How to Identify Pick-and-Roll Coverages
3 Factors Differentiate Pick-and-Roll Coverages:
- Does the on-ball defender channel the ballhandler towards the screen (drop, any hedge, blitz)? Towards the sideline (ice)? Or away from the screen/towards his weak hand (weak)?
- Where is the screener’s defender when the screen is set? Above the screen (hard hedge or blitz)? At the level of the screen (catch hedge/at the level)? Or a few steps below the screen (drop)?
- What does the screener’s defender do after the screen is set? Does he trap the ballhandler until he picks up his dribble (blitz)? Does he redirect the ballhandler towards the halfcourt line for a couple of steps before retreating (hard hedge)? Does he try to contain the ballhandler until the on-ball defender can recover (catch hedge)? Or does he drop back, keeping both the dribbler and the roller in front of him (drop)?
For the first component, the on-ball defender almost always channels the dribbler towards the screen (see the section “What Happens When the On-Ball Defender and the Screener’s Defender Have Different Agendas?” below). The notable exceptions are ice (towards the sideline) and weak (towards his weak hand/away from the screen).
The second component is pretty consistent. A big might drop deeper or shallower depending upon a few factors, but where he stands when the screen is set—above it, close enough to touch it, or a few steps below it—is the easiest tell of which PnR coverage the defense is using.
The third component is the most nuanced. How long the screener’s defender pressures the ballhandler differentiates blitz from hedge, and other coverages, especially ice and weak, which usually ask the defensive big to drop, but sometimes he’ll hedge, blitz, or even switch.
- Drop (aka “Soft”): the screener’s defender backpedals, looking to contain the ballhandler and the roller (drop coverage often asks the screener’s defender to keep both the ballhandler and the roller in front of him at all times)
- Catch Hedge (aka “At the Level”): The screener’s defender crowds the dribbler, and then recovers to the roller (slightly more pressure on the ballhandler than drop, but less on-ball pressure than hedge or blitz)
- Hedge (“Show”): The screener’s defender spends 1 or 2 steps doubling the ballhandler—ideally, redirecting him towards half-court—before retreating to the screener/roller (a hard hedge/show is more pressure, a soft hedge/show is less pressure, but there are also other subcategories, such as a flat hedge)
- Blitz (Trap): The screener’s defender double-teams the ballhandler until he picks up his dribble.
There’s also switching, which is intuitive, and other, less common coverages like “jam,” “hug,” or “body,” in which the screener’s defender nudges the screener farther and farther away from the basket so that the screen is now set outside the ballhandler’s shooting range, which lets the on-ball defender go under the screen with impunity. Another variation is nexting, in which the screener’s defender stays attached to the screener, but instead, the closest perimeter defender switches onto the ballhandler to impede his progress.
Furthermore, there are variations and subcategories for each of these entries, and the specific terminology and definitions vary from team to team. For a more complete picture, see below.
Drop/Deep Drop (aka “Soft”):
What it’s good for:
- encouraging long 2s
- letting the off-ball defenders stick to their assignments instead of helping and recovering
- discouraging catch-and-shoot 3s from the off-ball offensive players
- not letting the screener get behind his defender on the roll
- slow-footed and/or tall defensive bigs with length
- on-ball defenders expert at avoiding screens
What it’s bad for:
- preventing pull-up 2s and 3s (especially if the dribbler’s defender is poor at navigating the screen)
- preventing pick-and-pop 3s from the screener
- undersized bigs (without athleticism to compensate)
In drop coverage, the on-ball defender directs the ballhandler towards the screen, and then the screener’s defender starts several feet below the level of the screen. The screener’s defender backpedals, always keeping himself between the ball and the basket — while not letting the roller get behind him. The goal for the screener’s defender is to take away shots at the rim (from either the ballhandler or the roller) and encourage long 2s.
The depth of the screener’s defender varies according to the team’s philosophy and the defender’s mobility, but in general, drop coverage looks like this, with the screener’s defender a few feet below the screen (if not more):
Statistically, drop is the most effective coverage for ballscreens set in the middle of the court, partially by encouraging relatively inefficient pull-up 2s:
However, offenses have adjusted to drop coverage by setting the ballscreen higher up the floor so that the ballhandler can come off the pick for a pull-up 3 instead:
Or drop can give the ballhandler a large runway to gain speed to attack the big for a layup:
Another weakness of drop coverage is the pick-and-pop. Against a traditional pick-and-roll, the screener’s defender backpedals and keeps both the ballhandler and the roller in front of him, encouraging midrange shots from both players at the same time. Against a pick-and-pop, however, drop coverage can give up open 3s. The screener’s defender is often told not to leave the ballhandler until the ballhandler’s original defender has fully recovered from the pick (leaving too early can give up an open layup, the worst possible result). In other words, the more attention the screener’s defender has to give to the ballhandler, the more open the screener is when he pops for a 3:
(The last clip was an example of a veerback switch, a counter to pick-and-popping in which the ballhandler’s defender late switches onto the popper.)
There are subcategories within drop coverage, especially with regard to how deeply the screener’s defender greets the screen. Perhaps the most common version of drop coverage is sometimes known as “no man behind,” which asks the screener’s defender to let neither the ballhandler nor the roller ever get behind him. This type of drop is meant to be a “2-on-2” coverage, which means the defense hopes the two defenders (the ballhandler’s defender and the screener’s defender) can defend the pick-and-roll by themselves, without any help from their three teammates. (For example, there’s no need for a tagger to tag the roller.)
And sometimes the execution differs from the plan. For example, a coach might want his big to be at the level of the screen, but if he’s late, it’s better to err by being too deep. If he’s still coming up the court while the ballhandler comes off the screen, the ballhandler can then use the defender’s momentum against him for a blow-by.
At the Level (aka “Level,” “Up to Touch,” “Catch Hedge” or just “Catch”):
What it’s good for:
- taking away pull-up 2s and 3s from the dribbler
- screeners who aren’t explosive threats rolling to the rim
What it’s bad for:
- letting the screener get behind his defender on the roll (especially vulnerable to quick pocket passes or lobs over the top of the defensive big)
- forcing off-ball defenders to tag the roller, which makes it likelier that the offense gets a catch-and-shoot 3
- bigs who are too slow-footed to prevent the ballhandler from blowing past them, and bigs who are undersized
The precise definition of At the Level varies from team to team, but think of it as a pick-and-roll coverage in between (deep) drop and hedge/show. When the screen is set, the screener’s defender in is too high to be considered (deep) drop but too low for hedge/show/blitz. In other words, a big At the Level is either at or slightly below the level of the screen. This is an adjustment to drop in order to take away pull-up 2s/3s and give the ballhandler less room to attack, but it’s now easier for the roller to get behind his defender for a pocket pass (which is why it’s important for the screener’s defender to keep his hands low to discourage/deflect such passes).
At the Level is similar to deep drop except for two things:
- The screener’s defender starts higher up on the floor (at or near the level of the screen; some coaches teach their big to have his toes even with the screener’s heels)
- The screener’s defender is primarily concerned with the ballhandler (at the risk of letting the roller get behind him)
In this example, the big’s defender is touching the screener as he sets the screen:
At the level, the screener’s defender crowds the ballhandler until the on-ball defender can recover. As a result, catch is more vulnerable to the roller getting behind his defender — especially if the screener slips the screen — and therefore requires more attention from help defender(s) to tag the roller:
In this next example, Evan Mobley comes to set an empty side ballscreen for Darius Garland in transition:
Mobley’s defender, Jusuf Nurkić, is at the level of the screen when it is set, with his hand on Mobley (hence “up to touch”):
This coverage takes away Garland’s pull-up ability, but it lets Mobley get behind Nurkić for a lob (notice how Garland dribbles slightly past the midway part of the paint to drag Nurkić too far to the left to stop the alley-oop):
Hedge (Hard Hedge/Soft Hedge, aka “Show”):
What it’s good for:
- getting the ball out of the dribbler’s hands (presumably, the offense’s best playmaker/decision-maker)
- stopping pick-and-pop 3s (by hedging, the defensive big is closer to the pick-and-popper than he would have been in drop coverage)
- defensive bigs who are nimble and/or smaller than most bigs
- avoiding a switch on a guard-to-guard ballscreen (guards like Trae Young, Luka Doncic, and Steph Curry often hedge when their man sets a ballscreen to avoid a switch/mismatch)
- on-ball defenders who aren’t great at navigating screens
What it’s bad for:
- stopping elite (and tall) playmakers who can easily navigate and/or pass over the double-team
- preventing catch-and-shoot 3s, since the off-ball defenders must tag the roller
The only difference between the next two coverages — hard hedge and blitz — is how long the screener’s defender pressures the ballhandler before recovering to the screener. In both, the ballhandler’s defender channels the ballhandler towards the screen, and then the screener’s defender is above the level of the screen; typically, he straddles the screener’s top foot:
How long the screener’s defender spends on the ballhandler differentiates the different subcategories. Perhaps the screener’s defender takes one quick lunge at the ballhandler before retreating (a coverage sometimes called “soft hedge,” among other names):
In a traditional “hard” hedge, the screener’s defender takes two steps with the ballhandler to redirect him towards half-court. This can momentarily look like a double-team, which is why Duke’s coach Mike Krzyzewski calls it a “fake trap”:
The ballhandler’s defender goes over the screen but under the hedger, and then the screener’s defender retreats to the roller as quickly as he can, with both hands raised to block a potential pass.
Perhaps the most important defender in a hard hedge is the tagger. Without him, the roller is left wide open underneath the basket. In this example, Jusuf Nurkić is hard hedging the ballscreen (specifically, Miami action) that Onyeka Okongwu sets for Lou Williams. Notice that Nurkic is above Onyeka when the screen is set:
Nurkic takes two strides toward halfcourt to redirect Lou Will away from the basket, but that leaves Okongwu wide open on the roll. The low man (violet) has to tag in order to prevent an easy bucket:
The tag successfully prevents a certain dunk, and the tagger leaves once Nurkic has recovered:
Like weak and ice, hedge can also be combined with a switch, either intentionally or unintentionally (if the screener and the ballhandler are too far from each other for the hedger to recover to the screener, invoking an unplanned veerback switch between the two PnR defenders).
Blitz:
What it’s good for:
- stopping elite playmakers and pull-up shooters
- forcing the screener to handle the ball in the short roll
What it’s bad for:
- screeners who are superb at short-roll playmaking, like Draymond Green
- forcing the defense to defend 3v4 as the two defenders on the ball recover from trapping the dribbler
Blitz starts identically to a hard hedge, but then on-ball defender and the screener’s defender trap the ballhandler. Whereas a hedging defender stays with the ballhandler for only a couple of steps before retreating, a blitzing defender stays with the ballhandler until he picks up his dribble:
Meanwhile, the other three defenders zone off until the ballhandler picks up his dribble or makes a pass, at which point the screener’s defender recovers.
Some coaches uses “blitz” and “trap” interchangeably, but sometimes there is a slight difference between the two terms. Stan Van Gundy, for example, uses “blitz” if the screener’s defender retreats when the ballhandler picks up his dribble, but he uses “trap” if the screener’s defender stays on the ballhandler even after picking up his dribble.
Ice:
What it’s good for:
- forcing the ballhandler towards the sideline, away from his teammates (and thus passing options)
- encouraging long 2s
What it’s bad for:
- pick-and-pop 3s
- defenses who aren’t adept at help responsibilities
- pull-up 3s (if the defensive big is in drop)
In ice coverage (aka “blue,” “push,” “down,” or “channel”), the on-ball defender forces the ballhandler towards the sideline, and the screener’s defender drops back, staying in between the ball and the basket. (How far back he drops changes depending upon several factors, including his mobility, the location of the screen, and defensive scheme.) When the on-ball defender fully recovers, the screener’s defender returns to his man.
Ice is used for side ballscreens and helps enforce the common “no middle” defensive philosophy. And because about 95% of NBA players are right handed, ice is used most often on the left side of the court, forcing the ballhandler to his left hand.
When the screen is set for the ballhandler to dribble towards the middle of the court, ice looks like this, with the on-ball defender denying the screen:
However, if the screen is designed for the ballhandler to dribble towards the sideline, the on-ball defender is still forcing him away from the middle of the court, even if that means encouraging the screen instead of denying it. In this case, ice looks identical to drop:
Usually, the screener’s defender is in drop coverage, but ice can be combined with many other types of coverages. For example, “ice to blitz” refers to the on-ball defender forcing the ball towards the side, and the screener’s defender traps the ballhandler (“ice to blitz” typically occurs when the screen is set too close to the sideline, which acts as a third defender). “Ice to switch” involves the on-ball defender forcing the dribbler towards the sideline, and then he and the screener’s defender switch. And in “ice to touch,” the screener’s defender is at the level of the screen, à la catch hedge.
Weak:
What it’s good for:
- preventing pick-and-roll maestros from running pick-and-rolls (especially pick-and-rolls toward their strong hand)
What it’s bad for:
- letting the ballhandler have a straight-line drive towards the hoop
- defenses that aren’t adept at help responsibilities
Weak is used for pick-and-rolls in the middle of the court, but the activity is similar to ice. The name “weak” comes from the on-ball defender preventing the dribbler from using a screen on his right, forcing him to his left/weak hand:
Confusingly, the term “weak” has evolved in different directions, leading to contradictory definitions.
For some, “weak” always refers to forcing the dribbler to his weak hand, forcing a right-handed player to the left or a left-handed player to the right. If the screen is set for a right-handed dribbler to go right, “weak” means the on-ball defender denies the screen. But according to this definition, “weak” also refers to forcing a right-handed player to his left, even if that means directing him into the screen. In this case, “weak” looks identical to drop:
However, a second definition of “weak” always means “force him left,” whether the ballhandler is right-handed or left-handed. For example, Trae Young weaks this ballscreen for Detroit’s Killian Hayes, who’s left handed:
Why would a defender force a left-handed guard to his left side? Ironically, some left-handed guards are better going to their right. Second, weak, like ice, can help keep the ball on one side of the floor, reinforcing no-middle philosophy. Third, denying ballscreens can disrupt the offense’s attempt to combine a pick-and-roll with another action, such as coordinated PnR Exits or this would-be (Away Reject) Spain PnR that ends up forcing Hayes to his left and missing a floater:
But perhaps the best reason for “weak” always meaning “force him left” is that it’s simplest to remember. Instead of having the screener’s defender and the on-ball defender constantly stopping to remember the ballhandler’s strong hand, some teams simply use “weak” to mean “force him left” and “strong” to mean “force him right.”
N.B.: “Strong” and “Weak” are also common coverage calls from the screener’s defender to the dribbler’s defender, in which case “strong” means “force him to his right” and “weak” means “force him to his left.”
Like ice, weak can also be combined with other coverages, such as “weak to switch” or “weak to blitz.” However, also like ice, weak is most often combined with some variation of drop.
What Happens When the On-Ball Defender and the Screener’s Defender Have Different Agendas?
Willie Sutton was a Depression Era bank robber — a peer of Bonnie and Clyde, John Dillinger, and Baby Face Nelson — who is best known today for a quote he didn’t say. According to apocrypha, a journalist asked why he robbed banks. Slick Willie Sutton replied, “Because that’s where the money is.”
Most coverages want the ballhandler to use the screen. Why? Because that’s where the help is. Look in this example as Detroit’s Cade Cunningham (green) receives a screen to go to his left—not coincidentally, right to where Atlanta’s Onyeka Okongwu (light blue) is waiting slightly below the level of the screen:
However, the on-ball defender, Bogdan Bogdanovic, doesn’t force Cunningham towards the screen. Instead, Bogi lets Cunningham reject, and because Okongwu is expecting Cade to use the screen, he’s given a clear path for a dunk:
But letting the dribbler reject the screen is even more dangerous against a hard hedge or blitz coverage. In this play, Clint Capela is setting a ballscreen for Trae Young. Jusuf Nurkić (light blue) comes to hard hedge the screen, which means he’ll be on the high side of Capela in order to force Trae back toward the halfcourt line:
Notice that both defenders in the blue circle are on the high side of Capela:
The on-ball defender wants Trae to use the screen because that forces him to navigate Nurkic’s hedge. If Trae can reject the screen, that sends him in a direct path to the hoop with Portland’s best rim protector already behind him, which is exactly what happens:
Because the on-ball defender let Trae reject the screen, the defense is immediately in shambles, playing 3 against 4 with nobody on the ball. Trae draws the low man into the paint and then toys with the nail defender guarding two Hawks — Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot and Kevin Huerter — on the weakside, faking a pass to TLC before hitting Huerter:
In this example, Isaac Okoro is receiving a ballscreen to go to his left, toward the middle of the floor:
Most side ballscreens are iced, and the on-ball defender shifts to place himself between Okoro and the screen, as he’s supposed to do for ice:
The problem is that the screener’s defender, Orlando’s Jānis Timma, seems to be expecting to hedge, which leaves a wide-open path for Okoro to reject the screen and make a layup:
A rule of thumb is that the on-ball defender cannot shift to deny the screen until the screener’s defender yells out the team’s playcall (“ice,” “push,” or “blue” usually), and the screener’s defender cannot yell out the call until he’s in proper position for that call. Otherwise, you give up easy drives like that one. If RJ Hampton executed the wrong coverage, the layup is his fault. If Timma called out the wrong coverage, it’s his fault.
Which is all to say whether the on-ball defender funnels the ballhandler towards or away from the screen depends upon the screener’s defender — more specifically, his positioning and his call. (A further note is that ice coverage also requires the low-man defender to identify himself, since it’s dangerous for the on-ball defender to give up a straight line to the hoop.)
