Setting Up in 3-Out 2-In
Start in a 3-out 2-in shape. Your best passer runs the point, and the player who will finish the lob starts on the perimeter, away from the ball. Everything opens with a simple entry pass to the other perimeter player.
Hiding the Cutter
The player who received the entry pass dribbles toward the corner, dragging his defender with him and forcing the zone to shift. While that's happening, the eventual lob-catcher slides down to the weak-side corner — directly behind the defense's sightline, where nobody is watching him.
The ball comes right back out to the point guard, who now has a clean look at the whole floor.
The Screen and the Lob
With the defense rotated to one side, the post player establishes position behind the low defender on the ball side and nudges him up the lane — opening a clean driving and passing lane along the baseline.
The cutter explodes from the weak-side corner, running the baseline behind that screen, and the point guard delivers the lob for the finish at the rim.
Coaching Points
This play is built on surprise — don't call it more than once or twice a game, or the defense will start anticipating the cutter's path.
A well-thrown lob is a crowd-pleaser. If you have a player who can finish above the rim, this is a great way to shift momentum in a game.