(English) When an offensive player receives the ball, they must be ready to pass, dribble or shoot depending upon the situation.

Sometimes the player should take immediate action, for example:

(English) After a team mate has penetrated into the key and then passes out to the perimeter, this may be a situation where 2 should “catch and shoot”

(English) One purpose of “reversing” the ball from one side to the other is to create a situation where a defender has a “long close-out” from the split line to the perimeter. This may be a situation where the perimeter player should immediately drive.

In this example, the defence are “scrambling”, and x5 may be mismatched against 2, which is another cue for immediately dribbling.

(English) When defence are in a scrambling situation (here, a double team to stop 3 driving into the key) players may need to make a quick “second pass”. For example:

  • 4 quickly passes to 1 as x4 is close whereas x1 has a long Close-out to defend 1
  • 1 quickly passes to 2 as they may be in position of having no one to defend them
    (x3 may be rotating across)

(English) Apart from situations where an instant decision needs to be made, a player receiving the ball should do so in “triple threat”. Triple threat is simply having the balance and ball position, where they can either pass, dribble or shoot.

Accordingly, for “triple threat” the player must:

  • Face the basket if on the perimeter (a post player should identify where their defender is but may not turn to face the basket);
  • Identify which is their pivot foot
  • Have the ball approximately at hip height
  • Create “space” by being strong with the ball – having elbows out and forcefully “sweeping” the ball to knock the defender’s hands out of the space between the two players
  • Have sight of their team mates and the basket

Many coaches will instruct their players to be on the “front foot”, which may be established with a short drive fake, ball movement or sweeping across their body to move the defender backwards slightly.