Sideline Out of Bounds plays or SLOBs are a great way to get a open shot using the in bounds pass as the start of the play. This SLOB play is looking to punish an aggressive defensive team by switching the side of the floor the ball is on with the entry pass. This skip pass entry creates a scenario where a good defensive team is going to be behind their offensive player immediately. This creates a good opportunity to attack quickly.
This SLOB play starts in a line formation directly in front of the in bounds passer. The “hot spot” or shooter is lined up 2nd. In the diagram below this is the point(1). Each defensive player should be playing on the offensive player’s front. This puts each defender between their man and the ball. The entry pass is going to the opposite side of the floor meaning each defender will be behind their offensive player in relation to the ball. This gives the offense a great chance to attack quickly with the defense out of position.
The line formation has the forward(3) taking the ball out of bounds. The line has the guards in the front and the bigs in the back. The shooter is lined up 2nd. Depending on your team this position will be filled by the player who you want shooting the ball.
The guard(2) is lined up right in front of the forward(3) followed by the point(1), big(4) and center(5). The center(5) is sprinting straight to the block in hopes that the defense will drop to prevent the direct pass to the block.
The point(1) and big(4) are setting a double screen for the guard(2) who is running to the backside. The entry pass is made using a skip pass to the guard(2) to get the ball on the opposite side of the floor.
As the skip pass is caught by the guard(2), the big(4) is continuing forward to set a 2nd screen on the point(1). The point(1) is coming off of the screen set by the big(4) after they set the initial screen for the guard(2). The guard(2) is catching the skip pass and throwing a pass back to the middle to the point(1) coming off of the screen for an open 3-point shot.
This is a quick hitting SLOB play that can be used at any point in time of the game. However, this is a play I like to keep back for an end of quarter or end of game situation where I need a 3-point shot quickly. This can be ran in about 4 seconds. This is a play I run in practice to see how quickly the players can execute the play and get the shot off as quickly as possible. This gives me an idea if we can run this play with 2 or 3 seconds left on the clock.
Adjustment
One adjustment that can be made is to use the in-bounder as the shooter. Instead of the point(1) coming off the screen by the big(4) to get the pass and shot, the big(4) and point(1) will set a 2nd double screen for the forward(3) to throw the skip pass and then follow the skip pass for the shot. This adjustment is a good idea if the defense likes to have the forward’s(3) defender playing up on the sideline trying to deflect the entry pass.
Every team needs to have a play or two to get a shot quickly out of a SLOB situation for end of game scenarios. Having a play like this can be the difference in getting a great shot to win the game. Late game situations can be chaotic but this play can give the players a great chance to execute in a high pressure scenario to get a great shot to win the game.
