LEVEL 3Team5v5
Lift the Weak Side, Widen the Lane
When the ball is on one side of the court, players on the other side aren't just waiting — they're setting the geometry for the play. The lift is a small, powerful move: as a drive or pick-and-roll starts, the weak-side wing slides up from the corner toward the slot. Their defender must choose — follow and abandon the paint, or stay and leave the pass open. Either way, the drive gets easier. You're not running anywhere dramatic. You're moving ten feet at the right moment, and it changes what the defense can do.
READ THIS
Watch the roll begin on the strong side and find the tagger — the weak-side defender shading toward the roller's path is your cue to lift.
DO THIS
Slide from the corner to the slot as the roll starts, ready to shoot on the catch — and let a teammate fill the corner behind you.
COACHING LINEAGE
Steve Kerr
Off-ball movement wins: cut, relocate, space. The defense can only watch one thing.
Gregg Popovich
Ball movement is a weapon — the extra pass is always right. Good shot to great shot, every possession.