Sean Singletary Basketball: Ball Screen Defense

Pick and roll is the most effective tool in basketball nationally and internationally right now. Whenever, in any sport, you can create a man advantage or mismatch, your percentage of scoring increases dramatically. It is tough to defend and it’s tough to effectively execute offensively. UVa is very well coached! The Hoos do both very well!

Usually, the player that is more aggressive and physically executes his move wins the battle between ball screen offense and defense.

As the ball handler approaching the ball screen on offense, you want to attempt to use your vision and voice to have the court spaced out for the screening action to be most effective. You want to dribble to the screen at an angle where a solid pick will allow for the big man setting the screen to be able to impede the ball handler’s progress and for the defensive guard to have to play the ball handler from behind. You hope to create confusion and spacing that temporarily force the two ball screen defenders to both play the ball handler. If you can cause the defense to stay with the dribbler for too long or to lose containment, then you can create a man-up advantage somewhere on the floor and make decisions off of that.

The defensive counter to ball screens on offense is often a hedge move where the screen defender helps the dribbler’s defender by stepping into the path of the ball handler or by at least preventing movement toward the basket. A quality hedge defender’s positioning starts with the hedge defender being glued to the screener in order to prevent a dribble that splits the two defenders. As the ball handler approaches, the hedge defender usually wants to get at a perpendicular angle to impede the desired path of the ball handler, forcing the ball handler to make an escape dribble away from the basket or, better yet, to pick up his dribble, rendering the ball screen useless.

As I said above, Virginia is very good at this ball screen hedge defense and their length plays a role in that. Length can be effective and ineffective. Yes, UVa has lengthy bigs but if executed properly two smaller defenders also can be effective performing the hedge screening action. So it Virginia’s execution in addition to its size that makes the defense so good here. For the defense, it’s Important to get a good hedge first so that the other three defenders have a chance to help cover the other options. The players’ activity level and ability to recover to their man is key as well! The toughest ball screen defense for an aggressive and clever ball handler, however, is usually an aggressive trap. This causes the ball handler to lose vision and/or forces the ball handler to pick up his dribble and possibly force a tie-up or turnover.

UVa is aggressive on ball screens. The defender is usually prepared for ball screens (coaching and scouting!) and in a position to impede a useful attack of the ball handler. In the NBA, random ball screens are very effective because usually the defense isn’t prepared for the action, which gives the offense a man advantage if the screen is used properly. Malcolm Brogdon is very good at guarding the dribbler for ball screen defense and I think Marial Shayok can be special at it as he gets more experience. He has all the physical tools. I think all the bigs give good effort on hedging. I like Anthony Gill’s and Darion Atkins’ activity the best.

Hedge defense was my favorite defense to attack. I used to use change of speed and a quick change of direction to confuse the hedge defender because it’s almost impossible for a lateral defender to impede the process of a clever ball handler. For a smart ball handler, if the hedge defender stays with him, then the read will be to hit the roll (or pop) late or to hit the cross-court man in the corner. Any team with an aggressive guard will be able to challenge the hedging action. I do not know if any one guard in the ACC is ready to consistently beat UVa’s hedging action yet, though.

WaHooWa!

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