Defending the Pick-and-Roll

with Dwane Casey,
Detroit Pistons (NBA) Head Coach;
former Toronto Raptors Head Coach;
2018 Michael H. Goldberg NBCA Coach of the Year Award
; Most career wins in Raptors franchise history;
Led Toronto to the 2016 Eastern Conference Finals; 2018 NBA All-Star Game Head Coach;
won an NBA Championship as an assistant coach for the Dallas Mavericks (2011);
was the captain of the 1978 Kentucky NCAA National Championship team

With the prevalence of ball screens at all levels of basketball, pick & roll defense should be one of the foremost concerns for any coach. Dwane Casey shows you the tactics the Toronto Raptors employ to shut down side and middle pick & rolls versus elite NBA competition.

Defending Side Pick & Roll

Coach Casey will show you two ways to shut down side pick & rolls based on the player who's covering the ball. You will learn how you can match-up with the ball in the middle to neutralize any advantages that might be created off a high pick & roll. In addition to these most common ball-screening actions, you will also learn how to defend Laker cuts, split screens, doubling the post, and ball screens out of the Horns set.

Defending Mid Pick-and-Roll

Coach Casey explains how to use the "weak" strategy against pick & rolls in the middle of the floor. You'll learn important details such as how your post players can keep the ball in front and how to communicate with the on-ball defender to switch or recover back to their man. You will learn how to teach your help defenders to "tag" the roller from either single- or double-side situations.

Coach Casey also demonstrates how to handle two unorthodox situations that are created by crafty ball handlers, such as when dribblers continue their drive underneath the basket or when the dribbler uses the "cross-grain" to change direction immediately after a ball screen.

Finally, you'll learn the most popular option in the NBA for shutting down side ball screens with the "Blue" tactic. Gain strategies for defending the screener when they roll or pop to the elbow. Casey also demonstrates how to force turnovers by turning "Blue" into a trap.

This video gives you the ability to effectively guard the pick & roll, whether you are playing in man or zone defense.

46 minutes. 2017.