Basketball Drills: The Wing Series

When a teammate sets a screen for you during a basketball game, your job is only beginning. You need to be able to take the screen and turn it into points for it to be successful.

The Wing Series can help you be ready to step up in these situations. This drill helps you work on various scoring opportunities coming off a screen.

THE WING SERIES 

The drill will be set up in the wing area of the court with a chair acting as your teammate. You’ll start on the baseline and run by the chair as if it’s a player setting a screen. A teammate or coach will then pass you the ball after you get by the screen. You should focus on giving the passer a target coming off the screen.

“When you’re using a screen, you’re always setting your player up,” says Suzie McConnell-Serio, a former coach and player at both the professional and Division I level. “Take them in one direction to come off a screen, running them right into the screen [and] taking the screen shoulder to shoulder that is being set by your teammate.”

There are a variety of scoring opportunities you can practice with this drill. These include:

• 15-foot jump shot: Your focus will be getting behind the screen before taking a jumper from the wing area.
• Three-point shot: Similar to the jumper, but you’ll go all the way to the three-point line for a shot.
• Sweep-through: If a defender gets in the passing lane and attempts a steal, you can use a sweep-through, dribble once and shoot a pull-up jumper.
• Three-pointer with a shot fake: You’ll take the pass at the three-point line. But you’ll use a shot fake to make the defender react. You’ll then sweep through, dribble once and attempt a pull-up jumper.
• Wrap around: If a defender is chasing you tight, this can help create space. Instead of going to the wing area, wrap around the screen. Give the passer an inside-hand target and attempt a shot in the paint.
• Flare the screen: This is useful when the defense attempts to shoot the gap. You’ll flare the screen by backpedaling and attempting a jumper from the corner area.

“What you need to learn in doing these is how to read your defender [and] how are they coming off of that screen with you,” McConnell-Serio says.

By knowing how to score coming off a screen, you can better help your team turn opportunities into points.

If you’re a small forward, consider adding this chair drill to your practice. It can help you improve your scoring by focusing on both a jumper and a layup.