21 Basketball Plays Every Coach Should Know (With Diagrams)

Every coach needs a playbook they can trust. Not 200 plays you'll never remember — a tight collection of actions that work against any defense, at any level, in any situation.

After 25 years of coaching, these are the 21 basketball plays I keep coming back to. They're organized by situation so you can find what you need fast.

Transition Plays (1-3)

1. The Rim Runner

When to use it: After a made basket or rebound when your big man can run the floor.

How it works: Point guard pushes the ball up the right side. The center sprints the left lane to the rim. If the defense isn't back, hit the big for an easy layup. If the defense recovers, the center seals and the guard hits the trailing wing for a three.

Why it works: Most defenses are lazy getting back. A center who sprints the floor gets 3-4 free baskets per game.

2. Drag Screen

When to use it: In early transition before the defense sets up.

How it works: As the point guard crosses half court, the trailing big sets a ball screen (the "drag"). The guard attacks downhill. The big rolls to the rim or pops for a mid-range jumper.

Why it works: The defense hasn't communicated their pick-and-roll coverage yet. You're attacking chaos.

3. Three-Lane Fill

When to use it: Every fast break opportunity.

How it works: Three players fill the three lanes — wide right, wide left, and the ball handler in the middle. The ball handler drives to the rim. If the defense commits, kick to either wing for an open three.

Why it works: It's basketball's most fundamental transition play because it forces 2-on-1 or 3-on-2 advantages every time.

Half-Court Offense Plays (4-12)

4. Horns Entry (Pick and Roll)

When to use it: Your bread-and-butter half-court action.

How it works: Two bigs set up at the elbows (the "horns" formation). The point guard chooses a side and uses one big for a ball screen. The other big spaces to the three-point line or dives to the rim.

Why it works: It gives the ball handler a choice of which screen to use based on the matchup. You always attack the weaker defender.

5. The Chin Set (Princeton Offense)

When to use it: When you want to create backdoor cuts and open threes against aggressive defense.

How it works: 1-4 high set. Point guard enters the ball to the wing and cuts through. The high post catches at the elbow and reads the defense — backdoor pass, flare screen, or face-up attack.

Why it works: The defense has no good answer. Every choice they make gives you something. This is my personal favorite play in basketball.

6. Flex Screen

When to use it: Against man-to-man defenses, especially when you need post touches.

How it works: Baseline screen (the "flex screen") gets a player open on the block. After setting the screen, the screener receives a down screen and pops to the elbow for a mid-range shot.

Why it works: It's nearly impossible to defend both actions. If they take away the flex cut, the screener is wide open. If they help on the screener, the flex cutter gets a layup.

7. UCLA Cut

When to use it: To get a guard an easy basket inside.

How it works: Guard passes to the wing and cuts off a screen set by the high post player. If the guard is open on the cut, they get a layup. If not, the high post player pops out and the offense resets.

Why it works: Guards are rarely guarded in the post. This creates mismatches that defenses don't expect.

8. Floppy Action

When to use it: To get your best shooter an open look.

How it works: Two shooters start on the blocks. Two screeners set staggered screens on each side. The shooters choose which direction to go — curl, fade, or straight off the screens.

Why it works: The shooter makes the read, not the coach. They go wherever the defense isn't. It's almost impossible to chase a good shooter through two screens.

9. Spain Pick and Roll

When to use it: Your money play for late-game situations.

How it works: Standard ball screen, but as the screener rolls, a third player sets a back screen on the defender guarding the roller. It creates a wide-open roll to the basket.

Why it works: Even NBA teams struggle to guard this. The back screen on the help defender eliminates rim protection.

10. Dribble Handoff (DHO)

When to use it: When your shooter needs help getting open.

How it works: Big man catches at the elbow, the shooter sprints toward them and takes a dribble handoff. The big slips to the basket after the handoff.

Why it works: It's a two-man game that creates either a pull-up jumper for the shooter or a layup for the big man on the slip.

11. Elevator Doors

When to use it: To free a shooter for a catch-and-shoot three.

How it works: Two bigs stand side by side at the free throw line. A shooter runs between them from behind, and the bigs close together (like elevator doors) to create a wall. The shooter catches and shoots.

Why it works: The defender literally can't get through. It generates the most wide-open threes of any play in basketball.

12. Motion Weak

When to use it: When you want continuous ball movement and player movement.

How it works: Pass and screen away. Every time you pass, you set a screen for someone on the opposite side. Simple rule, infinite possibilities.

Why it works: It teaches players to play without the ball and creates constant defensive rotations. The longer the possession goes, the more likely someone gets open.

Zone Offense Plays (13-16)

13. 1-3-1 Overload

When to use it: Against any 2-3 zone.

How it works: Put four players on one side of the floor. The zone can only put three defenders there. Someone is always open. Ball reversal creates catch-and-shoot threes from the weak side.

Why it works: Zones work by outnumbering ball-side. An overload flips that advantage to the offense.

14. High Post Flash

When to use it: Against a 2-3 zone when you need a reliable scoring action.

How it works: Center flashes to the free throw line — the soft spot of every 2-3 zone. The guards feed the high post. From there, the center can shoot the mid-range, hit a cutter, or dump to the low post.

Why it works: The free throw line is the most dangerous spot against a zone. No defender owns it.

15. Skip Pass Attack

When to use it: When the zone shifts too aggressively to the ball.

How it works: Make two passes to one side, pulling the zone with it. Then throw a skip pass (cross-court) to the opposite corner for a wide-open three.

Why it works: Zones are slow to recover laterally. A quick skip pass gives your shooter 1-2 seconds of open space.

16. Short Corner Fill

When to use it: Against a 3-2 or 1-3-1 zone.

How it works: Station a player in the short corner (between the block and the corner). This is a dead spot in most zones — no defender is responsible for it. Feed the short corner, and the defense collapses. Kick out for threes.

Why it works: The short corner is the most underused spot in basketball. Zones aren't designed to cover it.

Out-of-Bounds Plays (17-19)

17. Box Stack (Baseline OOB)

When to use it: Baseline out-of-bounds, need a quick two.

How it works: Four players in a box at the blocks and elbows. On the slap, the block players cross-screen for the elbow players. Best cutter goes to the rim, secondary option pops to three.

Why it works: The cross-screens create confusion and switching. Someone always gets free.

18. Line Stack (Sideline OOB)

When to use it: Sideline out-of-bounds.

How it works: Four players line up in a single file at the free throw line. On the slap, they scatter in four different directions. The inbounder hits whoever is most open.

Why it works: Defenders can't follow four people going four directions simultaneously. Someone is always open for two seconds.

19. Lob Play (Baseline OOB)

When to use it: When you need a high-percentage two-pointer.

How it works: Screen the inbounder's defender. Inbounder passes to the point guard, then sprints to the rim for a return pass. The best athletes are usually the inbounder — and nobody guards them.

Why it works: Teams forget about the inbounder the moment the ball is in play.

Last-Shot / Clutch Plays (20-21)

20. Spread Pick and Roll (Isolation)

When to use it: Last shot of the quarter/game.

How it works: Clear out to one side. Your best player gets a ball screen with three shooters spaced on the weak side. Attack, score, or kick out for three.

Why it works: It's simple, your best player has the ball, and there are no help defenders because everyone is guarding a shooter.

21. Double Stagger Three (Buzzer Beater)

When to use it: Trailing by three, last possession.

How it works: Two staggered screens for your best three-point shooter. They catch at the top of the key with momentum, squared to the basket, ready to fire.

Why it works: It's specifically designed to get an open three in 3-4 seconds. The double screen is nearly impossible to fight through in time.

Build Your Complete Playbook

These 21 plays give you answers for every situation — transition, half-court, zone, out-of-bounds, and last-shot. But a playbook isn't just plays — it's a system.

If you want a complete offensive system that ties these concepts together with reads, counters, and practice plans, I built exactly that.

The Princeton Offense System → covers every series, every counter, and every practice plan you need. 87 pages. Video walkthroughs. 60-day guarantee.

Over 500 coaches in 12 countries trust it. Get the system →

Coach Lee DeForest has 25 years of basketball coaching experience. He is the founder of Florida Coastal Prep and creator of the Princeton Offense coaching system.