Last updated: 3 October 2026
Reviewed by Jordan Morley, FA Level 2 Football Coach
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.
- 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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The pick-and-roll — one player setting a screen for a ball-handling teammate, then rolling toward the basket for a pass — has become basketball's single most important two-player action precisely because it creates a genuine dilemma for the defense: switch assignments and risk a mismatch, or stay with the original assignment and risk leaving the roller open near the basket.
FAQ
Why is the pick-and-roll so hard to defend?
It forces a decision between switching defensive assignments (risking a size or speed mismatch) or staying put (risking leaving the rolling player open near the basket), and elite ball-handlers exploit whichever choice the defense makes.
What's the difference between a 'pick and roll' and a 'pick and pop'?
In a pick and roll, the screener moves toward the basket after setting the screen; in a pick and pop, the screener instead steps back to shoot, usually a mid-range or three-point shot, exploiting a different defensive gap.