Pick and roll

Execution

The play (in its elementary form) involves three players. The play begins with a defender guarding a ballhandler. The ballhandler moves toward a teammate, who sets a "screen" (or "pick") by standing in the way of the defender, who is separated from the moving ballhandler. The defender is forced to choose between guarding the ballhandler or the screener. If the defender tries to guard the ballhandler, then the screener can move toward the basket (as the player defending the screener may try to trap or guard the ballhandler, giving the screener space) sometimes by a foot pivot ("roll") and is now open for a pass. If the defender chooses instead to guard the screening teammate, then the ballhandler has an open shot. Alternatively, the ballhandler may pass the ball to an open teammate. A well-executed pick and roll is the result of teamwork, but many players fail by executing the play too quickly; they must ignore the defense and control their own speed.{{cite news | access-date=11 April 2016

Defending the pick and roll is a tactical challenge. The screener's defender alerts his teammate of the screen. Options are "switch" - defenders swap assignments, or "hedge" - the screener's defender predicts the screen and momentarily impedes the ballhandler. Each choice carries risks, like mismatches or gaps in defense. Success lies in agility, communication, and coordination.

Results

A successful pick and roll play may result in the screener being in position to receive a pass with a clear path for an easy shot, with the chance of drawing a foul as other defenders move toward the play to try to prevent penetration. It may alternately lead to the ballhandler being momentarily without a defender and thus free to pass to any open teammate, or take an uncontested shot, which greatly improves the chance of scoring, again with the chance of drawing a foul as the screened defender hurries to get back into the play.

The success of the strategy depends largely on the ballhandler, who must recognize the situation quickly and make a decision whether to take the shot, pass to the screener who is rolling (if the defender switches) or pass to another open teammate (if other defenders come to help). The screener also must recognize the open spaces of the court to roll to and be alert to receive the pass and finish the play.

Other variations

Variations of the pick and roll are the pick and pop (or pick and fade), where the screener moves for an open jump shot instead of rolling to the basket, or the pick and slip, where the screener fakes setting a screen before slipping behind the defender to accept the pass.

Pick and pop

The pick and pop is an offensive play that is a derivative of the classic pick and roll. Instead of rolling toward the basket, the player setting the pick moves to an open area of the court to receive a pass from the ballhandler for a jump shot ("pop").

The premise of the two plays is the same: a ballhandler uses a teammate's pick to attract the attention of two defensive players to free his teammate for a scoring opportunity. A successful pick and pop relies on a ballhandler who demands constant defensive attention and a teammate with an accurate jump shot or a layup if by the rim.

Notable uses

In the NBA, John Stockton and Karl Malone of the Utah Jazz used this play to great effect in the 1990s,{{Cite book

Some of the most effective pick and roll duets in the Euroleague have been Dimitris Diamantidis and Mike Batiste of Panathinaikos B.C., Kostas Sloukas and Jan Veselý of Fenerbahçe İstanbul and Sergio Rodriguez and Kyle Hines of CSKA Moscow.

Other sports

The pick and roll was also used extensively in box lacrosse, the sport played in the National Lacrosse League.

References

References

1. Wissel, Hal. (2004). "Basketball: steps to success". Human Kinetics.
2. (2022-08-02). "What is a Hedge in Basketball? (Simple 4-Step Guide)".
3. [http://www.sportingnews.com/nba-news/4662065-draymond-green-stephen-curry-passing-assist-warriors-record Steph Curry dominating; he can thank Draymond Green], Sporting News, 25 November 2015
4. [https://www.eurohoops.net/el/top-lists-el/236102/i-psili-pou-eginan-magkes-chari-ston-diamantidi/2/ Οι ψηλοί που έγιναν “μάγκες” χάρη στον Διαμαντίδη], Eurohoops.net, 3 May 2016
5. [https://www.eurohoops.net/en/euroleague/590730/best-euroleague-passing-duos/ The Best EuroLeague passing duos!], Eurohoops.net, 11 January 2018