Man-to-Man Offense4 min read

Back Screen Post

Watch this play in motion

Open the set on the board and press play to see every cut, screen, and pass animate step by step.

Part of the Back Screen Post family — see the other reads off this same set.

Back Screen Post hides its real action inside a play that looks like a simple dribble-at stagger. While the defense is occupied fighting through screens for the ball handler, the corner shooter sneaks in behind them and springs the post loose for a catch right at the rim.

Setting Up in 3-Out 2-In

Start in a 3-out 2-in shape: the point guard up top with the ball, the two bigs on the elbows, and two shooters spread wide in the corners. Put your best post scorer at the 5 spot and your best shooter at the 2 — same side of the floor — because the whole sequence is built to get exactly those two players a look.

The Stagger That Sets Up the Back Screen

The point guard dribbles hard toward one elbow to build a real screening angle, and the two bigs stack together to set a staggered screen. This part looks completely ordinary — a guard using a double screen to get to the wing — which is exactly the point: it buys time and occupies attention while the real action loads on the weak side.

The Hidden Back Screen

The instant the ball handler clears the stagger, the corner player who has been standing still the whole time sprints hard and sets a surprise back screen on the post defender. Because that defender was watching the ball and the stagger, not the corner, the screen usually lands clean.

The post rolls immediately off that back screen to the rim. If the entry pass is there, it is a point-blank finish; if the passing lane is denied, the post simply seals for deep position instead of forcing a bad pass.

The Backup Read

If the ball can't get into the post, the same two big-man screeners flip roles and set a stagger for the corner shooter, who cuts to the top of the key for an open catch-and-shoot. So even when the primary action is taken away, the possession still ends in a quality shot rather than a reset.

Coaching Points

Start the play with your best shooter on the same side as your best post scorer — the whole sequence depends on that spacing.

If the screening player's defender sags into the lane to help on the post instead of chasing the stagger, that screener can pop straight to the top of the key off a quick re-screen for an open look.

When to Use It

This is a strong half-court set against a defense that is used to fighting through ball screens and stops paying attention to the weak-side corner — the back screen depends entirely on that lapse in attention.

Key Takeaways

  • •Set up 3-out 2-in with your best post player and best shooter on the same side.
  • •The stagger for the ball handler is a decoy that buys time for the real action.
  • •The corner shooter sprints in for a surprise back screen on the post defender the moment the decoy clears.
  • •The post rolls hard to the rim off the back screen for a point-blank catch.
  • •If the post entry is denied, the same screeners flip into a stagger for the shooter at the top of the key.
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