LEVEL 4Offenseall
The Pass Over the Defense's Head
A skip pass jumps over the defense — from one side of the court all the way to the other, skipping the players in between. It works because help defense leans toward the ball: when defenders shift to stop your drive or double your post player, the far side of the court empties out. The skip pass sends the ball where the defense isn't, and the defender who has to chase it faces the longest run on the floor. It's a riskier pass, thrown over active hands, so throw it with commitment — a floating skip pass is a steal waiting to happen.
READ THIS
Watch the weak-side defender's depth as your drive or post action pulls help — two full steps toward the paint opens the diagonal for one second.
DO THIS
Throw the skip on the help's second step with zip and arc, to the shooter's pocket — and if a roamer is baiting it, look off and swing the ball instead.
COACHING LINEAGE
Gregg Popovich
Ball movement is a weapon — the extra pass is always right. Good shot to great shot, every possession.
Phil Jackson
The triangle decision framework applies to any offense — proper spacing turns every defensive choice into a wrong answer.
IN THE SITUATION ROTATION
Your drive down the right side pulls in two defenders, and out of the corner of your eye you see the far corner defender take two full steps into the paint to tag. Your shooter stands alone in the far left corner.
Appears as a Situation of the Day · all