The Blueprint: Pick And Roll 101

A guide to understanding basic PnR defensive concepts.

This is Part III of The Blueprint series. If you missed Parts I and II, you can check them out below.

I’ve left a lot of the original film in this Blueprint. Please remember my setup was not great back in the day, and I was recording clips by turning my iPhone camera sideways to record the screen. Be kind!!

A Whole New World:

The NBA is unlike any other league in the world. Its players are larger, faster, and more skilled than any other league, and it has its own rules and court dimensions.

This Blueprint was made for a rookie point guard transitioning into the NBA and, at the time, a whole new world of PnR coverage concepts.

Most teams have their unique language and guide for PnR coverages, but concepts are universal to the league.

Therefore, my goal here was to keep everything conceptual and not get too granular with language since this player was about to play for a head coach who was going into his first season, too, and I didn’t know his language yet.

This Blueprint aimed to introduce fundamental PnR concepts the player would be expected to know defensively on Day 1 while setting the Read-Tree foundation for the offensive side of the coin.

This gave the player an idea of what shots, attack options, and passes would be available to him offensively versus specific coverage concepts.

Read Tree:

(Not Included in this Blueprint, but something fun)

Every defensive scheme MUST give up something; you can’t take away everything.

A Read-Tree aims to work through a systematic “if → then” process to find the soft spot the defense chooses to surrender.

The Read-Tree follows a top-down format, moving from POA → Rim based on the defender’s positioning.

I love the read-tree idea because it creates a simple binary picture that can help calm the mind.

** This Blueprint's edits differ from the originals due to an NDA with the client for whom it was made.**

NBA PnR 101:

There are two initial layers of PnR defense, plus one standard rotation out of the first skip pass.

1. Point of attack (POA)

2. Base

3. X-Out

POA:

As the primary POA defender, you will have a few options that are considered standard NBA coverages:

• Over

• Under

• Quickest Path: Your choice of over or under based on where you are in the action.

• Down: You must ensure you are on the same page as the big here. Miscommunications here lead to jailbreak situations, which almost always result in baskets in this league.

These are all standard; you have played them well throughout your career. Depending on the scheme and opponent, you will play all of them throughout the year.

The biggest key is to know the scouting report of the player you will primarily guard. The quickest way to lose trust and playing time is NOT Knowing Your Personnel (KYP).

Base:

Base coverages will be dependent on two different factors:

1. POA Coverage:

• Aggressive at the point of attack = Aggressive behind the ball.

• Passive at the point of attack = Passive behind the ball.

2. Location of Screen:

• Is a corner empty, or are both filled?

• How man defenders are in the “i”?

• Who is Low Man Help?

Low Man Help (I registered this Substack a week after sending this Blueprint out)

• LMH - Most common “Base” for PnR coverages across the league.

  • Ball going away = LMH side

  • LMH’s first responsibility is meeting the roller.

I will use “i” Terminology to categorize our film. The number before the “i” will describe the weak side structure. Here are the four options:

(3i) - The number of backside defenders on the side from which the ball is going away.

(2i) - Most common setup for an X-Out rotation on skip pass to corner.

(1i) - Just because the ball moves away from the 1i defender does not guarantee that the 1i man will be LMH. Lots of times, the strong side 2i defender will be LMH.

(OC) - OPEN CORNER (Empty Corner).

LMH must come from the 3i, but the offense has a distinct advantage here since the ball is going toward the help; you can see it much earlier than when it is going away from the 3i.

X-Out:

An X-Out refers to a closeout rotation used by the two-man “i” (Most Common LMH “i”) on a skip pass to the corner.

• X-Out Progression:

1. LMH meets roller.

2. Top of “i” sinks to guard both & take 1st pass (Corner or Wing)

3. Top of “i” closeout to corner.

4. LMH closeout to Top of “i” man.

(IF the ball is passed to the wing player, then both players in the “i” closeout back to their original man)

X-Out Compilation to show the progression when playing in the Base of 2i PnR coverage.

LMH can come EARLY (Up The Lane) or stay closer to HOME (Restricted Area), depending on what PnR coverage happens at the point of attack.

The Bigs coverage will usually dictate which LMH action we’re getting.

Early and aggressive LMH comes from aggressive at-the-level coverages from the Big: Hard Show, or BLITZ.

Remember, aggressive at the point of attack means the LMH base will be aggressive behind the ball, while passive coverages at the point of attack mean the LMH base will be passive behind the ball.

Marzie Says Congratulations on Their NBA CUP Victory

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