Aside from straight street ball, there are a few fundamental basketball plays that can be easily incorporated even in a beginner game scenario. For more advanced players, these timeless maneuvers can easily free up an uncontested look at the basket. Surely experienced basketball enthusiasts will recognize these two classics from their first few practices while newcomers to the sport should use these as building blocks for understanding player movement with/without the ball and basic basketball offense.Pick & Roll The pick and roll is designed to create space for the ball handler and an open lane to the basket for the pick setter. Player 1 dribbles the ball while facing the basket. Player 2 assumes a stationary position to either the left or right of Player 1′s defender, shielding his movement towards that side. Player 1 then moves in the direction in which the pick is set at which point the pick-setter turns and makes a cut towards the basket. If no defender follows the pick-setter, Player 1 can pass the ball in for an easy layup. If Player 2 is well-covered, then Player 1 can simply use the space created to take a jump shot. Read the rest of this entry »