Shooting Off Ball Screens
Shoot coming off down screens and flare screens at game speed, with a live defender.
- Duration
- 18 min
- Steps
- 4
- Equipment
- 5 items
- Difficulty
- Advanced
How to run it
- 1
Start under the rim; a screener sets a down screen on the wing.
- 2
Sprint tightly off the screen; passer hits you in stride.
- 3
Read the defender: curl if trailing, fade if going under, straight cut if even.
- 4
8 makes on each read, each side.
Coaching points
- Set up the defender first — take them away from the screen.
- Cut shoulder-to-shoulder off the screener.
- Feet ready on the catch; shoot in one motion.
Equipment
- Basketball
- Rim
- Screener
- Passer
- Defender
Why it works
Elite shooters score off movement, not spot-ups. The nugget: the live-defender read (curl/fade/straight) is the exact decision that creates open looks against chasing defenses. In a game, a defender who trails gets curled; one who goes under gets faded. A kid who reads and cuts tight off screens gets open shots without needing to create off the dribble — this is how elite shooters score efficiently against great defense.
Shooting Off Ball Screens
Purpose: Shoot coming off down screens and flare screens at game speed, with a live defender.
▶How to run it
- 1Start under the rim; a screener sets a down screen on the wing.
- 2Sprint tightly off the screen; passer hits you in stride.
- 3Read the defender: curl if trailing, fade if going under, straight cut if even.
- 48 makes on each read, each side.
✓Coaching points
- ✓Set up the defender first — take them away from the screen.
- ✓Cut shoulder-to-shoulder off the screener.
- ✓Feet ready on the catch; shoot in one motion.
▢Equipment
★Why it works
Elite shooters score off movement, not spot-ups. The nugget: the live-defender read (curl/fade/straight) is the exact decision that creates open looks against chasing defenses. In a game, a defender who trails gets curled; one who goes under gets faded. A kid who reads and cuts tight off screens gets open shots without needing to create off the dribble — this is how elite shooters score efficiently against great defense.