Cutting after a pass to the nail

[Coach Rick]

Yes, a passer will cut after passing to the Nail as well. I never want to change the rules of Read & React.

Example: Wing passes to the Nail and the Flank dives to rim. If the Flank is not open, they should keep going to the other side of the goal and eventually to the other Flank or fill out to the weakside perimeter. This “keep on moving” action will take a defender with them (at least a few steps – that’s why they are not open).

Now, back to the Wing who passed to the Nail: Just like feeding the post against Man2Man, the Wing will cut to the basket. A Laker Cut low is much more probable since the ball is caught high in the lane (Nail). This means that the Wing becomes a second cutter behind the Flank. The Flank dove to the rim first and the Wing comes behind them as a second cutter.

Sorry I didn’t make that clear in the course. You should set a drill to make that clear to your players.

[BrooksLadyBuffalos]

Thanks Coach Rick. That really helps.This is a great website.

[Charles]

Thank you! I had the same question.

[Matt Tylk]

We have found that when wing passes to the nail the first cut is a rim cut. But the second cut from the wing is more of a cut for a Zone shot from the short corner. We say “nail, cut, shot” when teaching this action. Conversely, when our wing passes to the flank both cuts tend to be true rim cuts. We say “flank, cut, cut”.