Basketball Drill of the Week: Screening
Weekly drills are back! This week, it's about screening.
Are your teammates not passing you the ball?
It sucks.
I know.
But instead of getting upset, you should focus on something that you can control.
And that thing is to be a great off-ball player.
One of the skills that will make you an off-ball player everyone loves to play with is screening.
So, here are some screens you should learn how to do:
Pick and Roll Screen
For the pick and roll, you’re essentially setting a pick for the ball-handler and rolling to the rim for either a close shot or to rebound.
Pick and Pop
This is the same as a pick and roll but instead of rolling to the rim, you’re going to roll out to the perimeter to pop (or shoot) a jump shot.
Snake Screen
To do the snake screen, after setting the initial pick, instead of rolling to the basket, you’re going to roll into the rim protector (or you’re defender) to keep him away from contesting the ball-handler.
Handoff Screen
On the perimeter, you’re going to call a shooter over to you and you’re going to hand the ball off to them.
Here, you’re going to either create a wall between the defender and shooter so they have an open shot or screen for them as they drive and maneuver for a better shot.
Off-Ball Screen
For this screen, you’re going to create a screen for a non-ball handler so that that player can get open to receive an inbound pass or an open look.
Some examples of off-ball screens are back screens, flare screens and down screens.
Front Wall Screen
I’m not exactly sure what this screen is called, but it’s happened to me many times and is annoying. For now, I’ll call it the Front Wall Screen.
This is an off-ball screen; all you’re doing is blocking off a defender from reaching a shooter.
To do it:
First, you have to scan the defence to see how they’re positioned.
Second, you have to scan your team to see their positions.
If there is a trailing shooter and the defence is far away from them, you’re going to tell the ball handler to see the shooter as you screen/block off the defender, preventing them from reaching the shooter.
How to Get Better At Screening
It’s hard to practice screening if you don’t have many teammates to train with.
One of the best alternatives is to watch games and highlights of the screens I mentioned, try it in NBA 2K to learn the setup and positions (seriously), and then try it in pick-up games.
And here’s a warning -you will mess up. But keep trying and your teammates will reward you for your effort.
How To Get Better At Basketball
I’ve created a basketball activity guide that can help you (or your disciple) improve quicker than if you just did random exercises at the park.
This 8-day guide lays out daily exercises and drills for you to do so you can master the fundamentals of basketball and start winning as soon as possible.
So, if you’re sick of putting time into workouts that aren’t helping you get better, then give my Old Man Game Basketball Guide a try.
In it, you’ll work on:
The fundamentals of shooting with various shooting drills
Your conditioning with various bodyweight exercises
Ball handling and defence with skills and conditioning exercises
…And more
If you’re interested in this activity guide, click here to learn about it.