The Pick & Roll is one of modern basketball's most fundamental and effective offensive weapons. When the screen and roll meet with the right timing and spacing, it creates a mathematical advantage that is hard for the defense to solve. In this post we examine the anatomy, defensive reads and how to teach it in the tactics studio.
The anatomy of the Pick & Roll
At its core it involves two players: the ball-handler and the big man setting the screen. The action has three phases: setting the screen, the ball-handler navigating off it, and the screener rolling to the basket or popping to an open spot.
- Screen timing: must be set with full contact as the ball-handler arrives.
- Spacing: the other 3 players must stay open in corners and wings.
- Read: the ball-handler must decide based on the defensive reaction.
- Finish: the roll or pop must be chosen correctly.
How to read Drop coverage?
In Drop coverage the screener's defender stays back and protects the paint. The ball-handler finds a mid-range opportunity. The roll becomes less of a primary option because the big's defender holds the paint.
How to read Hedge coverage?
In Hedge the screener's defender steps up aggressively to slow the ball-handler. The screener rolls with a delay. When the Hedge is abandoned a momentary advantage appears; the transition moment as the defender recovers is the opportunity.
How to read Switch and Trap coverages?
In Switch defenders swap: the big covers the ball-handler and the guard's defender takes the screener. A size mismatch is created; the big must attack aggressively. In Trap a double-team comes and a quick pass to the open player is needed.
Teaching with Athleon Tactics Studio
In the tactics studio, build each defensive scenario as a separate phase. Highlight the mid-range in Drop; animate the roll in Hedge; show the mismatch read in Switch. By showing the same action against four defenses, you build reading skills in your players.