The pick and roll is one of the most dangerous plays in basketball, and with the right players running it,
can be damn near impossible to guard.
And while some of your player’s will have a natural feel for when and how to run it, you’re going to want to explain each and every option available to the ball handler and the roll man.
Setting Up The Screen
One of the most underrated aspects of good pick and roll play is setting up the screen. By setting up the screen properly, “ you decrease the chance of the illegal screen call, as well as make it tougher to defend.
If you wanted to come off the screen going to the middle , bring the ball down to the side, just below the screen, and then come back around over. By bringing the defender below the screen, your forcing them to
make a decision – either slip underneath, or attempt to fight over.
Pick and Roll Inside Bounce Pass
If the picker’s defender comes and flashes up high,“ you want to hit the roll man with an inside bounce pass, in between the two defenders. The roll man will have your defender on his back, and an easy lane to the basket.
Pick and Roll Outside Bounce Pass
If you can beat the second defender high, come off the screen hard and look to wrap the bounce pass around the outside, hitting the roller in stride.
And don’t forget, while the roll is a great option, you have to look for yourself or the defense will
begin to sag off and take away all your passing lanes.
Pick and Stick
When the defense sends both defenders at the ball handler, the roll man should ‘stick’, or ‘pop’, making themselves available for a pass around the three point line.
Continuing to roll in this situation is usually to tough a pass to hit over two defenders, and if the roll man has range, this shot will be open for them all day.
Pick and Roll Rescreen
And if you don’t like what you see coming off the screen the first time, simply keep your dribble alive, call the screener back, and run it
back again going back the other way. Often you can confuse the defense with the consecutive picks, catching them off guard, even if they defended it well the first time.
If you’re looking for a couple plays to input into your offense that feature the pick and roll, make sure to check out my basketball youtube channel!