5-out offense explained: meaning, rules and drills

“5-out” means that all five players on the offense start outside the three-point line, with nobody on the block or in the post. That is the whole definition. What follows from it is a style of offense: an empty lane, big players who can pass and shoot, and cuts and drives in place of post-ups. It is sometimes called an open-post or “five-out” offense, and you will see it everywhere from youth leagues to the pros.

Why teams play 5-out

A defense has one rim to protect. In a normal offense a big stands near it and the help defense collects in the lane. In 5-out nobody stands there, so a driver gets a lane the whole way, and any defender who leaves a shooter to stop him gives up a three.

That forces a decision on every defender, on every possession. Three results follow:

• Drives are easier. A guard who beats his man has no wall waiting.
• Backdoor cuts are open. When a defender overplays a pass, the cutter is alone at the rim. See backdoor cut.
• Help is costly. Every helper leaves a shooter, and a kick-out pass turns help into a shot.

The offense does not need five great shooters. It needs defenders who cannot ignore any of them. A big who shoots at 30 percent still pulls his defender to the three-point line, which is where 5-out gets its space.

The five roles

There are no positions in the usual sense, but five spots, and every player should be able to fill each one: the top, the two wings and the two corners. Our guide on teaching spacing goes through the spots and the distances.

In practice teams tend to have:

• One or two primary handlers who start with the ball at the top or wing.
• Two shooters who live in the corners and lift to the wings.
• A big who can pass and who handles at the top of the key to start some possessions.

Roles blur on purpose. A big who stands at the top and passes is a hub, and the guards who cut around him are the targets. The structure is like a dribble handoff game on a wide floor.

The four cuts that make it work

Five-out offenses are built on a small set of movements. Teach these first.

1. Pass and cut to the basket. The passer cuts straight to the rim on the ball side. If he gets the ball back, it is a layup. If not, he clears to the opposite corner. Our diagram is built around this cut.
2. Fill. Everyone behind the ball moves up one spot, so the floor is balanced again. Without a fill, the next pass is to a crowd.
3. Backdoor. If the defender denies the pass, the receiver cuts behind him. Keep the cut simple: plant the outside foot, then go to the rim.
4. Drive and kick. A player with a lane drives. The others move to the open spots so a kick-out pass is always possible. See the drive-and-kick play.

Add a fifth action when the four are solid: a dribble handoff or a pin-down. The Chicago play uses both.

Continuity or quick hitters

You can run 5-out as a continuity (pass, cut, fill, repeat) or as a set of quick hitters called from the same alignment. A continuity teaches habits and works with limited practice time. Quick hitters give the coach control and the opponent less time to scout. Most teams do both: the continuity is the default and a call brings a set. See continuities versus quick hitters.

Where 5-out is weak

Be honest about the trade-offs.

• Offensive rebounding. With no one inside, the shots are all from the perimeter, and no one is near the glass. Assign one or two players to crash from the wings, and teach the others to retreat.
• Transition defense. A long rebound and a good outlet pass gives the other team a fast break. The same assignment solves both: the weak-side players go back.
• Size. If your best player is a big who scores at the post, 5-out takes that away. Consider 4-out, 1-in instead.
• Ball handling. Five-out needs everyone to handle the ball a little. A team with only one dribbler will see the defense trap him.
• Zone defense. Against a zone, five out is just a perimeter pass drill unless you have a plan. The usual answer is to put a player in the high post or the short corner. See how to beat a 2-3 zone.

Who should run it

Five-out fits a team that has at least three players who can handle the ball under pressure, two who can make an open three often enough to be guarded, and a big who is willing to pass from the perimeter. If that describes your roster, the offense will make it look better than it is. If you have one dribbler and four players who only finish at the rim, a 4-out, 1-in set will suit you better, and you can still borrow the pass, cut and fill habits from this page.

Installing it in four steps

You do not need to teach all of it at once. A good order:

Step 1: spots and fill. Five players, five spots, one ball. Pass and fill, without cutting. The rule is that every pass is followed by a move to an empty spot.

Step 2: pass and cut. Add the cut to the rim. The passer goes, the rest fill. Run it for five minutes at the start of every practice for two weeks.

Step 3: add the defense. Play five on five with the defense allowed to deny passes. Add the backdoor cut as the answer. The offense scores two points for a backdoor layup.

Step 4: add one set. A dribble handoff or a pin-down. Use it as a call, then return to the continuity.

At each step, watch for the same mistakes: two players in the same spot, a passer who watches his pass, and a cutter who stops at the three-point line.

What it looks like on the diagram

The 5-out Pass-Cut-Fill play in the library shows one cycle of the continuity: the cutter clears to the opposite corner, the corner fills the wing and the wing fills the top, so the floor is back in shape. Run it a few times at slow speed and look for the empty lane.

Spread Ball Screen Shake adds a ball screen to the same alignment, and the weak-side guard lifts behind it instead of standing still. It is a good second set once the continuity is working.

Where SlongeHoops fits

We make SlongeHoops, so check it against your own use. It draws a 5-out set on a scaled court, which shows whether the spots are actually 15 feet apart, and you can step through a play phase by phase and share it with your players. There is a free plan. It is a drawing and teaching tool, so the teaching still has to happen on the floor.