On a ball screen, the screener’s defender steps out into the dribbler’s path, shows his chest for a beat, then retreats to his own man. The guard fights over the top, so for a moment the ball handler has two defenders in front of him. Nobody switches. The hedger is buying time, not taking a new assignment.
Why coaches use it
A hedge is for a guard you cannot let turn the corner. It kills the dribbler’s momentum right at the screen and gives the on-ball defender the half second he needs to get back in front.
It also suits a big who moves his feet well but does not protect the rim. If he is not blocking anything at the basket, a deep drop wastes him. Stepping out and recovering uses what he has.
The cost is real. Two defenders are on the ball, three are guarding four behind it, and all of it depends on the hedger getting back. A late recovery is worse than no hedge at all.
Coaches do not agree on the words. Many staffs use “hedge” and “show” for the same thing. Others keep “show” for the softer version, where the big flashes his chest without ever leaving the level of the paint, and use “hedge” only for the step out above the screen.
How to attack it
- Slip it. The screener leaves early and the hedger steps out to guard nobody.
- Short roll. Roll into the space behind the hedge, catch near the free throw line, and play four on three.
- Re-screen. The hedger is running backward to his man. Screen him again before his feet are set.
- Ram the screener’s defender first. He arrives trailing, and a trailing defender cannot hedge.
Set the on-ball screen coverage to Hedge, then to Drop, and replay the same possession to see which read survives.