Basketball Plays for Specific Situations

Coaches today are faced with a smorgasbord of offensive ideas. I believe that most offenses will effectively work in proper situations with good timing, spacing and execution.

Get the best shooter the basketball

The dilemma, however, becomes choosing which offensive sets will work best for your team. Seldom do all players who start on a team have equal abilities. Therefore, the coach should use the positive characteristic of each in selecting offensive patterns.

The three-out-two-in with players set wide is an excellent offense for a team composed of smaller players. Such a mix of players should incorporate aggressive defensive tactics as an offensive weapon. The offensive pattern you choose depends upon your player’s speed, ball handling, and ability to penetrate toward the basket.

Offenses that begin from this structure are five players outside and a five man weave. A three-out-two-in set will get many good medium-range shots when three players coordinate their movements using inside screens. It is especially effective at getting good medium range shots for your best shooter. Any one of the five players can be set up for this.

Setting up a corner player

This works for all players, except the pivot, from any set offense; however, I'm showing it wide here because the 3-2 wide set works good if your team is composed of smaller players.