Basketball: Offensive Plays

Types of Offensive Plays 

Now that you know a little bit about the shots taken in basketball, let's look at some offensive plays and some things to keep in mind when trying to score with a team. When watching a basketball game, most of your attention is on the person handling the ball right? But the next time you watch a basketball game, look at the players other four players on the court on the offensive team without the ball. Each player can help the player handling the ball get to the hoop by setting screens or using the backdoor and cutting straight to the hoop right under the defensive teams noses. As stated in An Insider's Guide to Basketball by Forest G Campbell and Fred Ramen, "There are hundreds of different offensive plays that teams will run, many of which involve all five players. But there are some very effective plays that require only two players". Two very simple and effective plays that are mentioned in the book are the "Pick & Roll" and the "give-and-go".

To do a Pick & Roll two players must follow these steps according to the book

1. Call a screen (this is where the "pick" is from in the name)
2. The player with the ball dribbles the ball in a direction that makes the defender run into the screen.
3. Then the player who did the screen will quickly turn and use his/her backside to make sure the defender is behind him/her. (this is where the "roll" comes from in the name)
4. The player with the ball will pass the screener the ball 
5. The screener should be left wide open to take the easy layup 

The Pick & Roll usually results in an uncontested shot and an easy two points or in some cases, an and-1.

To do a give-and-go two players must follow these steps according to the book

1. The player with the ball quickly passes the ball to a teammate and breaks to the basket (this is where "give" and "go" is from).
2. If the defender is slow to react, the teammate and quickly bounce pass the ball to the player who is running to the hoop for another easy layup. 

The "give-and-go" is very effective if the defenders are slower to react than the offensive players.

Now that you've learned some tips and tricks to the offensive side of basketball, what are some specific things that you learned work out for you?

Campbell, Forest G. An Insider's Guide to Basketball. Rosen Publishing's Rosen Central, 2015.