Basketball Drills: Downhill Screen Scoring

Dr. Dish Basketball is back at it again with another great Skill Builder workout. In this complete workout, we will focus on scoring off the down hill screen and also incorporate agility drills in between the basketball shooting drills.

Skill Builder allows players to transition from each one of these basketball drills without having to reprogram the machine or stop to adjust. The player will only have to worry about working hard and making shots. When the player finishes this specific workout, they will save the workout and be able to view the results and track their progress over time through the Dr. Dish Training Management System! There is nothing else like this on the market!

Gordon Hayward is a young budding star that has helped bring the Utah Jazz back into the lime light. Hayward has a great combination of size and athleticism along with incredible skill. In the NBA Playoffs this year, Hayward has been extremely efficient with using the down hill screen and really forcing teams to adjust on the defensive end of the floor.

Players and coaches, check out the Skill Builder workout below to see how these basketball drills and skills can help take your game to the next level!

SNAKE ACTION USING THE DOWN HILL SCREEN

In each of the basketball shooting drills, we programmed the Dish to make 5 passes at two locations to each wing. Each time the player catches the basketball they will attack the screen coming downhill. This allows the player to go either left or right while using the screen. It's important to attack at an angle TOWARDS the hoop to put as much pressure on the defense as possible. 

After coming off of the screen, the defender will be trailing the offensive player. To create some separation we will "snake" the screen which basically means crossing the ball over and going side to side. The defender will then be on your hip and you want to use your body and the cross over action to create separation from your main defender and the help defender as well.

SLICE SCREEN INTO PULLBACK JUMPER

In this shooting drill the offensive player will be slicing the down hill screen then immediately pulling back for the mid range shot. Typically it's best to pull back between your legs, but a step back or cross back would work as well depending on the defensive pressure. With this move you are going side to side instead of an "s" pattern. Before pulling back make sure that last dribble is hard towards the rim so that the defender is off balance. This will help create separation on your pull back move.

HARD-STEP SWEEP BACK

In this last shooting drill the offensive player will use the down hill screen once again going either left or right. This time the player will dribble hard one time with their inside foot. If the defender is on top of the screen, they will try to fight over to cut you off and then you will immediately change directions by doing a quick behind the back or between the legs back around the oppposite side of the original screen. If the defender goes under the screen the offensive player does the exact same thing. The open shot will come after the change of direction going the opposite way and utilizing the screener for the open shot.

In order for this move to be successful, you MUST be a shooting threat. It's never been more important to be a great shooter than in today's game. The ability to stretch the floor is critical to not only get yourself shots, but to open up opportunities for your teammates as well.

Players: remember to practice going both ways and switch up your change of direction moves if you can. It's important to push yourself and go hard. The Dr. Dish will help keep you accountable with its pace and will not stop until the goal is reached. 

Continue to work on your fundamentals and always remember to train hard, train smart, and train with a purpose!

Check out what NDSU Head Men's Basketball Coach, David Richman, has to say about Dr. Dish!