December 8, 2025
3v3 for Teaching Ball Screen Reads
Modern offenses rely heavily on the slot ball screen, but the difference between an average possession and a high quality scoring opportunity often comes from how the off-ball players react. This video breaks down how to teach players to operate out of a slot ball screen while using a shake (lift) action behind the ball, a simple but powerful spacing concept that creates clearer reads for the handler, better passing angles, and harder decisions for the defense.
The breakdown focuses on timing, footwork, proper spacing, and how the lift action punishes drop coverage, tags, and late help. It’s a practical teaching sequence that helps players understand not just what to do out of a ball screen, but why it works and how it opens up multiple layers of options in your offense.
If you’re building a modern ball-screen system or looking to elevate your team’s spacing and decision-making, this is a strong foundation piece.
November 13, 2025
Why It Remains Basketball’s Most Effective Play
The Pick and Roll is deceptively simple. The big sets a screen, the ball-handler uses the space created, and suddenly the offense has a multitude of options: drive, pass, or pull up for a shot. Despite its simplicity, this two-player action remains one of the most powerful tools in basketball at every level from youth leagues to the NBA.
So why is it so effective? The answer lies in space, timing, and decision-making. A well-executed screen forces the defense into a momentary dilemma. Should they switch, fight through the screen, or help from weak-side defenders? Each choice creates opportunities: mismatches, open shots, or lanes for the ball-handler to attack.
What makes the Pick and Roll particularly resilient is that there is no perfect defensive answer. Teams can try switching, hedging, trapping, or “going under” on screens, but each method comes with a trade-off. Switch too often and you create mismatches. Hedge aggressively and shooters on the perimeter are left open. Go under, and you risk allowing an easy shot or penetration. The inherent conflict in defending this play is what has kept the Pick and Roll dominant for decades.
The Pick and Roll has also evolved. In its early days, it was mostly a simple two-man action near the top of the key. Modern basketball has expanded it into complex variations: staggered screens, “drag” or “handoff” Pick and Rolls, horns and side PnRs, and even actions involving multiple players cutting off the ball-screen. Analytics has further refined how teams use it teams now know which side, which matchup, and which shooter to prioritize for maximum efficiency.
But at its core, the Pick and Roll is about creating options and forcing the defense to react. It’s a chess match on the court, played at full speed. The beauty lies in its simplicity: two players working in tandem, creating space, and exploiting decisions in real time.
Whether you’re coaching, playing, or just watching, understanding the Pick and Roll, its principles, its reads, and its evolution is essential for appreciating modern basketball.
October 26, 2025
Mastering Pick and Roll Passing
The pick-and-roll is one of the most effective offensive tools in basketball, but its success depends heavily on decision-making, timing, and teamwork. DJ Sackmann recently breaks down a series of pick and roll team drills at HoopGroup that demonstrate how players can improve their passing, spacing, and execution.
Drills Highlighted in the Video:
- 00:28 – PnR Pull-Up Drills at the Elbow: Players work on reading the defense and making the correct pass after setting or receiving a screen near the elbow.
- 02:26 – PnR Relocate to Corner Drill: Focuses on spacing and relocation, teaching the ball-handler and screener how to create passing lanes to open shooters in the corner.
- 03:52 – PnR Dribble Hold to Relocate: Emphasizes patience and timing—holding the dribble to assess options before relocating for a higher-percentage play.
- 06:04 – 1v1 Out of Dribble Hold: Adds a competitive element, allowing players to practice attacking the defense one-on-one while maintaining passing and spacing awareness.
For coaches, these drills are an excellent way to teach the reading of defenses, improve communication, and develop smarter, more efficient pick and roll play. Incorporating them into practice can help players understand when to pass, when to drive, and how to create optimal scoring opportunities for teammates.
Watch the video to see each drill in action and get insights on how to implement a pick-and-roll passing series that strengthens your team’s offensive cohesion.
October 19, 2025
Kostas Sloukas: The Art of the Pick and Roll vs. Anadolu Efes
When it comes to orchestrating offense, few players in the EuroLeague can dictate tempo and punish defensive coverages quite like Kostas Sloukas. In his recent masterclass performance against Anadolu Efes, the veteran guard produced 38 points created, 12 assists, and zero turnovers a statistical reflection of near-perfect decision-making and poise under pressure.
Reading the Floor Like a Maestro
What separates Sloukas isn’t just technical execution it’s mental orchestration. He treats each possession like a symphony, using the pick-and-roll as his conducting baton. Against Efes, he consistently identified how defenders reacted to screens and used that knowledge to manipulate rotations, trigger mismatches, and open shooting lanes.
Whether it was a hard hedge, drop coverage, or switch, Sloukas stayed a step ahead. His ability to pause, probe, and then strike is a clinic in tempo control. You can almost feel how he lures defenders into committing before exploiting the gap they leave behind.
Breaking Down Defensive Schemes
- Drop Coverage: Sloukas punished the drop big by using precise pocket passes and floaters. His timing was surgical never rushed, always patient.
- Hedging: When Efes tried to hedge high, he instantly slipped passes to the roller or hit the weak-side shooter, collapsing the defense.
- Switches: On switches, he isolated the mismatch, calmly reading secondary help before delivering high-IQ skip passes or drawing fouls on slower defenders.
Every read felt deliberate, not reactive a hallmark of elite guards who control the game, not just play it.
The Veteran’s Tempo Advantage
At age 34, Sloukas no longer relies on pure speed; instead, he weaponizes pace variation. He changes rhythm mid drive, using hesitations, shoulder fakes, and body positioning to freeze defenders. The result? He dictates the pace of the game not just for himself, but for all nine other players on the floor.
Zero Turnovers, Maximum Efficiency
Perhaps the most impressive stat: zero turnovers. That’s not just clean play it’s command. Every possession was purposeful. Sloukas showcased a balance between aggression and control that young guards can study for years.
Final Takeaway: The Pick and Roll as an Art Form
This performance is a reminder that the pick-and-roll isn’t just a tactical tool it’s an art form. In the right hands, it becomes a mechanism to control flow, tempo, and psychology. Sloukas didn’t just run the offense; he composed it.
🎥 Watch the breakdown video to see how Sloukas manipulated each defensive look, frame by frame. We’ll explore how footwork, spacing, and timing turned a simple two-man action into a 38-point symphony of precision.
October 5, 2025
When the Pick and Roll Becomes an X-Ray
Barcelona didn’t just beat Panathinaikos they exposed a defensive system still searching for balance. Roger Grimau’s squad used precision, patience, and spacing to dissect Ergin Ataman’s hedge-out coverage, revealing cracks that widened with every rotation.
1. The Hedge That Didn’t Hold
Ataman’s defensive scheme relies heavily on aggressive hedging a frontcourt step out designed to disrupt the ball handler and slow down the pick and roll rhythm. But against Barcelona’s spacing, this plan turned reactive.
Holmes, often the one stepping up on the hedge, was pulled far from his comfort zone. Each time he helped high, Barcelona punished the rotations behind him. With Lessort unavailable and Grigonis missing from the lineup, the backline communication fell apart leaving corner shooters and cutters with far too much space.
2. Exploiting Rotations and Timing
Barcelona’s offense didn’t need complex sets. Simple actions a ball screen, a short roll, a weak side cut became tools of exposure. Once the hedge was triggered, the Catalans played two steps ahead.
Juancho Hernangómez’s versatility stretched the defense vertically, while Jabari Parker and Rokas Jokubaitis thrived in the half gap situations that followed. Each possession felt like an experiment in exploiting hesitation and Panathinaikos offered plenty.
3. Missing Anchors, Missing Structure
Without Lessort’s mobility and Grigonis’ perimeter discipline, Ataman’s system lost its backbone. The rotations were a beat late, the closeouts softer, and the rebounding presence inconsistent. Grimau’s side recognized it early and refused to let up every possession was a small lesson in spacing and decision-making.
4. What’s Next for Ataman’s Defense?
The question now is whether switching could be a viable alternative. Against teams with this level of spacing and playmaking, hedging may create more problems than it solves.
However, Ataman’s history shows patience he prefers refining structure over abandoning it. With the full roster back, particularly Lessort anchoring the middle, the system might regain its rhythm. The key will be balance: keeping the aggression without losing the shape.
5. The Bigger Picture
Barcelona’s win wasn’t just tactical; it was philosophical. They played basketball that rewarded movement over muscle, timing over tension. Panathinaikos, meanwhile, were reminded that modern defense isn’t only about schemes it’s about connection, trust, and synchronized awareness.
In the end: The pick-and-roll wasn’t just a play in this game, it was an X-ray revealing which team truly understood its identity.
September 28, 2025
Why EuroLeague Teams Excel at the Pick and Roll
If there’s one action that defines modern basketball, it’s the pick and roll. From creating mismatches to generating open shots, it remains the most efficient way to attack in the half-court. But no league executes it with more precision and variety than the EuroLeague.
What separates EuroLeague teams isn’t just star power, but how well they teach, drill, and commit to the details of the action. Guards know how to manipulate angles, bigs are skilled at reading coverages, and off-ball players stay perfectly spaced to punish rotations. This collective discipline turns a simple ball screen into a multi option system that keeps defenses under constant pressure.
In this breakdown, you will see why the EuroLeague has become the benchmark for pick and roll execution, and what coaches at every level can learn from their approach.
August 30, 2025
Turkiye Senior Men’s NT – Pick & Roll Offense: EuroBasket 2025
The Turkish Men’s National Team is looking sharp in its offensive execution especially in pick & roll sets. Based on video analysis from their latest exhibition games as well as their first 3 games at the EuroBasket 2025, this post breaks down how they’re constructing their offense, who’s leading leadership duties, and how their system works at its core.
Why Pick & Roll Matters for Turkey
Turkey’s current offensive foundation heavily leverages NBA level talent mixed with European experience. Alperen Şengün, coming off a recent All Star appearance, anchors the inside, while guards like Shane Larkin, Cedi Osman, and Furkan Korkmaz provide craft and spacing.
Supporting them is a deep roster:
- Adem Bona (Sixers rookie) brings energy and defensive toughness.
- Omer Yurtseven, Onuralp Bitim, Sehmus Hazer, and others offer flexibility and depth.
In qualifiers, players like Cedi Osman (23.3 PPG), Omer Yurtseven (22.0 PPG, 9.0 RPG), and Kenan Sipahi (8.2 APG) led Turkey in efficiency and production. These stats reflect both individual quality and how well the offense runs through their pick & roll dynamics.
What the Video Breakdown Reveals
From these edited clips covering four recent games, here’s how Turkey operates in their P & R offense:
| Element | Description |
|---|---|
| Ball-Handler Reads | Guards navigate together, using pace and spacing to probe for mismatches or defensive reactions. |
| Roller Decisions | Şengün often sets the tone rolling hard, spacing out, or popping to stretch the floor. |
| Spacing Balance | Wings and bigs fill corners and dunker spots, making the paint a driving and passing haven. |
| Counters & Continuity | Turkey shifts smoothly into secondary actions like slips, rescreens, or pin-downs when primary lanes are clogged. |
| Passing & Timing | Crisp pocket and kick passes maintain rhythm, turning P & R into explosive scoring opportunities. |
Coaching Insight: What Works, What to Watch
- Tool Flexibility: Turkiye ’s offense isn’t rigid it adapts. If defenders compensate, players with high IQ find ways to keep moving and creating.
- Role Clarity: Each piece knows their responsibilities ball handler, roller, shooter, or spacer and executes accordingly.
- Read and React Over Scripted: Rather than fixed sets, Turkiye’s thrives in read-heavy movement, playing off defender actions.
- Star Integration: Şengün’s versatility and passing vision elevate everything. His recent exhibition phenoms (26 pts, 11 reb, 3 ast; plus 22 pts, 9 reb, 11 ast in EuroBasket opener) illustrate the system’s effectiveness when rooted in elite talent.
Scroll Down to Watch the Video
Below are the clips from Turkiye’s exhibition & Eurobasket 2025 games, watch how they orchestrate pick & roll actions, space the floor, and sustain offensive flow in live game rhythm.
August 25, 2025
Miloš Teodosić: The Art of Pick & Roll Passing
Few players in modern basketball embody creativity and basketball IQ like Miloš Teodosić. He was considered one of the greatest European playmakers of his generation. Sitting among the top 5 assist leaders in the EuroLeague, he showed not only elite skill, but also a visionary understanding of the game.
What made Teodosić special isn’t just his ability to deliver flashy passes, it’s the timing, anticipation, and manipulation of defenses that set him apart. His control of the pick and roll is a masterclass in reading both his own teammates and the opposing coverage.
What This Breakdown Covers
This video focuses on how Teodosić executes the pick and roll, with special attention to the details that separate him from ordinary guards:
- Understanding Passing Windows (00:41): How he recognizes tight gaps in defensive coverage and delivers the ball before defenders can react.
- Understanding “Tags” (03:31): His ability to manipulate help defenders tagging the roller, forcing them into impossible choices.
- Anticipating Help Defense (05:38): Reading rotations before they happen, making his passes look effortless but always one step ahead.
Why Coaches & Players Should Study Teodosić
For young guards and coaches, Teodosić offers a blueprint for high-level playmaking: By watching him, players can learn how to be unpredictable yet under complete control. It’s not about fancy passes; it’s about seeing the game unfold early.
His creativity shows how the pick and roll is not just a scoring action, but a tool to generate advantages across the floor.
August 19, 2025
Mastering Pick & Roll Defense: The “Ice” Coverage
Guarding the pick and roll is one of the biggest defensive challenges in modern basketball. At every level of the game NBA, NCAA, EuroLeague, or international play teams rely heavily on ball screens to create advantages. The question for coaches is simple: How do you want your team to defend it?
One of the most effective strategies is the “Ice” coverage (sometimes also referred to as “Down” or “Blue”). This defensive scheme has been popularized by elite programs such as Iowa State, who have consistently ranked among the top five in defensive efficiency in college basketball.
What is “Ice” Coverage?
At its core, “Ice” coverage aims to keep the ball handler on the sideline or baseline, preventing them from using the ball screen. Instead of allowing the offensive player to come off the screen and attack the middle of the floor, the on-ball defender angles their body to force the dribbler toward the baseline, where help defense is already waiting.
Why is It Effective?
- Limits Middle Penetration: Forces ball handlers away from the most dangerous part of the court.
- Predictable Rotations: Helps defenders anticipate where the offense will go, tightening team structure.
- Generates Deflections and Steals: By squeezing space on the sideline, defenders disrupt passing lanes.
- Controls Pace: Good “Ice” defense makes opponents uncomfortable and breaks offensive rhythm.
Layers of the “Ice” System
This breakdown video highlights six essential aspects of Iowa State’s approach to “Ice” defense:
- The fundamentals of angling the ball handler.
- The purpose behind forcing baseline.
- Adjustments like Cover 2 and Weak coverage.
- How the scheme changes against paired-side vs. cleared-side ball screens.
- The balance of strengths and weaknesses every coach must consider.
Why Coaches Should Study This
Teaching players how to guard ball screens isn’t just about technique it’s about establishing a defensive identity. “Ice” is a coverage that simplifies reads for your defenders, builds accountability in 1v1 defense, and creates a strong foundation for team defensive philosophy.
August 10, 2025
Passing Out of the Pick & Roll
The pick & roll remains one of the most dominant actions in modern basketball, but its true power lies in the passer’s ability to read the defense and deliver the right pass at the right time. This video breaks down the essential passing skills every guard and ballhandler needs to master in order to elevate their team’s offense.
Key concepts covered include:
- Pocket Pass & Short Roll vs. Drop Coverage: How to deliver a quick, accurate pass to the rolling big when the defense plays back.
- Bounce Pass vs. Lob Pass: Understanding when to keep the ball low to beat quick hands or when to throw it high over defenders.
- Reading the Tag Defender: Identifying and reacting to the weakside help to create open scoring opportunities.
- Handling Hard Hedges: Staying poised under pressure and finding the release option before the defense recovers.
By mastering these reads, a player doesn’t just run the pick & roll, they control the tempo, dictate the defense’s movements, and create high quality shots for their team.
August 6, 2025
Understanding Pick & Roll Defense: The Power of Tagging
In today’s game, the pick and roll is everywhere from youth leagues to the NBA. Offenses thrive by manipulating space, timing, and matchups through this action. As a coach, one of the most critical responsibilities is understanding how to stop it not just with effort, but with intentional structure.
I came across this excellent breakdown on YouTube that dives deep into how defenses can control outcomes through a concept called “tagging.” The video doesn’t just scratch the surface, it clearly explains how tag defenders function within different alignments and how offenses manipulate these defensive responsibilities to create open shots.
If you’re a coach or a player who wants to truly understand the why behind different pick and roll coverages hedge, drop, switch, or blitz this is a must watch. The beauty of the game often lies in these small details.
Key Concepts from the Video:
- What is tagging?
Learn how the tag defender helps protect against the roll man while staying connected to perimeter threats. - How do alignments affect tagging responsibilities?
See how offensive spacing determines whether the defense has zero, one, or two taggers and what that means in terms of rotations and help coverage. - Manipulating the tag:
At higher levels, teams purposely shift alignments to confuse defenders and generate wide open shots. Understanding this allows you to anticipate instead of just react.
Whether you’re just learning about ball screen defense or looking to sharpen your team’s execution, this video offers practical insight with elite level depth. I highly recommend watching and thinking through how this can apply to your team’s system.
August 2, 2025
Pick and Roll Defense: Rotations, Disruption & Stealing Extra Possessions
The pick-and-roll remains the most used offensive action in modern basketball from the NBA to FIBA U16 levels. But great teams don’t just survive it; they disrupt it, rotate with purpose, and turn defense into offense. In this post, I break down video clips showing how top teams use precise rotations, timing, and active hands to defend the pick and roll and steal extra possessions.
Video Focus
The video shows defensive concepts including:
- Tagging the roller with weak side help
- Peel switches and late communication
- X-outs and corner recovery
- Defensive anticipation that leads to deflections and steals
You’ll see real game examples from elite level teams, where players execute disciplined rotations and force turnovers by reading the play one pass ahead.
Why This Matters: The Numbers Behind Disruptive P & R Defense
- In EuroLeague and FIBA competitions, over 50% of offensive actions involve P & R, whether it’s handler driven or roll man focused.
- NBA teams generate nearly 1.00 PPP (points per possession) on pick-and-roll plays when the defense doesn’t rotate early.
- Teams that consistently tag early and recover with urgency lower that number to 0.75–0.82 PPP, a massive advantage over the course of a game.
- On the flip side, deflections and steals off PnR passes lead to 1.15+ PPP on transition offense, some of the most efficient scoring chances you can get.
Coaching Emphasis
Use hands up stunts, quick hedge recoveries, and early tags to steal time from the offense.
Don’t just defend, disrupt.
Make pick and roll reads predictable by forcing sideline, ICE coverage, or switching to contain.
Drill your backline to rotate early and aggressively, especially from the weak side corner.
JULY 27, 2025
Željko Obradović Pick and Roll Spacing & Scoring Options
Clinic Insights from Europe’s Most Tactical Mind
When it comes to offensive mastery in European basketball, Željko Obradović is in a category of his own. With numerous EuroLeague titles and a reputation as one of the most tactically disciplined coaches in modern basketball, Obradović’s approach to the Pick and Roll goes far beyond simply “setting a screen and rolling.”
In this clinic, which I’ve carefully clipped and organized, we get a rare look into how one of the greatest minds in the game uses spacing, timing, and decision making to turn the pick and roll into a multi option scoring system. Whether you coach at the pro level or in youth development, these teaching points are universal.
What This Clinic Covers
The video breakdowns below highlight not just the pick and roll itself, but the surrounding concepts that make it effective. Obradović doesn’t teach the P&R in isolation he builds it into the flow of the game through:
- Proper floor spacing: the critical positioning of corner shooters, dunker spots, and high outlets
- Reading the defense: how ball handlers recognize hard hedges, switches, ICE, and drop coverage
- Trigger reads: slip vs. pop, short roll playmaking, and rescreening angles
- Off-ball alignment and relocation: how teammates maintain spacing and stay shot ready
- Scoring layers: the pick and roll becomes a tool to create options not a play, but a concept
Why This Matters
Too many teams treat the pick and roll as a set it’s not. It’s a platform for attacking mismatches, forcing rotations, and generating high quality shots. Obradović’s teaching shows how every player on the floor contributes to its success, from screen timing to spacing discipline.
This approach is especially important in high tempo systems like mine, where we demand decisions within seconds and rely on spacing structure to maintain offensive flow.
JULY 15, 2025
Pick and Roll Offence by Fatih Akser at the “Best in the West” Coaches Conference
Clinic Notes:
JULY 14, 2025
Pick and Roll Progression Teaching
Clinic Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7XNN7J3R08
JULY 13, 2025
PICK & ROLL TEACHING PROGRESSION (1V1 TO 4V4)
In this presentation, I talked about these subjects;
1-) Why do you want to play Pick and Roll Offence?
2-) History of the Pick and Roll Offence in the Modern Men’s Euroleague competitions
- Video samples and detailed analysis from the 2008-09 season to 2018-19 season
3-) Pick and Roll locations and common spacing patterns
- Going through all the angles and movements off the ball
4-) What are the most common spacing patterns?
- Video samples from the 2019-20 season Men’s/Women’s Euroleague games and 2020 Women’s Olympic Qualifier games
5-) How do we teach Pick and Roll Actions (1v1 to 4v4)
- Video samples from the 2019-20 season University of Calgary women’s Basketball games
6-) How does it look on 5v5 situations?
- Video samples from the 2019-20 season University of Calgary Women’s basketball games, 2019-20 season Men’s Euroleague games and 2020 Women’s Olympic Qualifier games
Presentation Notes and Clinic Video: https://youtu.be/OUYoe3BVaBE
JULY 12, 2025
BASIC PICK & ROLL DRILLS FOR YOUR PLAYERS TO IMPROVE THEIR DECISION MAKING
Today I want to share a few pick and roll drills that will help you execute the pick and roll in game-like situations.
Pick and Roll Drill #1
This is a simple, yet critical pick and roll shooting drill that will ensure that you practice game-like shots. Make sure to emphasize proper execution on all of the pick and roll fundamentals.
You will have 2 lines with a coach on the wing. If you have enough players, you can form a 3rd line on the wing with players as well. 1 has a basketball on the wing. 2 cuts from the top and sets a ball screen for 1. 1 executes one of the ball handler options off of the ball screen and shoots. 2 executes one of the screener options off of the ball screen. 2 shoots when the pass is received from the coach. You can designate ball handler and screener options off of the ball screen or let them choose. For example, you might say “Ball handler turns down ball screen. Screener executes the pick and pop.”
Pick and Roll Drill #2
This is a 2v2 pick and roll drill where our offense will get game-like repetitions and your defense will be challenged. This is a great defensive drill because it makes the defense guard the pick and roll without help defense. The locations can vary, but in the example to the right, you start with a ball handler on the wing and the screener on the opposite wing / elbow area. 2 sets a ball screen for 1. As soon as 2 cuts to set the screen for 1, the game is live. Players can continue to set ball screens or cut until they score or a change of possession occurs. You can play to a certain number of points. Playing to 2 or 3 keeps the games intense and quick. You can also play make-it, take-it or anything else that you think would benefit the team.
Pick and Roll Drill #3
This is a progression to the 2v2 pick and roll drill above. It is very similar, except now you have added a 3rd offensive player and 3rd defensive player. This will make things more difficult for the offense. At the same time, you get to work on your defensive help rotations. When dribbling off of the pick, you will have to decide whether to attack the rim, hit to the weak-side player, or look for the screener.
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