The down screen will happen away from the ball.
The player receiving the screen will step over the screen and then take 2 long backward steps away from the screen towards the corner of the court.
The screener will turn and cut back towards the ball.
This cut will happen if the defender tries to get around the screen and stop the cut towards the ball.
Good spacing is only the start. The best modern offences teach players to attack the defence's rotations and play in a permanent 4-on-3 - here is how to coach that read.
The ball screen produces almost half of all professional offensive possessions, yet most teams still teach it as a memorised play. The modern approach trains the read - giving players a framework to decide based on what the defence does, not what the coach called.
The closeout is the most repeated defensive action in modern basketball. With fouls per game climbing in the 2025-26 season, coaches must teach defenders to contest the three without surrendering the drive or putting shooters on the line.
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