The floppy play: how to free your best shooter

If your team has one player who can really shoot and you cannot get him the ball, the floppy play is worth an hour of practice. It asks four of your players to stand still and one to make a decision, and that is exactly why it works for teams without much time or many options.

The set

The shooter starts under the rim. On the lane, a single screener stands on one side. On the other side, two screeners stand one behind the other, forming a double. The ball is at the top, with a guard who can pass.

The shooter picks a side. He can come off the single screen toward the wing on that side, or off the double toward the wing on the other. After he passes the screen the passer delivers the ball and the shooter shoots it, catching with his feet already set.

The glossary has the short definition of floppy. The rest of this page is the coaching.

The shooter’s read

The shooter makes one decision, and it comes from his defender. He walks his man toward the side he does not want, then goes the other way.

• The defender trails him (chases). Take the double. Two bodies in a row are hard to fight through, and the shooter arrives with space.
• The defender gets above him (top-locks) on the single side. Take the other side, or cut backdoor to the rim if the defender has overplayed.
• The defender goes under. Come off either side, square up and shoot. Going under a screen is a gift to a shooter.
• The defense switches. Attack the mismatch, or let the screener slip to the basket.

Teach him to walk his man first. A shooter who runs immediately has given the defender no reason to commit. A short step toward one side makes the defender choose a position, and the read follows from it.

Where to put the double

Coaches disagree about which side should get the double screen. Put it on the side where your two best screeners are comfortable, and keep the single on the other. Do not spend a practice on the argument. What matters is that the shooter knows which side is which and that the screeners do not drift when he walks his defender toward the wrong one. If your screeners are very different in size, put the bigger player first in the double, so the defender meets the harder screen earlier.

The other four players

Four players are doing the job of screening, so each has a rule.

• The single screener. Stand set, feet wide, and wait. If the shooter goes the other way, he drifts to the short corner as an outlet.
• The two double screeners. Stagger them slightly so the shooter can curl or fade, and slip the second screen if the defenders switch.
• The passer. Wait for the shooter to turn. Throw to his shooting hand, in the hands, not at the feet. A pass that comes before the shooter is ready ruins the set.
• Everyone, after the shot. Rebound and get back. The floppy puts the shooter on the wing and four teammates near the lane, which is a reasonable rebounding position.

Why it is a good set for a young team

One player makes one decision. The rest of the team has to set a screen and hold it. That is rare in a half-court set, and it means a youth or school team can run floppy all season without needing complex timing. You also get a shot that was designed, which is more valuable than it sounds for a team that otherwise relies on drives.

The disadvantage is that it is a predictable set. After two or three possessions the opponent knows it and will adjust. You need a second option, either a backdoor or a slip, and a second set to go to.

How defenses guard it

These are the answers you will see, with the response in each case.

Defender’s choice	What it gives up	The response
Chase over the top	The catch-and-shoot, the curl to the middle	Curl or take the double
Top-lock the single	The backdoor	Backdoor cut
Go under	The shot	Shoot it
Switch	A mismatch	Attack it or slip

A defense that mixes these on consecutive possessions is a good defense. Your answer is to teach the shooter the reads so he does not have to wait for a call. See top-lock and chase for the definitions.

The Iverson cut: when he is face-guarded

Floppy begins with the shooter under the basket. If the defense is denying him the ball altogether, a second set helps. The Iverson cut takes a guard from one wing to the other across two screeners standing at the elbows, so he catches the ball moving, above the arc, facing the rim.

It is the standard answer to a defender who has decided your best player will not touch the ball. A stationary wing can be denied all day. A player moving at speed through two bodies cannot, without hitting one of them. The Iverson Entry in the library follows the cut with a side ball screen from the elbow he just passed, so the possession becomes a pick and roll against a defender who is still recovering.

Use floppy when your shooter starts away from the ball and Iverson when he starts on it and is being denied. They work well together: once the defense has seen both, it has to choose which to defend.

Teaching it in three practices

Practice one: no defense. Five players, walk through the set at half speed, and the shooter goes to each side. Then run it at full speed. The passer’s timing is the thing to fix.

Practice two: a defender on the shooter. The defender plays a different coverage on each rep: chase, top-lock, under and switch. The shooter calls the read out loud.

Practice three: defenders on everyone. Five on five, with the defense allowed to switch. Give the offense a point for a shot in rhythm, not only for a make.

After the third practice, ask the shooter to explain to the team why he went the way he went. A player who can explain the read can do it in a game.

Common mistakes

• Rushing the screens. The shooter runs before the screeners are set. Wait for a stable screen.
• Not reading the defender. The shooter has decided on a side before the play starts.
• A late pass. The shooter arrives, finds no ball, and the defender recovers.
• No follow-up. If the shooter is covered, no one knows what to do. Make the passer’s second read a drive or a pop.

Where SlongeHoops fits

We make SlongeHoops, so weigh this accordingly. Floppy and the Iverson Entry are both in the library, and you can open them, step through the phases at quarter speed, and put a chase, top-lock, under or switch coverage on the screens with the simulated defense (in beta) to see how the shooter’s read changes. You can then draw your own version, with your own players, and share the link. The shooter still has to learn to read the defender on the floor.