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pick-and-roll
[ pik-uhn-rohl ]
noun
- an offensive maneuver in which a player interposes their own body between a teammate with the ball and a defender, then cuts quickly toward the basket for a pass from that teammate. Compare pick 1( def 29 ).
yvlog History and Origins
Origin of pick-and-roll1
Example Sentences
“Whatever I needed to learn about basketball, he was studying,” Skyy said, “so if it was something about shooting, something about pick-and-roll, he was watching videos and learning everything he could to teach me.”
Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic ran a pick-and-roll, opening Murray up for a clean look at a three-pointer with 5.6 seconds left.
Austin Reaves, who like Knecht had never met Morris before becoming teammates in February, said Morris pulled him aside during one game last month to give him advice on how to better handle ball pressure by backing up closer to half court to start pick-and-roll actions with opposing bigs, creating more space to gain an advantage.
Mara was involved in a busted pick-and-roll coverage that resulted in a Matthew Nicholson dunk and stepped out of bounds along the baseline for a turnover.
Most of the choices are relatively small — what play to call out of a timeout, when to use a challenge, how to adjust a pick-and-roll coverage.
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More About Pick And Roll
What does pick-and-roll mean?
A pick-and-roll is an offensive play in basketball where a teammate screens off a defender and then breaks free so the ball-carrier can pass it to them.
Where does pick-and-roll come from?
The exact inventor of the pick-and-roll is unknown but it most likely emerged in the 1920s in the eastern United States.
The men most often credited for the pick-and-roll are Nat Holman and Barney Sedran, two of the most influential players in basketball history, who both started their careers in the mid-1910s.
In his 1922 book Scientific Basketball, Holman describes a play that he and Sedran would run, which he dubbed “Execution Play No. 8.” This play is almost identical to the modern pick-and–roll.
The term itself is recorded by 1960. The name comes from the two simple maneuvers that make it up. First, a teammate screens off a defending player (i.e., stands in front of him), which is called a pick in basketball slang. Second, the screening teammate then spins (rolls) around the defender for the ball-carrier to pass it to them.
Since its creation, the pick-and-roll has been a mainstay for some of the greatest basketball players in history.
“The Mailman” Karl Malone and John Stockton were legendary for their mastery of the pick-and-roll in the late 1980s into the 1990s. In the 2000s, Steve Nash was also a genius of the play. Come the 2010s, Stephen “Steph” Curry took up that old faithful, the pick-and-roll.
How is pick-and-roll used in real life?
Among players, coaches, and basketball lovers at all levels, the pick-and-roll is a familiar phrase. It’s often discussed as running a pick-and-roll. The play is famous for both its simplicity and effectiveness in creating shots.
Goran Dragic & Hassan Whiteside work the pick and roll to perfection!
— NBA (@NBA)
Once again: Frank Ntilikina needs to be running the pick and roll more often.
— 365 Knicks (@365Knicks)
Liar Pick And Roll Three Point
— Sercan Fidan (@sercanfdn)
Pick-and-roll even makes appearances in hip-hop lyrics, sometimes as a metaphor for outfoxing someone. Rick Ross memorably featured pick-and-roll in his 2012 track “Sixteen.”
More examples of pick-and-roll:
“The N.B.A. has largely turned away from relying on power players in favor of up-tempo offense. The pick-and-roll allows that, while creating offensive opportunities early in the 24-second shot clock.“
—Jonathan Abrams, The New York Times, November 2009
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