If you have a big man who is good at scoring inside, you ought to try often to get him the ball on the low post. The best place to pass to the low post man is from the side or corner, not from the middle or anyplace past the free throw line.
Any pass thrown from beyond the free throw line is a bad angle pass. A bounce pass is too easily overplayed and deflected, and it must be thrown away from the defender and therefore away from the basket. A lob from out there takes the low post man toward the baseline and under the basket or behind the board.
The pass from the side, on the other hand, can be thrown away from the defender and still allow a direct turn to the basket for a shot. And a lob, rather than heading for the out-of-bounds area, is up near the basket where the low post man can go up after it and still have a chance to score on the other side of the basket (if no helpers are preventing him).
The rule is: If you have a low post man you want to get the ball to, take the ball down the side of the court, and penetrate the foul line extended. From there, it is a simple matter of getting the ball past your defender and away from the defender on your low post man. Most good players can do this without much difficulty since the ball usually does not have to be passed cleverly. It merely needs to be lobbed softly over your defender’s hands. (The bent-elbow pass is also effective here. (See “Bent-elbow Pass,” entry #18.)
One problem that often comes up and presents difficulties happens when your defender does not pressure you but instead plays between you and your low post man (or back farther, standing in front of your low post man). Often, in this situation, the player who has the ball in the corner does nothing but throw the ball back out. He may figure a shot from the corner is not a good-percentage shot, and the pass into the low post man looks impossible as a result of the sagging defender.
To create an opening in this situation, whether playing against a man- to-man defense or a zone defense, take one aggressive dribble forward and act as though you want to shoot. This will force the sagging defender to move forward to guard the shot, and it will leave the low post man wide open for the pass. Rarely will the low post man be fronted in this situation, since no team is likely to put two men in front of one offensive player. If the sagger fronts the low post man, the man guarding the low post man will be content to stay behind him. When your aggressive dribble and shot-fake bring out the sagger, the low post man is left free.
Crucial to this play is that you look at the basket as you move forward. Otherwise, you will not draw out the sagging defender.
Be prepared to shoot if the defender will not come out at all. Or get your best shooter on that side, so the defense either has to give up a high- percentage shot or permit the pass to the low post. Rarely should you take the shot from the corner, even if you are a fine shooter. You can get a lot closer than the corner and force the defense to make a decision.
From Dick’s book Stuff
