Master These 10 Essential Basketball Pick and Roll Drills to Elevate Your Game Today

2025-11-16 10:00

As a basketball coach who's spent over a decade working with players across different competitive levels, I've come to appreciate that mastering the pick and roll isn't just about running plays—it's about developing a basketball language that translates across any court in the world. Just look at international competitions where teams like Korea face powerhouses like Australia in Group A alongside Lebanon and Qatar. What separates the contenders from the pretenders in these high-stakes matchups often comes down to who executes fundamental plays with precision and creativity. The pick and roll remains basketball's great equalizer, and today I want to share ten essential drills that have transformed average players into court generals throughout my coaching career.

Let me start with something I wish I'd learned earlier in my playing days: the importance of footwork. The first drill I always introduce is what I call the "Angle Creator," where players practice setting screens at different angles while maintaining legal positioning. I've found that spending just 15 minutes daily on this drill improves screen effectiveness by what feels like 40-50% within a month. What makes this particularly crucial is how international teams like Australia defend these actions—they're disciplined but can be exploited with precise angles. The next drill focuses on the ball handler's patience, something I struggled with as a young point guard. We use a counting system where players must hold the ball for a two-count before making decisions, simulating how defenses like Lebanon's will try to disrupt timing with aggressive hedging.

The third drill is my personal favorite—the "Slip Read" exercise. I've noticed that about 70% of pick and roll opportunities in competitive games actually become slip situations because defenses are so well-prepared. We run this with a defender who knows the screen is coming but doesn't know when the roll man will slip early. This unpredictability becomes particularly valuable against disciplined defensive teams like Qatar, who typically rotate with excellent structure. The fourth drill addresses something most amateur players completely neglect: the "pocket pass." We use specially marked spots on the floor where passes must land, and I'll be honest—I borrowed this concept from European coaches after watching how they dismantle aggressive defenses with perfectly placed deliveries.

Now, the fifth drill might surprise you because it doesn't even involve a basketball initially. We work on what I call "screen communication" through verbal and non-verbal cues. The best pick and roll combinations in the world, like those we see from Australian NBA players, operate on almost telepathic understanding. I mandate that my players develop at least three silent signals for different screen actions. The sixth drill incorporates game-speed decision making with multiple defenders. We create 3-on-3 scenarios where the primary ball handler has exactly 1.8 seconds to read the defense and make the correct play. This time constraint forces the kind of quick thinking needed against elite international defenses.

The seventh drill focuses on the roll man's finishing, and here's where I differ from many coaches—I believe the floater is the most underrated weapon in basketball. We practice at least 50 floaters daily from various angles, because against shot blockers like those Australia produces, you need this intermediate weapon. The eighth drill addresses spacing, which sounds simple but becomes complex against switching defenses like those Lebanon often employs. We use colored cones to mark optimal spots and run drills where players must touch specific spots during the action. The ninth drill is all about counters—what happens when the primary action gets stopped. We work on dribble handoffs and re-screens, simulating how teams like Qatar recover defensively.

The tenth drill is what I consider the crown jewel of our pick and roll development—the "late clock" simulation. We put 8 seconds on the clock and force players to run pick and roll against set defenses. This high-pressure scenario replicates end-of-quarter situations common in tight international games, like when Korea faces Australia in Group A play. The mental toughness developed here separates good players from clutch performers.

Throughout my coaching journey, I've witnessed how these drills transform not just individual players but entire team offenses. The beauty of the pick and roll lies in its universal application—whether you're playing pickup games at local courts or competing against reigning champions like Australia in international tournaments. What begins as mechanical repetition eventually becomes basketball instinct. The drills I've shared today have produced point guards who read defenses like chess masters and big men who become playmaking hubs. Remember that against quality opponents like those in Group A—Australia, Lebanon, and Qatar—execution beats complexity every time. The team that masters these fundamental actions while maintaining flexibility and creativity typically controls the game's tempo and outcome.