Watching the NBA playoffs begin, I can’t help but love watching Pau and now, Marc Gasol and their incredible passing prowess. Both the
brothers have an innate sense of when and where to get their teammates the ball, and allowed their coaches much more flexibility than otherwise possible.
Both Mike Brown and Lionel Hollins do a great job of putting both Gasol brothers in positions in the high post where they can make the great decisions they’re known for. Here are a couple great basketball plays you can work into your offense if you’ve got a great passing big man on your team.
High Post Entry – Double Guard Cut
The key here is to get your passing big man in the high post, with your four other players creating space and cutting lanes. With the big man setup on the free throw line at the elbow, you’ll have your guards in a two guard set, one on each side of the court. Your forwards will be a step away from the key, just above the block.
After passing the ball into the big man at the elbow, both guards are going to cut down to the block simultaneously. “ As the guards run down, the forwards will both set screens, pinning the guards’ defender down so that they can pop back out to the wing,
creating a long closeout, and allowing the offensive player to go to whatever they feel most comfortable with.
High Post Entry – Guard Dribble Handoff
If your big man has good dribbling skills as well, then you can run the dribble handoff from the same set. The point guard will still pass to your big man, but instead of cutting back out to the same side, the point will run to the opposite block. As this is happening, the two guard “ and power forward will be setting a stagger screen for the point guard to curl back up to the three point off of.
Meanwhile on the other side of the court, the big man is going to take a dribble towards the small forward, as the small forward curls off of him. This is where their decision making ability comes in play. The big man can either handoff the ball, drive all the way to the rim, or turn and look to kick back out to the point guard. If the big man hands off the ball to the small forward, he should continue his roll, either hard to the rim or out to the short corner.
If you need more tips and drills for developing your big men, check out these awesome rebounding drills!“ “ If you’re looking for more offensive ideas, make sure you check out our complete directory of basketball plays. You’ll find step by step tutorials for the most popular half court sets, as dozens of proven plays you can take right to the gym.