THE SCREEN AND OPTIONS (I)

Good morning!

We have been talking about many attack drills and exercise, but we have not written about the screen. We think that it is an important resource that young players should know and do on the right way to play a better basketball.

So we've visited FIBA's site to learn more about this drill, and here is the first part of: "The screen and options".

A screen, also called a "pick", is a legal block set by an offensive player on the side or on behind a defender in order to free a teammate to take a shot or receive a pass. There are a number of different types of screens. This resource is very effective because it's impossible for the defense to take away all the available options that the offense has at disposal. 

On all screens, the defense will try to play you a certain way, according to their philosophy or strenghts and weaknesses. The offense, however, always has options, usually two, and sometimes three, depending on how the defense choose to play. 

The key to the succes of using a screen is not how fast the offensive player goes off the screens, but how well you read what the defense is doing against the screen.

The  options you have include:

• To go low.
• To go hight.
• To go behind.
• To go over the top of the screen.

On some screens, you can bump back for a jump shot, or square up for a 1 on 1 situation. Off-the-ball and on-the-ball screens usually involve at least two players, and each has their own responsibilities. 

The screener, usually picks an area and gets stationary while the player using the screen waits until the screener has gotten set. He then sets up his man by faking away from where he actually wants to go. The two offensive players must then read whether the defense follows or shoots the gap. 

Now, we are going to describe some counter moves needed based to the reaction of the defense to the screen. 

1. Curl. If the defense follow on trails the screened player, this player curls to the passer. By this we mean that the player circles around the screener and then cuts to the basket to receive the ball.

Diagram 1. Curl on screen.(By FIBA)

2. Curl/Slip. If on the curl the defender helps out and leaves his man, the screener will then roll to the basket for a pass. This is called "slip".

Diagram 2. Slip (by FIBA).

3. Bump. If on the curl the defender of the player, who has screened, shoots the gap or takes a short cut, the screener adjusts his screen with a drop step to screen the defender. The player who should receive the screen, executes a bump, and quickly pops away from the screen.

Diagram 3. Bump (by FIBA).

4. Bump/Slip. If the defender of the screener helps out and goes out to guard the player, who bumped and popped out, and this player has received the ball, the screener quickly slips to the basket for a pass from the player who has now popped out in the corner. 

Diagram 4. Bump/Slip. (by FIBA).

There's a short video about this action. 

That's all!! On the next post we will show you differents types of screen (UCLA, Flex, etc). 

Hope you like it, and please leave your comment!

References.

Lionel Hollins. The screen and various options.Recuperado el 7 de mayo de 2015, del sitio web FIBA. Coaching Library : http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/cl/training/p/nid/41090/drill.html