that they can be very effective. They are fairly easy to execute, and, at the same time, they can be difficult to defend. Often, the defender on the receiver will not see the screen coming and has to depend on their teammates warning him.

  There are many similarities between the backscreen and the downscreen. In both, the offense needs to read the defense, and the receiver and the screener play off each other, reacting to one another. However, there is one important difference. On a back screen, the screener has to give the receiver’s defender a step before contact. Therefore, it is up to the receiver to rub their defender off the screener, rubbing shoulders with the screener as they come off. The receiver can cut off the screen on the ball side or the low side depending how the defender is playing. If the defender tries to beat the screen, the receiver can pop back.

  As with the down screen, the screener goes the opposite way of the receiver. If the receiver cuts off the screen to the basket, the screener should immediately step to the ball as the receiver comes off the screen. The screener steps to the ball immediately because if there is a good screen set, the screener’s defender will have to help on the cutter, at least momentarily, leaving the screener open. Stepping to the ball leaves the defender a longer recovery path. oOff course, if the receiver stops steps back, because the defender tried to jump below the screen, then the screener should slide to the basket .

  Fade or Flare Screens

  Unlike the downscreen and the backscreen, which are more vertical in nature, the fade screen is more horizontal. The receiver usually is fading away from the basket rather than going to the basket, like in the backscreen, or coming away from the basket, like in the downscreen.

  In a fade screen, if the receiver’s defender is good and in the proper position, the defender should see the screen coming, unlike the down screen. However, many defenders watch the ball and lose sight of their man, and even if this happens momentarily, losing sight of the player opens up a chance for a blind screen. The screener “head hunts” the defender and the receiver should come off the screen shoulder to shoulder with the screener. The receiver can help the screener by first taking a step toward the ball, before coming off the screen. After setting the screent, the screener can step to the ball, or slide to the basket .

  Again, like in the backscreen and the downscreen, the fade screen puts a lot of pressure on the screener’s defender. If a good screen is set, the screener’s defender will have to help on the receiver. This means if the screener reacts quickly, he can get open for a jump shot or a post up . Also, if a good screen is set the other team’s coach will contemplate switching these screens. If the opposing team switches, have the screener slide directly to the basket .

  Offense Philosophy:

  Playing Without the Ball Pick and Roll Basketball Offense Philosophy After Passing the Ball

  
  
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