Dictionary
Every basketball term, explained like you're five.
No jargon, no gatekeeping. Just plain-English definitions for every word coaches, players, and broadcasters throw around.
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2 termsA
4 terms- Advantage
- Any situation where the offense has more, better, or quicker options than the defense can cover — e.g. a defender is one step behind.
- Affordance
- An opportunity for action the floor gives you right now — like 'this defender's hip is open, I can drive past'.
- And-One
- You score AND get fouled on the same play. You get the bucket plus one free throw.
- Assist
- A pass that leads directly to a teammate scoring.
B
7 terms- Backdoor Cut
- When a player on the wing sprints behind the defender to the rim because the defender is overplaying the passing lane.
- Ball Screen
- A teammate stands next to the defender guarding the ball-handler so the ball-handler can dribble past.
- Baseline
- The line at each end of the court behind the hoop.
- BLOB
- Baseline Out-of-Bounds play — a set play started from behind the baseline.
- Block
- Either (1) swatting a shot away or (2) the painted rectangle next to the hoop where post players stand.
- Box-Out
- Putting your body between an opponent and the rim so you can grab the rebound.
- Brick
- An ugly missed shot that clangs hard off the rim.
C
9 terms- Catch-and-Shoot
- Receiving a pass and shooting immediately without dribbling.
- Charge
- An offensive foul where the ball-handler runs into a defender who already has their feet set.
- CLA
- Constraints-Led Approach — a coaching method where you set up rules and game situations so players learn by figuring it out, not by being told every step.
- Closeout
- A defender sprinting out to a shooter to contest the shot — but under control so they don't get blown by.
- Coast-to-Coast
- Grabbing the ball at your own end and dribbling all the way to score at the other end.
- Conceptual Offense
- An offense built on principles like spacing and reads — not memorized plays. Players make decisions in real time.
- Constraint
- A rule, space, or condition a coach changes (e.g. 'no dribble' or 'small court') to nudge players toward a behavior.
- Crossover
- Bouncing the ball quickly from one hand to the other to change direction.
- Cutter
- An offensive player without the ball who is moving toward the basket or to open space.
D
3 terms- DHO
- Short for Dribble Hand-Off — see above.
- Dribble Hand-Off (DHO)
- A player dribbles up to a teammate and hands them the ball — like a moving give.
- Drop Coverage
- A pick-and-roll defense where the big man stays back near the paint instead of jumping out at the ball-handler.
E
3 terms- Ecological Dynamics
- A learning theory that says skill comes from interacting with the real environment — so practice should look like the game.
- Elbow
- The corner where the free-throw line meets the lane line.
- Euro Step
- Two long steps in different directions while finishing at the rim — used to dodge a help defender.
F
7 terms- Fadeaway
- Jumping backward as you shoot to create space from the defender.
- Fast Break
- Pushing the ball up the floor quickly before the defense can set up.
- Flare Screen
- An off-ball screen set so a shooter can pop OUT toward the wing or corner.
- Floor Spacing
- Standing far enough apart from teammates that defenders can't help on each other.
- Foul Trouble
- When a player has too many fouls and risks fouling out — usually changes how aggressively they can play.
- Free Throw
- An unguarded shot from the foul line awarded after a foul. Worth 1 point.
- Full-Court Press
- Defense pressuring the ball-handler the entire length of the court right after a make or inbound.
G
3 terms- Gap
- The empty space between two defenders — often where the offense wants to drive.
- Ghost Screen
- Pretending to set a ball screen, then slipping out before contact.
- Give-and-Go
- Pass to a teammate, sprint to the basket, get the ball back for a layup.
H
4 terms- Handoff
- Physically handing the ball to a teammate instead of passing it.
- Hedge
- On a ball screen, the screener's defender briefly jumps out at the ball-handler to slow them down, then recovers.
- Help Defense
- Sliding over from your assignment to stop a teammate's man who has beaten them.
- Horns
- An offense set with two big men at each elbow and two shooters in the corners.
I
3 terms- ICE
- A pick-and-roll coverage that forces the ball-handler toward the sideline, away from the screen.
- Inbound
- Throwing the ball in from out of bounds to restart play.
- Iso (Isolation)
- Clearing teammates out one side so a player can go 1-on-1.
J
1 term- Jab Step
- A small fake step toward the defender to test their reaction without giving up your dribble.
K
2 termsL
3 termsM
3 terms- Mid-Range
- The area between the paint and the 3-point line — long 2-point shots.
- Mismatch
- When the player guarding you is much smaller, slower, or weaker — and you want to attack that matchup.
- Motion Offense
- A flowing offense based on cutting, screening, and reading the defense instead of fixed plays.
O
4 terms- Off-Ball
- Any action by players who don't have the ball — cuts, screens, relocations.
- Offensive Rebound
- Grabbing your own team's missed shot.
- Outlet Pass
- The first pass a rebounder makes to start a fast break.
- Overplay
- Defending a player so close on one side that you take away their favorite option — but expose the backdoor.
P
14 terms- Paint
- The colored rectangle near the basket — getting in there = paint touch.
- Paint Touch
- Any time the ball enters the painted area, usually triggering a kick-out or finish.
- Pick
- Another word for a screen — using your body to block a defender.
- Pick-and-Pop
- After a ball screen, the screener steps OUT for a jump shot instead of rolling.
- Pick-and-Roll (PnR)
- After a ball screen, the screener cuts (rolls) to the basket looking for a pass.
- Pin-Down
- An off-ball screen set near the baseline to free a shooter to come up to the wing.
- PnR
- Short for Pick-and-Roll — see above.
- Point Guard
- The primary ball-handler who runs the offense.
- Possession
- One trip down the floor with the ball, ending in a shot, turnover, or foul.
- Post
- Playing with your back to the basket near the block.
- Post Hub
- Using a big man at the elbow or high post as a passer and decision-maker, not just a scorer.
- Press Break
- The offense's plan for beating a full-court press.
- Pull-Up
- Shooting a jumper off the dribble instead of off a pass.
- Putback
- Scoring immediately after grabbing an offensive rebound.
R
11 terms- Read
- Looking at the defense and choosing your action based on what you see — not what was planned.
- Rebound
- Grabbing the ball after a missed shot.
- Recovery
- The defender sprinting back into position after helping or hedging.
- Relocate
- Moving to a new spot on the floor after passing so you become a fresh option.
- Rep
- One repetition of a drill or action.
- Representative Practice
- Practice that looks and feels like real games — same speed, same decisions, same pressure.
- Reverse the Ball
- Swinging the ball quickly from one side of the court to the other.
- Rim Protector
- A big defender whose main job is to stop drives and block shots at the basket.
- Rip-Through
- Sweeping the ball low across your body before driving.
- Roll Man
- The screener on a pick-and-roll who cuts to the rim.
- Rotation
- Defenders shifting positions as a unit to cover for a teammate.
S
14 terms- Screen
- Using your body legally to block a defender so a teammate can get free.
- Set
- A pre-designed play with specific actions and positions.
- Shell Drill
- A defensive practice drill teaching where to stand based on ball location.
- Shot Clock
- The countdown timer (usually 24 or 30 seconds) the offense has to take a shot.
- Side Step
- A jump shot where you push off sideways to create separation.
- Skip Pass
- A long pass across the floor that 'skips' over the closest defenders.
- Slip
- On a screen, the screener cuts to the basket BEFORE making contact — surprises the defense.
- Small-Sided Game (SSG)
- A scrimmage with fewer players (e.g. 3v3) to give everyone more touches and decisions.
- Spacing
- How spread out the offense is — good spacing makes the defense cover more ground.
- Spain PnR
- A pick-and-roll with an extra back-screen on the roller's defender — creates a layup or wide-open 3.
- Stagger
- Two off-ball screens in a row, used for a shooter.
- Step-Back
- Dribbling forward then pushing back to create space for a jumper.
- Stretch Big
- A big man who can shoot 3-pointers, pulling rim protectors out of the paint.
- Switch
- Two defenders trade assignments on the fly, usually after a screen.
T
9 terms- Tag
- On a roll, a help defender briefly hits or 'tags' the roller to slow them before recovering.
- Tag-Up
- Touching your matchup before going for a rebound — a discipline cue.
- Three-Point Line
- The arc beyond which a made basket is worth 3 points instead of 2.
- Tip-Out
- An offensive rebounder taps the ball back out to a teammate instead of catching it.
- Trail
- The player running behind the play in transition — often gets a 3-point look.
- Transition
- The phase right after a turnover or rebound, before defenses set up.
- Trap
- Two defenders attacking the ball-handler at once to force a turnover.
- Triple Threat
- A balanced stance with the ball where you can shoot, pass, OR drive.
- Turnover
- Losing the ball to the other team without taking a shot.
V
1 term- Veer
- A defensive trick where the screener's defender briefly jumps the driver, then bumps the roller.
W
2 termsZ
2 terms- Zone Defense
- Each defender guards an AREA of the floor instead of a specific player.
- Zoom Action
- A combo of a pin-down screen IMMEDIATELY followed by a dribble hand-off.