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The pick-and-roll is one of basketball's most effective offensive strategies. Its success hinges on players mastering the fundamentals so we curated some great drills for you. 

3 pick-and-roll drills from some of the basketball community’s most respected coaches. 

Greg White - Pin Down Shooting Pick & Roll Drill

Greg White - Pin Down Shooting Pick & Roll Drill

Greg White is a coaching luminary with over two decades of experience. His extensive career boasts 250+ wins as a varsity head coach, and in 2023 he was honored as the 6A West Coach of the Year.

Coach White’s ‘The Screening Game: Using Different Angles & Types for Success’ clinic conveys what he calls the pin down shooting drill, which begins with three lines of players, one at each wing and one at one of the blocks. 

The weak side wing line has the first two players in line each holding a ball. The other wing then goes down to the block and sets a pin down screen, which prompts the post player to flash to the wing and receive a pass from one of the players with a ball.

As soon as the screen is set, the screener will roll to the post and receive a pass from the other player with a ball. 

Liam Flynn - Drilling 2v2 PNR Offense vs Flat coverage

Liam Flynn - Drilling 2v2 PNR Offense vs Flat coverage

With 24 years of professional coaching experience, Liam Flynn has spent time as an NBA Consultant and coached in the German Bundesliga, Chinese CBA, and the New Zealand NZNBL. 

Coach Flynn’s ‘The Art of the `Mid Pick and Roll` course conveys a pick and roll drill that he loves against flat coverage. 

This drill is a 2 on 2, and is focused on seeing the different opportunities that arise when the pick comes at different places on the court. The ball handler should start by dribbling around the perimeter to a specific place on the court. Once there’s a signal, the post player will come up and set the screen, and then roll toward the basket once the screen is set. 

Once that roll occurs, the ball handler will ideally make the pass while both defenders are engaged in the screen, which will hopefully open up the lane. 

Dave Severns - High/Mid Pick & Roll Drill

Dave Severns - High/Mid Pick & Roll Drill

Dave Severns is currently a basketball scout for the Indiana Pacers. Before that, he spent 14 years in the NBA as Director of Player Development for the LA Clippers, Director of Player Development for the Chicago Bulls, and Pro Personnel Scout for the LA Clippers. 

In his ‘Pick & Roll Offense 101’ course, Coach Severns details a high/mid pick and roll drill, which starts with a post player getting a screen at the three point line. 

The ball handler will dribble to the elbow before pulling up for a jump shot, while the screener will roll and receive a pass from a coach who’s along the baseline and shoot a shot at the other elbow. 

The key here is that the guard is influencing their defender one way, which will open the roll opportunity for the screener against a man-to-man defense. 

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