The Meet Up
A quick breakdown of a sequence featuring a SWING opening, and a MEET UP that would lead to a wing ball screen.
Opening: SWING
Combination: SWING into a “MEET UP”
Concept Detailed: The Meet Up
From a Five-Out alignment and the SWING opening, the passer can get into a MEET UP with the player below them.
On the surface it looks as if Player 1 is setting a wide pindown for Player 2. If that were the case, we’d want Player 2 to set up their man to receive the screen. Player 1 would intend to screen the body of Player 2’s defender. We would teach Player 2 to read the defense and make a corresponding cut.
A MEET UP is subtly different than a traditional screen. It looks like a screen but it isn’t. It is more like a “bunch route” in American Football when two receivers come together and one breaks one way and one breaks the other.
In the MEET UP above, Player 1 runs at Player 2. We want them to “meet up” nose-to-nose. The MEET UP occurs about 1/3 up from the baseline and 2/3 of the way down. Player 2 rejects and Player 1 “pulls back” toward the ball. There is no intention to screen the defense.
So in the sequence above, Player 5 received the SWING pass and takes the ball to the action via the dribble. Player 1 and Player 2 are in a MEET UP.
Player 5 may hit the reject for a backdoor layup opportunity or they may hit ahead to Player 1 pulling back.
If Player 2 does not get the pass on their back cut they continue the cut to the far corner. Player 5 has hit ahead to Player 1 and HUNTS a DRAG screen on the side by following their pass. The offense is now in our desired wing ball screen spacing.
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