“Wedge Screen” and “Wedge Roll”

Term: Wedge Screen

Wedge Screen Definition: an angled backscreen set by a guard for a big to cut from the top of the key to the low block, usually to create an advantageous post-up opportunity

Second Term: Wedge Roll

Wedge Roll Definition: a side pick-and-roll in which a player sets a wedge screen for a teammate who then sets a ballscreen on the wing

See Also:

• Ram Screen: another example of an action in which a player receives an off-ball screen before setting a ballscreen

How It Works:

In this diagram of a Wedge Screen, 2 sets a wedge screen for 5, who cuts to the low block:

Compare that with this diagram of Wedge Roll, in which 5 sets a side ballscreen after receiving 2’s wedge screen:

Why It Works (How the Wedge Roll Evolved From the Wedge Screen):

A wedge screen is similar to a UCLA screen, except for two things: a wedge screen is slightly angled, and it’s set by a guard for a big instead of vice versa. The goal is to get an advantageous post-up situation for a big near the low block:

(The last example uses a wedge screen for DeMar DeRozan to set up a Thunder Screen for Nikola Vucevic.)

The San Antonio Spurs are often given credit for the wedge screen. The problem is that it was too easy for defenders to simply go under the wedge screen and negate the advantage, since bigs who are good at posting up (i.e., bigs who should be receiving wedge screens) have not historically been good outside shooters. Even if the big can make spot-up 3s, most teams don’t want him cutting off the wedge screen and taking turnaround 17-footers. Watch how easy it is for Utah’s Royce O’Neal to go under the wedge screen set for Atlanta’s John Collins, even though O’Neal bumps into his teammate Mike Conley on the way:

If defenses are negating the wedge screen by going under—and you can’t punish them by popping out for a 3—what else can you do to counter? Gregg Popovich’s solution was to have the big then set a ballscreen on the wing. Because the big’s defender has gone under the wedge, he’s out of position to cover a side ballscreen (which is known as “Roll” in Popovich’s lingo). Wedge Roll was especially effective at thwarting hard hedging, which was more popular back then than it is now. However, many teams still run the Wedge Roll. In fact, the Wedge Roll is used so much more frequently than the Wedge screen itself that some coaches use “Wedge” to mean “wedge roll,” not just the first screen. Because of the rise of pick-and-rolls and the fall of post-ups, Wedge Roll is one of rare examples of a sequel being more popular than the original:

Wedge (Roll) or Ram Screen?

The distinction between “wedge roll” and “ram screen” is interesting (at least to people who write about ballscreens for fun). Both of them involve an off-ball screen for a player who then sets a ballscreen, thwarting certain pick-and-roll coverages; it’s hard to execute a proper hedge if you’re still recovering from being screened.

Despite their current similarities, however, their origins are distinct: A ram screen is a variation of a pick-and-roll, whereas a wedge roll is a variation of a post-up play (“Wedge Punch”). Nowadays, “wedge roll” is typically used for sideline PnRs, whereas “ram” is used more often for middle PnRs.

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