The pick-and-roll (also called the ball screen action) is basketball’s most common offensive play. The screener (usually a big) sets a screen on the ball-handler’s defender, freeing them to drive or shoot. The screener then ‘rolls’ toward the basket as a passing target. Or ‘pops’ out to the perimeter if they’re a shooter. Virtually every NBA team runs hundreds of pick-and-roll actions per game, and defending it is one of the central tactical challenges in modern basketball.
Key points
- Screen frees the ball-handler
- Screener rolls to basket or pops to perimeter
- Most common NBA offensive action
- Countered by switching, hedging or dropping
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