SCREENING Part 2

Part 1 focused on the fundamentals of setting screens, and now Part 2 will cover how to maximize each screen and the important concepts of moving without the ball.  So what is the way to maximize every screen?  The answer lies in the ability of the offensive player to  read and react to the defense.

The success of any screen not only relies on the ability of the  screener to set a solid screen, but also in the ability of the teammate to properly "set up" their defender to get screened.  The first thing is a player needs to make it difficult for their defender to predict where they're going to go. A player must perform short, but strong jab steps in the opposite direction they're going. This will help place the defensive player in an optimal position to get screened.

A player must react to their defender. For example, if their defender tries to over play the screen and slide over the top, then a player needs to make one step over the top of the screen, and then quickly cut backdoor towards the basket.  Also, if the defender is right on the player's tail, then the a player should perform a curl over the top of the screen. This will allow the player to stay open, not letting their defender recover and keeping the defense on their heels.

These are some of the ways a player can maximize every screen.  But, realize players don't need screens to get open.  Simply by taking advantage of various cuts, a player can get open looks at the basket.  So, let's talk about some of the commonly used cuts to help get open.  Remember, these cuts are for all player positions on the floor.  The drawings are just examples using one or two player positions.