An Iverson cut takes a guard from one wing to the other across the top of the floor, brushing two screeners standing at the elbows. He catches on the move above the arc, already facing the rim. The name is ordinary coaching vocabulary, from the way Allen Iverson was freed in Philadelphia.
Why coaches use it
It is the standard answer to a defense that has decided your best guard will not touch the ball. A defender can deny a stationary wing all day. He cannot deny a player moving at speed through two bodies without eventually running into one of them.
The catch is worth more than the cut. Because the guard arrives moving and facing the basket, whatever comes next starts with an advantage. The usual continuation is immediate: the elbow he just passed turns and sets a side ball screen, so the possession becomes a pick-and-roll with a defender who is still catching his breath. The other elbow big is left with a clean lift to the slot when the defense puts two on the ball.
It is also the front end of a whole family of sets. An Iverson entry can flow into a ball screen, a flare back the other way, or a rip back screen for the big.
How it is guarded
- Chase. Lock onto his hip and trail him through both screens. It is a hard, honest job and the cutter earns everything he gets.
- Top-lock the first screen. Force him back the way he came, which gives up the backdoor to the rim.
- Switch. Two switches in two steps, and now a big is guarding your best guard above the arc. Most teams take that trade.
- Under both screens. Only if he cannot shoot. Otherwise he catches with his feet set.