2v2 Read the Help
Teach the drive-and-kick read: if help comes, pass to the open man.
- Duration
- 12 min
- Steps
- 4
- Equipment
- 2 items
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
How to run it
- 1
Play 2v2; the ball-handler drives the lane.
- 2
If the second defender helps, kick to your teammate; if they stay, finish.
- 3
The offense must read the help on every drive — no contested layups.
- 4
Play to 7; rotate teams.
Coaching points
- Drive to draw the help, not to score through it.
- See your teammate before you leave your feet.
- A pass to the open man beats a contested shot every time.
Equipment
- Basketball
- Half court
Why it works
Young drivers either force shots or miss the open man. The nugget: 2v2 isolates the help read so players learn to drive to create, then pass — the core of all drive-and-kick offense. In a game, a drive that draws two defenders has done its job if you kick to the open shooter. A kid who reads the help becomes a playmaker who creates open shots for teammates, which is how modern offense scores in bunches.
2v2 Read the Help
Purpose: Teach the drive-and-kick read: if help comes, pass to the open man.
▶How to run it
- 1Play 2v2; the ball-handler drives the lane.
- 2If the second defender helps, kick to your teammate; if they stay, finish.
- 3The offense must read the help on every drive — no contested layups.
- 4Play to 7; rotate teams.
✓Coaching points
- ✓Drive to draw the help, not to score through it.
- ✓See your teammate before you leave your feet.
- ✓A pass to the open man beats a contested shot every time.
▢Equipment
★Why it works
Young drivers either force shots or miss the open man. The nugget: 2v2 isolates the help read so players learn to drive to create, then pass — the core of all drive-and-kick offense. In a game, a drive that draws two defenders has done its job if you kick to the open shooter. A kid who reads the help becomes a playmaker who creates open shots for teammates, which is how modern offense scores in bunches.