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Last week we dove into Part I of our PNR Cutting breakdown, which featured highly effective and foundational uses of “45” and “Corner” Cuts around various PNR situations. Today’s breakdown builds upon those fundamental actions and explores cuts of a more intricate nature.
If last week’s cuts are the Rolling Stones’, “three-chord rock n’ roll” of PNR cutting, today’s are closer to some Louis Armstrong jazz played in a smoky backroom club in Chicago.
#1 – Gravity Cut – Strongside Corner
Up first is a simple but clever Strongside Corner Cut while the ball is going away from the 2- player side. In this situation the offense is using the cut as a way to clear space for the ballhandler to continue attacking downhill against a Drop Coverage…
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Zooming In: In almost every other instance, when a player makes a cut they do so by leaving a spot on the floor and filling another. This Strongside Corner cut is a bit unique in that the player is cutting and then replacing themselves in the same spot they left. The reason this cut is effective is that it makes it difficult for the Strongside Corner defender to plug the gap as the ballhandler attacks downhill against a Drop Coverage. Cutting to the block and then replacing back to the Corner opens up a gap for the ballhander and continues to keep the PNR a 2 v. 1 game with the 5 rolling. Another reason this action works so well is the simultaneous backside lifts from the other two offensive players as the Big Rolls. Looking at the GIF above you can see how the lift from the backside corner elevates the Tag Defender enough to open up a passing lane for the dunk.
#2 – “45 to 45” Shallow Cut
To combat an aggressive trapping or hedging defensive coverage, another crafty PNR action is the “45 to 45” Shallow Cut run underneath the ballscreen…
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And another way teams can run this action is to add a coinciding “Corner Cut” to the “45 to 45” Cut to clear out a side of the floor…
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Zooming In: In both “45 to 45” Shallow Cut actions the offense is essentially toying with the defense in terms of who the “Tag” defender should be as the Offensive Big rolls to the rim. One defensive tactic teams have used to handle a Shallow Cut is to have the Defender guarding the Shallow Cutter stay and bump or tag the roller at the Nail. This tactic can leave the “45 to 45” cutter open as the release pass on any hedge or trap. In the first GIF this leads to a somewhat easy extra pass for a layup to the 5, and in the second GIF, the Corner Cut coupled with the “45 to 45” Cut completely removes and confuses both Tag Defenders on the Roll.
#3 – “Corner to 45” Shallow Cut
Another interesting cut in the “Shallow Cut” family is the “Corner to 45” action where a shooter sprints from the weakside corner to the opposite wing underneath the PNR…
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Zooming In: This is another tricky way for the offense to get two behind the ball, much like in the Obradovic Spacing, but by, again, adding a layer of confusion as to who should be the Tag Defender on the Roll. Looking at the GIF above, if the Shallow Cut defender stays to bump the roll, then they do so at the risk of leaving their shooter unoccupied on a throwback.
Zooming In 2.0: It’s worth mentioning how great the offensive detail and timing is on this type of cut. Bayern Munich, coached by recent podcast guest Andrea Trinchieri, does a great job of not cluttering the lane for the rim roller while also keeping great spacing around the ballhandler.
#4 – “Corner to Corner Exchange”
The last cut we’ll look at works especially well with a “Short Roll” and again against a hedging coverage. Often times the Short Roller is tagged/bumped by one of the defenders on the 2-player side of a PNR, but with a “Corner to Corner Exchange” taking place at the same time as the PNR there can be confusion as to who should be staying to help on the short roll, leaving shooters open on an extra pass…
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Zooming In: For players who are great passers in the short roll, like former podcast guest Kyle Hines shown above, this is a great action to get the ball into the heart of the defense with less traffic on the catch.
For much more on all these cuts, click here to view the video…