A post contributed by coach Graneto with a set of “screen drills” important while running a motion offense:

One of the most important skills that a player can have while running a motion offense is having the ability to understand (and execute) how to read a screen. The ability to read how a defender is guarding you and react off of that is crucial, and can be the difference between an offense that flows, and an offense that remains stagnant. These instinctive reads need to be emphasized daily/weekly during practice (and emphasized throughout scrimmages, games, and tape sessions) so that players can fully understand the concepts of reading screens, and how that is crucial to running a motion offense. Here is the progression of how I would teach reading screens to players:

1. Players need to understand how to come off of a screen effectively: This includes walking their man in (V-cut/L-cut), rubbing shoulder to shoulder with the screener, and coming off the screen with your feet set.
2. Players need to understand what they need to do when a player is defending them a certain way: If the defender cheats over the top of the screen; you back door. If the defender trails you on the screen; you curl the screen. If the defender goes under the screen; you fade off of the screen (etc). This instinctive skill can be established through drill ran in practice (Such as the “teaching reading screens” drills in the attached reading screens drill section).
3. Players need to be able to understand how to screen, and where to go after you screen: These skills can be demonstrated and introduced through the use of the “teaching reading screens” drills.
4. Players need to be given chances to simulate these instincts in drills: This is a crucial part of the development of these instinctive skills because players have to gain the ability to read how their defender is playing them. These skills can be developed through drills where they do not know how the defense is going to guard them. (Drills labeled “reading screens” can be great ways for players to simulate reading screens).
5. Players need to be able to practice these skills in a scrimmage to develop these reading abilities: Scrimmages, and reviewing game film are great ways for these instinctive skills to be reinforced.

* Here are five “teaching reading screen drills” that can help develop instinctive reading screen skills in your players.

* Also, three “reading screens drills” that can help simulate a game like situation to further the progression of these instinctive skills.

Click on the pdf link to download the basketball drills for your basketball playbooks:

Teaching Players How to Read Screens: A set of screen drills by Jordan Graneto

Jordan Graneto is an Assistant Varsity Basketball Coach at Sprague High School. You can follow him on Twitter! @jordangraneto.