The Explain One Play Glossary

Explain One Play Glossary

Basic Terms

• pick (or screen): To stand in the way of a defender.
• pop: After setting a pick, run to open space, ready to catch a pass to shoot.
• roll: After setting a pick, run towards the basket
• slip (the screen): Begin to set a pick, but roll or pop early
• drive: move towards the basket with the ball
• cut: move without the ball
• dive: cut to the basket
• kick out: pass to the perimeter from the paint.

Kinds of Screens

• back: screen for a player to cut to the basket
• down: screen for a player cutting away from the baseline
• flare: screen for a player to pop out for a jumper.
• ram (pre-screen): screen for a player who then sets a screen.
• dribble-pitch: dribble towards a player and hand the ball off while setting a screen for them.
• drag: a high screen set early in offense as the screener arrives

Defense

• switch: When a defender is screened, they switch assignments to the screener, and the screener’s defender guards their previous assignment.
• trap/blitz/double: Two players closely guard one.
• goalie/shadow/overload: A secondary defender is positioned to backup a player’s primary defender.
• show, hedge: a screener’s defender jumps out to slow the ballhandler, then recovers to their assignment
• go over a screen: go around the screen on the side farther from the basket (so the ball is open to drive rather than shoot)
• go under a screen: go around the screen on the side closer to the basket (so the ball is open to shoot rather than drive)
• close out: get close to a shooter to intimidate the shot.

Locations

• high/low: Closer to the baseline is “low”, farther from the basket is “high”
• weak/strong side: The side of the court with the ball is the strong side, the other side is the weak side.

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Plays

• Floppy: Ball at the top, a screen is set at each side of the lane, 1+ shooters starts under basket and curl around a screen. More.
• HORNS: Two bigs at elbows, two smalls at corners, ball up high. More.
• High HORNS: Like HORNS, but two bigs set screens above the free throw circle.
• Motion Strong pick-and-roll: Ball goes from right to the top. The top dribble-pitches away to the left, then backtracks quickly cross-court to screen for the original handler. (example)
• Motion Weak Zipper: Explain One Play: Durant and Thompson (finally) execute to close out Blazers
• Split cuts, dive-pop: Passer holds ball in post or up high. Two players converge, then one pops out to the arc, one dives to the basket.

If you want to read more video breakdowns — one for well-nigh every Warriors’ win since 2015 — check out the Explain One Play Mega-Index, searchable and sortable by player, play, team and date.