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Since taking over for Keith Smith with the 10 Takeaways, I’ve been looking at actions that the Boston Celtics run during games. Oftentimes, I tend to use the terminology that makes sense to me, which I’ve learned through research and people way smarter than me taking the time to explain things.
Subsequently, there have been multiple requests for a glossary of sorts, where clips and short explanations of specific actions can be referenced. So, I’ve put something together that will act as a living document that I will update regularly.
Note: I’m still learning. There’s no such thing as knowing everything, and I wouldn’t want to. The fun is in figuring it all out. I love this side of basketball. It’s a passion. However, I do get things wrong. I’m not perfect. Earlier this season, I referenced some slice screens as wedge screens. It may seem like a little thing, but that bugged me.
So, if you see something in this glossary that isn’t right, please reach out to me. It can be a team effort where we all learn together. The same goes for if something is missing that you would like added; shoot me a message, and I’ll do my best to get it updated as soon as possible.
Let’s dive in.
Screens
Stagger-screen
Two screens are staggered for a ball-handler, also known as “77.”
Double-screen
Two screens set close together.
Pin-down
A pin-down screen is set in the corner or on the wing. It can also be called a “corner pin.” It’s called a pin-down because the screener is facing the baseline and pinning the defender while the cutter lifts or curls.
Jayson Tatum is setting the pin-down in this video.
Wedge screen
A diagonal screen is set to get a player into the post. The screener is facing toward the nearest sideline.
Derrick White is the wedge screener in this clip.
Slice screen
A back screen is set on the wing, but it’s easy to confuse for a wedge screen at times. The easiest way to tell the difference is there’s no diagonal angle on the screen.
Payton Pritchard is the slice screener in this clip.
Gut screen
A screen is set in the middle of the floor for a cutter to progress toward the nail or perimeter.
Al Horford sets the gut screen in the above clip.
Zipper screen
A down screen is set on the strong side block for the screen receiver to cut vertically onto the perimeter — like pulling up your zipper.
Flex screen
A screen is set for a player in the corner to cut baseline or duck into a post-up. The screener’s back is facing the far-side sideline. The cutter is usually cutting away from the ball.
Sam Hauser sets a flex screen for Tatum in this clip.
Cross screen
A horizontal screen set in the paint for the screen receiver to cut to the opposite block. Often used for post-play, entry passes, or to flow into another screening action.
Jaylen Brown sets the cross screen for Jrue Holiday in the above clip.
Rip screen
A back screen. Set behind a defender to create an advantage for the ball handler.
Tatum is the rip screener (back screener) in the above clip, setting it for Pritchard.
Spain PnR
A standard pick-and-roll with a shooter setting a rip screen of the big man’s defender before popping out to the perimeter to provide a shooting outlet. Also known as “stack,” you can often hear Celtics players calling out this action during games.
Flare screen
An off-ball screen for a shooter or slasher on the perimeter. The screen is set to allow the receiver to “flare” into space on the perimeter.
Ignore the first screen in this action. Focus on the screen Luke Kornet sets for Sam Hauser. Flare is essentially an off-ball screen that allows a player to re-locate into space on the perimeter.
Ghost screen
A screen that doesn’t make contact. I like to view the ghost screen as the opposite of a slip screen. The ghost screener fakes a screen before popping into space on the far side of where the screen was originally going to be set. I don’t have a clip of a ghost screen without a secondary action on top (usually a flare screen), so here is a really good YouTube video on them.
Slip Screen
Similar to a ghost screen as there is no contact. However, rather than popping onto the perimeter, the screener slips into a roll toward the hoop or into a short roll.
Jrue Holiday is the slip screener in the above clip — however, he is used as a decoy in this instance.
Exit screen
A screen is set for a player to exit onto the perimeter.
Veer
An on-ball screen is followed by an off-ball screen set by the same screener. Can also be off-ball into an on-ball.
Cuts
Stampede
An off-ball cut where the player is already running toward the basket and catches a pass while on the move.
45
An off-ball cut from the wing, essentially cutting from a 45-degree angle.
Delayed
A cut that occurs after an initial drive. The later the cut, the more it can catch the defense sleeping. The Celtics have deployed this tactic on numerous occasions under Joe Mazzulla. Also known as “secondary cuts.”
V-Cut
A cut that follows a V-shaped motion. Here’s a good junior-level coaching video on why these cuts can work at every level.
L-cut
Like a V-cut, an L-cut follows the shape of an L. Here’s another good tutorial on how these cuts are executed and why they’re replicable at all levels.
Ricky
Let’s look at this in two parts.
Screener: Sets rip screen, then sets down screen.
Cutter: Cuts off the rip screen, stops, turns, and cuts off the down screen to get open on the perimeter.
Iverson
A cut goes from one wing to the other. Usually has screeners on the elbows (sometimes, there’s just one screener, rather than two.)
Curl
A player cuts in a curling motion as they come off a screen. This can be a hard curl, such as coming off a corner pin-down and curling toward the paint, or a wide curl, which would be following the curve of the three-point line. Sometimes, it’s both in one motion.
Kristaps Porzingis curls off the weakside stagger screen in the above clip.
Chunking actions together
Once you have the basic screening and cutting actions in place, you can begin chunking them into bigger sets. For example:
Zoom action – aka “Chicago”
A wide pin-down for a shooter who then curls toward a dribble hand-off.
Ghost flare
A ghost screen into a flare screen.
Putting actions together
In the below clip, we will see a zipper cut, followed by a weakside pin-down. Brown will curl the pin-down and receive a pass while stampede cutting to the rim.
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