How to Defend the ‘Pick & Roll’ in Basketball

The ‘pick & role’ is one of the most fundamental plays in the game of basketball.  Coaches have different methods for how they want to defend the play – some have been successful and some have not. Guarding the ‘pick & roll’ takes all five defensive players on the court to be successful. First, it starts with the player guarding the ball because he has to make sure that they force the offensive player to use the screen; if the offensive player refuses the screen then it breaks down the defense as a whole.

Once the player defending the ball forces the offensive player to use the screen, it now is the defender guarding the screener to step out far enough to create a little path way for the on the ball defender to get through the screen. But, the player stepping out must be sure that he does not step out to early, if they do the offensive player with the ball has the option to split the screen. 

With this going on, the other three defenders need to be sure they are not on the weak side of the court too close to their men so that that may help out. The three defenders on the weak side of the floor should be on the midline of the court, which is directly in the middle of the paint, creating a wall of help defense. 

After the player guarding the screener makes a pathway for the on the ball defender to get through, he then needs to run back to get to his man, but while the man who stepped out is trying to get back to his man the bottom man of that defensive wall should be guarding that man until the player who stepped out gets back.

If the defenders work in unison, the ‘pick & roll’ should be successfully defended.