The game of basketball is moving into a positionless style where the old school back to the basket post players are being phased out of the game. From what I have seen at the high school level, these back to the basket post players have trouble getting the ball in the post. This is for a couple of reasons.
First, the players do not know how to properly post and use positioning to make it easy for the passer to deliver a good pass. And secondly, coaches do not have sets designed to get the post players isolated in the post with good positioning and an easy entry pass. Coaches can help good post players by giving them plays to get them isolated in the post.
A good isolation play can give a post player 3 or 4 easy post catches every game. That can be 6-8 points a game or 3 or 4 fouls against the opponent. While 6 to 8 points may not be very much if a team is scoring 60 points in a game but in a close game those 6 to 8 easy points could be the difference in a win versus a loss. And a post player getting points and easy baskets can make the defense adjust opening up other areas of the court giving other players a better chance to score points.
This play is designed to get a post play isolated but there is a lot of misdirection to keep the defense unaware of what the offense is attempting to get accomplished. Once the defense realizes the offense is getting a post player isolated, it is too late and the post player has the ball and is scoring. In order for this to be easy a lot of movement takes places before to keep the defense moving.
The start of the play is an entry pass to the big(4) at the high post. The guard(2) is moving to the block while the center(5) moves out to the wing. This movement is to set up the post isolation for the very end of the play. The guard(2) and center(5) are going to stay on the backside waiting for the other 3 offensive players to occupy the defense before they get the post isolated on the block.
After the entry pass into the big(4), the point(1) and forward(3) are running an X-cut across the post. This X-cut is the movement to give the offense the first couple of options to score the ball.
Option #1
I like the point(1) to go 1st on the X-cut. No reason other than that is my personal preference. The first option is a handoff from the big(4) to the point(1) on the X-cut. The point(1) will take the ball and attack and get a shot. If the big(4) gives the ball up on the X-cut it should result in a layup. But if the point(1) gets cut off then they should take the pullup jumper from the 5-8 foot range.
Option 2
The 2nd option to score is the second part of the X-cut. The point(1) will cut through first. Then as the forward(3) makes their X-cut, the big(4) will give them the ball and let the forward(3) attack down through the lane for a layup.
While the 2 handoffs are only likely to happen once or twice a game, that 1 or 2 times could be the 2 or 4 points needed to win a close game.
Option 3
As the X-cut is taking place on the ball side, the center(5) is down screening for the guard(2). The initial movement of the guard(2) and center(5) allows them to use this down screen for a potential scoring option.
If the forward(3) gets the handoff from the big(4) buts does not or can not get into the lane then they are looking for the kick out 3 to the guard(2) coming off of the down screen.
This is a read of the guard(2)’s defender. If they help on the drive then the kick out will be there. If they stay out on the guard(2), then option 2 will be open.
The point(1) in Option 1 needs to get the best shot they can off of the handoff. The forward(3) in Option 2 has a kick out pass opportunity if they do not get a good shooting chance. This puts the point(1) in an attacking mode while the forward(3) has more of a read mode when they get the handoff from the X-cut.
Option 4
If a handoff is not possible on the X-cut then the big(4) is turning and passing across to the guard(2) off of the down screen set by the center(5). This now puts the ball on the backside of the play for the 1st time. The point(1) and forward(3) are both continuing their cuts all the way back out to the wing and corner.
The point(1) and forward(3) need to clear out of the lane to take away the helpside defense from the lane. A lazy post cut by either player will leave their defender in the lane and take away the post isolation coming up next.
Option 5
The guard(2) will look to catch and shoot when they receive the pass. But if they do not have the shot then they are passing into the post to the center(5). A good down screen will put the center(5) in good position to step into their defender and seal for the post entry pass. The backside defense will not be there letting the center(5) work 1v1 in the post.
I also like to cut somebody down to the backside block to occupy the helpside defense even more. The forward(3) is cutting up to the top of the key while the big(4) is cutting to the opposite block. These two cuts will give the defense from being able to rotate to the center(5). If the defense still rotates then one of these two will be open.
Conclusion
A good back to the basket post player is rare but is such a great advantage to a team when used properly. As a coach I want 2 or 3 post isolation plays to give the post players easy chances to score. A good scoring post player forces the defense to adjust and change how they play. When a defense is doing normal things different because of a post player then they are not going to be playing their best.
One of the things a lot of defenses do differently is collapsing on a post player when they catch an entry pass. This leaves the 3-point line wide open for possible kick out 3-point shots. These kick out 3s from the post are the best 3-point shots a player will get. So, a good post player can help the outside shooters because the space the shooters get due to the post player being on the inside. A scoring post player can create even more space for the shooters.
I have seen a lot of coaches lately not utilize their post players. They do not use plays to get them touches. Coaches make the post players work to get good position which is hard. Then once they get good position, the guards have to see it and deliver a good pass. If the pass is not made when the post player is open, then all of that work was for nothing.
This is very frustrating for post players because they have to rely on other players to get them the ball whereas guards will have a bunch of touches being on the outside of the defense. So, coaches need to realize this and create situations to make it easy to pass the ball into post players.
