Pick & Roll help

[iliteracy3]

how do u control where the picker sets his pick: like to the left or right???

or is it just random...?

[P-Dub]

Good question. I would like to know this, too. I wonder if it has anything to do with which hand the ball is in.

I hate when I call for a pick on the wing and they set one for me to go baseline. I end up going out of bounds sometimes.

[jeebs9]

I thought if you called it once it would go to one side. And but you called it again. Then it would go to the other.

[Kruza]

Hey fellas, I just got done experimenting on calling a number of quick pick & roll plays in Scrimmage mode to try and find some kind of answer to this situation.

What I found out is that it definitely depends on where the ballhandler is standing at the moment the quick p&r is called which determines what side of the ballhandler's man the pick will be set.

If the ballhandler is standing at a spot on either wing and near the 3-pt line (specifically inside the quarter-court sideline marker), then the pick is always set in the direction that leads the ballhandler toward the middle of the floor.

If the ballhandler is standing at a spot on either wing and behind the 3-pt line at an area a few feet outside the quarter-court sideline marker, then what jeebs9 pointed out is correct in that the screensetter will be able to set a pick in either side. The screensetting big man will change sides if the player continues to call for the quick p&r while standing still. This is also the case if the ballhandler is standing anywhere in the center area of the court inside the left and right elbows.

Kruza

[jeebs9]

I was going to say the samething about the wing pick and rolls.
Thanks for such a great post!


But speaking of pick and rolls. They need to add when the screeners are able to switch sides very quickly. When playing vs humans. I never get the pick and roll to work right. Because my opponent just never allow the pick to be set by moving all of the place.

[Colts18]

Jeeb, why should the defense allow themselves to get screened though? The goal of defense is to avoid the screen, right? How is that a game flaw?

[P-Dub]

If your opponent moves out of the way of a pick, you should have an advantage whether it's an open shot or a drive.

However, the screen game does need to be reworked, imo. It's weird to call a screen and have the defenders double team you, leaving a wide open screener who is still trying to set a screen. It's like they anticipate the screen too much, even on set plays.

[Kruza]

Quote: Originally Posted by jeebs9

But speaking of pick and rolls. They need to add when the screeners are able to switch sides very quickly. When playing vs humans. I never get the pick and roll to work right. Because my opponent just never allow the pick to be set by moving all of the place.

One of the best ways to counter this tactic is to call for slip screens. The slip action don't require for the big man to have to set his feet before diving to the basket. His movement will cause help defenders in the lane to rotate. Then you can take advantage of the scrambling with timely and accurate kickout passes to the open man. The key is that you have to find the right player to pass the ball to the moment he's open while the other three defenders away from the ball haven't recovered.

Quote: Originally Posted by P-Dub

If your opponent moves out of the way of a pick, you should have an advantage whether it's an open shot or a drive. However, the screen game does need to be reworked, imo. It's weird to call a screen and have the defenders double team you, leaving a wide open screener who is still trying to set a screen. It's like they anticipate the screen too much, even on set plays.

One thing I would look to do in this scenario as the ballhandler is to try to turn the corner where the big man defender is hedging and get into the lane, then observe if the ballhandler's man continues to follow/trail behind. Now the hedging big will likely not allow me to turn the corner which is my first preferred option (get into the lane and make a play). But a lead icon pass to the screensetting big may be wide open for a midrange jumpshot off the catch. This is a type of scenario where a good screensetter and capable jump-shooting type bigs like Brad Miller come in handy.

The two defenders at the ball will begin to guard your pick & roll plays straight up if you burn that "trapping the ballhandler" tactic often enough with a lethal pick & pop action. Then it becomes a matter of finding out whether or not the two defenders on the ball are switching assignments on screens.

Kruza