Where This Continuation Starts
The setup is the same 1-4 high alignment as the rest of the family: point at the top, wings on the arc, bigs at the elbows. The point guard passes to a wing, the ball-side elbow sets a back screen, and the passer cuts hard to the ball-side block looking for the layup.
This call is what you run when that first cutter is covered. Instead of curling back out to reset, he keeps sprinting through the lane all the way to the weak-side low block — that continued movement is what sets up the next action.
The Flex Screen, Step by Step
From the weak-side block, the original cutter sets a flex screen — a back screen along the baseline. The player on the weak-side wing reads that screen and cuts hard along the baseline underneath the rim.
The ball-side wing, still holding the ball from the original entry pass, delivers it to the flex cutter as he clears the screen. Because the cutter is moving toward the rim and the screen has removed his defender from the play, this is usually a clean catch at the front of the rim.
Why It Works
The defense just spent a possession chasing the first cutter and is not set to help on a second action — the flex screen exploits exactly that scramble. It also rewards a cutter who sprints: the harder he runs the first cut, the more momentum he carries into setting the second screen.
Coaching Points
The screener must get all the way to the block before setting the screen — a flex screen set too high in the lane gives the cutter's defender room to fight over the top.
The flex cutter should hug the baseline, not cut through the middle of the lane, so the screen actually shields him from his defender the whole way to the rim.
When to Use It
Call this when you expect the first cutter to be denied — against a defense that switches or that has a rangy defender who can chase over screens. It is also a good "second side" action late in the shot clock, since it keeps the ball moving instead of resetting to the top.