Basketball Defense - Defending the Pick and Roll

by Coach Joao Costa
From the Coach’s Clipboard Basketball Playbook, @ http://www.coachesclipboard.net

This article has been generously shared with the Coach's Clipboard by Coach Joao Costa (JC) who played professional basketball in Europe. He subsequently moved to the United States to expand his knowledge of the game and train to be a basketball coach, and now lives in Seattle, Washington. Coach JC started his coaching career in the United States and coached in the Seattle area before going on the road to develop his coaching techniques. Coach JC has participated in practices and observed the coaching techniques of some of the best NCAA Coaches in the country: Coach Mike Krzyzewski, Coach Roy Williams, Coach Eddie Sutton, Coach Hubie Brown, Coach Tom Newell, Coach Bob Bender... just to name a few. Coach JC has been coaching in USA for several years, ABA, WBA, ProAm as well as internationally, and has conducted coaches clinics and basketball camps around the World. He has been a featured guest speaker on both the national and international level. Visit Coach JC's web-site.

Defending the Pick and Roll

Always try to disrupt the offense. Pressuring the ball makes dribbling and passing more difficult, and increases the chances of an offensive mistake. To defend the pick and roll at the wing or centerfield, here are some tactics:

Trap the dribbler and go over the screen.
Hard show and go over.
Pinch, squeeze, or push up and under or through.
Trap and aggressively switch the rescreen.
Show and go under.
Stop the dribbler and go over.
Jump out to stop the ball and go through.
Hug the screener and go under.
Jump and trap the dribbler early before the screen can be set.
Defend the roll man with a big-to-big rotation.
Note: On the weak side make sure to cover the top, elbow, and box.
Switch pick and roll - you can always switch equal size players.
Short-clock situations - switch regardless of size.

I think the most difficult play to defend in all of basketball is the Pick and Roll. Here are some options to defend against the Pick and Roll.

High Pick And Roll (Quick Slip)
X5 zone up.
X1 fights over the screen.
01 dribbles to the elbow for a shot or passes to 02 at wing.
05 rolls to the basket.
Rotation: X5 helps and recovers then quickly picks up 05.
Weakside players help and recover and stay with their individual opponents.

High Pick And Roll (Trap)
X1 and X5 trap 01.
01 reverses the ball to 05.

High Pick And Roll (Rotation)
05 reverse the ball to 01 and down screens for 03.
X5 steps back and lets X3 go through the screen to assume a denial position against 03.
X2 takes 02 at wing.

High Pick And Roll (Hug)
When 05 sets a screen for 01.
X5 hugs 05 and allows X1 to cut behind him.
The "HUG" is another option to help X1 get back quickly to 01.

High Pick And Roll (Step Back Get Through)
When 05 sets a screen for 01.
X5 steps back and lets X1 to go through.

High Pick And Roll (Stop Penetration)
X1 fights over the screen.
X4 zone up and stop 01 to go all the way to the basket.
If 04 rolls to the basket X4 takes him.
X5 stays with 05.
X3 goes over the screen to deny the ball.

High Pick And Roll (Re-Screen)

Step 1
X1 goes over the screen.
X5 hedges and recovers.

Step 2
X5 steps back.
X1 goes under the screen.

Note: On the screen-rescreen the dribbler's defender goes over the first screen. On the rescreen he goes under. Typically the second screen is solid, so X5 zones up and plays centerfield to prevent 05 from rolling to the basket and/or stops 01 from shooting or penetrating. Also X5 can trap 01 with X1.

High Pick And Roll (Trap and Reverse Pass)

Step 1
X1 goes over the screen.
X4 stops 01 at elbow.

Step 2
Rotation: 01 reverses the ball to 04.
04 is an excellent shooter.
X4 rotates to 04 and contests the shot.
X1 stays with 01 by denying the pass.
Players X2 and X3 assume a pass denial against 02 and 03.

High Pick And Roll (Shooter and Trap)

Step 1
01 is a good shooter.
X1 fights over the screen and traps 01 with X4.
04 rolls to the basket and X5 rotates to pick up 04.
05 pops out.

High Pick And Roll (Shooter and Rotation)

Step 2
01 passes to 05.
X4 closes out against 05.
X2 assumes a pass denial against 02.

High Pick And Roll (Transition Offense)

Step 1
Player 04 inbounds the ball to 01.
01 dribbles up the court and passes to 03 at wing then cuts to the ballside corner.
04 screens for 01.

Step 2
04 sets a pick for 01.
X1 goes over the screen.
03 reverse pass to 01 at top of the key.
Quickly, 05 comes out to ball screen for 01.

Note: 01 likes to penetrate to the basket.

Step 3
01 goes all the way to the basket.
X1 fights over the screen.
X5 follows 01 to the basket to block the shot.
X2 helps and recovers to 02.
X4 assumes a pass denial against 04.

High Pick And Roll (Transition Offense Top)

Step 1
05 inbounds the ball to 01.
01 advances up the court.
05 ball-screens for 01 at top of the key.
X1 goes under the screen.
X4 zones up.

High Pick And Roll (Transition Offense Ball Screen)

Step 2
01 reverses the ball to 05 at top of the key.
05 passes to 03 then ball screens 03 and rolls to the wing.
03 drives to the elbow for a shot.
X5 closes-out against 03 to contest the shot.
X3 takes 05.

High Pick And Roll (Last Seconds of the Game)
X1 must go over the screen to prevent 01 from shooting or penetrating.
X5 zones up to stop 01 and if 05 rolls to the basket X5 quickly takes 05.
X2 and X3 stay with their opponents by denying the ball.

Note: When the clock is running out, you can switch regardless of size or trap.

Wing Pick And Roll (Dive)
X1 goes over the screen.
X5 hedge and recovers and rotates against 04.
X4 takes 05.

Wing Pick And Roll (Slip Follow)
05 back-screens 01 and rolls to the basket.
X5 takes 05.
X1 goes over the screen.
X2 shows and recovers against 01.

Wing Pick And Roll (Fade)
05 ball screens for 01 and fades toward the ballside wing.
X1 goes over the screen.
X5 hedge and recovers against 05.

Wing Pick And Roll (Switch)

Step 1
05 sets a solid screen against X1.
01 dribbles over the top.
X5 switches with X1 and pushes 01 uphill.

Note: Communication is a must in this situation, X5 has to shout saying "Switch".

Step 2
X5 switches again by taking 05 and X1 back to 01.

Note: Make sure that X5 pushes 01 away from the three point line to switch with X1.

Wing Pick And Roll (Drive)
04 back screens X2 and rolls into the lane.
X5 rotates to 04 and X4 stops 02 from going to the basket.

Wing Pick And Roll (Trap Corner)
05 back-screens for 01 and rolls to the basket.
X4 rotates to 05.
X3 takes 04.
X2 drops to the middle of the box guarding 02 and 03.
X1 and X5 trap 01 at corner.

Wing Pick And Roll (Pop Out)
05 back screens for 1 and pops out to the ballside wing.
01 passes to 05.
X2 closes out to 05.
X3 moves to the top of the key.

Wing Pick And Roll (Pass Release)
Rotation:X2 closes out on the pass release against 05.
X5 takes 05.
X3 closes out on 03.
X4 fronts 04 at low post.

Wing Pick And Roll (Transition Offense Switch)

Step 1
04 sets a pick against X5.
X4 switches with X5 and takes 05.

Step 2
X1 goes over the screen and pushes 01 up the hill.
X4 takes 05.
X5 takes 04 inside the box.

Helpful DVDs:

	Geno Auriemma: Four Cornerstones of Half Court Defense with Geno Auriemma, 5X NCAA Championship Coach, 5X National "Coach of the Year". Good defense is based on knowing what the opponent does well and taking it away. In order to accomplish this, Coach Auriemma demonstrates his four cornerstones of half court defense. These four areas of emphasis are defending the baseline drive, guarding and trapping the post, closing out on the shooter and defending the pick and roll... Several different looks are demonstrated regarding the pick and roll... (more info) Price: $39.99
	The Complete Guide to Man-to-Man Defense with Kevin O'Neill, former University of Arizona Interim Head Coach. Coach O'Neill's three cornerstones of man-to-man defense are; no easy baskets, no open threes and contested twos.... Pick and roll defense includes the blitz, a hard double team on the ball handing guard. An important point is to give the offense just one way to go, especially on the ball screens. Show-High-Low is a technique for defending the on ball screen on top of the floor... (more info) Price: $39.99
	Total Man-to-Man: Defending the Ball Screen, Pick-and-Roll, Half-Court Trapping with Kermit Davis, Middle Tennessee State University Head Coach. Learn the man-to-man defensive principles Kermit Davis uses to lead the Sun Belt Conference in defensive field goal percentage. Coach Davis teaches how to defend ball-side and weak-side downscreens, backscreens, and staggers. He also highlights defending the pick-and-roll or pop and how to trap in the half-court... (more info) Price: $39.99
	Bob Huggins: The Evolution of Pressure Defense with Bob Huggins, West Virginia University Head Coach; over 600 career wins; former University of Cincinnati Head Coach, '00-'01 National Coach of the Year, Conference USA "Coach of the Decade" (Cincinnati). Coach Huggins demonstrates the pressure man defense that he has used to consistently win games during his successful coaching career at the University of Cincinnati. Coach Huggins modifies the defensive concepts of the past to neutralize the high-powered offenses in basketball today. In this video, Huggins outlines the man-to-man rules and also demonstrates the drills he uses to teach his stifling man-to-man defense. Areas covered include: Post defense, trapping, defending screens, defensive rotation, and rebounding... (more info) Price: $39.99