Flex Cut to Receive Wing Pass

I'll admit I was watching the MNF game that went down to the wire so I only caught parts of this game between the Warriors and the Magic. The game did go into OT but I didn't catch all of it. One of the things that I've noticed on many teams both NBA and college is the flex cut to receive the pass on the wing. I think in this day and age with the athletic players that are out there, it's too easy for those wing passes to get picked off when the wing is just standing there. So, it's a much safer play to have the wings cut through the lane off of a flex screen and catch the ball while moving, it takes away that element of the wing deflection which almost always goes the other way for 2. Watch the video and read my thoughts below,



This is actually ran from a BLOB play. O3 inbounds to O1 up top. O2 starts over top of O4 on the right block. O5 is on the opposite low block.

From there O2 does a curl underneath O4 and it's just a simple flex screen from O5 to spring O2 loose. O2 comes off the screen and receives the safe pass on the wing. O2 gets some separation and attacks his defender and scores off the mid-range jumper.

In my opinion, the wing pass is one of the most dangerous passes to make, especially when the wing player is just standing there. The v-cut is one way you can use to get open, but sometimes it creates confusion because O1 may think O2 is trying to go backdoor and instead throws the ball away. I know teams like the Spurs and Pistons use the flex cut to receive the pass on the wing as well. The more athletic the players, the more necessary it is to use screens to get your players the ball on the wing. Of course, the other option is for O1 to simply dribble it there (but of course that would be too easy).

For more video info on getting open, you should take a look at the Five-star Basketball DVD on getting open and attacking. Coach Bergeron goes through all the basics of cutting as well as flashing to the post and dribble penetration. For more discussions with other coaches, check out the X's and O's of Basketball forum.