1 on 0

The game is easy when you get a one on zero. At least it should be! If you can get 1 on nobody and can't score the rest doesn't matter because you won't win anyway. So everything I'm about to talk about needs to be prefaced by the notion that you have to be able to make shots.

How do you get a 1 on 0?

Run

When we get the ball who is running out? If the answer is not everyone then you've got a problem. If you can get even 1 player down the floor ahead of an opponent you've got a 1 on 0. In an ideal universe someone would have sprinted to the rim as soon as we got the ball and been there in the first 3 seconds of our possesion with everyone else down and ready to shoot somewhere between 5-7 seconds. This means if you've got anyone on the other team that gets caught up, gambles, doesn't hustle back or just isn't as fast as their matchup then you are getting a 1 on 0 look for someone.

Take On

If you can't get a 1 on 0 by running you should at least be able to get a 1 on 1. This means if someone can take on their defender and beat them cleanly off the dribble then we get a 1 on 0 for them or someone else. This isn't the same as backing someone in or playing 1 on 1 all the way to the rim. A take needs to be at speed and leave the defender behind. This way the ball handler gets a 1 on 0 or their teammates do when defense shifts to help.

Cuts

A cut is a chance to beat someone. Its not something we do for the sake of doing it. Everytime you cut you force the defense to react to you, if the defense doesn't have to deal with you then your cut wasn't very good. Once a defender challenges you then its a battle to see who wins. If you win you should get a 1 on 0 catch or put them in a position to need to close out so you can use your "TAKE ON" to do the same.

Screens

Screening is a team skills that reuires a good read no only by one player but by 3: the screener, the player getting screened for, and the ball handler/passer. In this situation you are using and reading to screen to get a 1 on 0 catch or force a close out/ mismatch to occur that allows a player to win a "Take On" or "Cut"


What to do once you get a 1 on 0?

This answer is easy use it. Look to score. Either your open and need to make a shot or you need to find your now open teammate as help rotates.