Shooting the gap
How to understand “shooting the gap”?
What does the basketball term “shooting the gap” mean?
When do players shoot the gap?
Shooting the gap is a technique in which a defender cuts underneath a pindown or stagger to meet their man on the other side of the screen.
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Shooting the gap as a term covers all manner of going underneath off-ball screens. More commonly, however, shooting the gap refers to when a defender tries to slip underneath with the intention of jumping the passing lane. Instead of being on top of their man at the moment of the catch, they momentarily release them to deny the pass by cutting it off.
Rarely does an NBA coach teach gapping as a primary tactic. While it has its situational uses, the lock and trail and top-lock are more reliable as general strategies for guarding off-ball screens. But there is often a difference between the assigned and executed defense during the course of a game, and gapping is a player-preferred method for cutting corners. A lock and trail makes the defender follow the longest path and often requires muscling through a screen; a top-lock is physical and difficult to execute; shooting the gap, however, theoretically allows a defender to bypass contact and shortens their distance of travel.
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But NBA players generally do not shoot the gap because it is efficient. It is usually a function of laziness or a previous defensive error. To be fair, smarter defenders recognize instances when gapping a pindown might prevent unnecessary exertion. Sometimes it’s clear that the offensive player is going to catch the ball well above the three-point line. Maybe they are in a non-threatening position or is unlikely to receive the ball because the point guard’s eyes are elsewhere.
Team centerpieces who play 40+ minutes per game are especially likely to save a few steps in one of these ways. But the risk-reward gamble here can be large, and picking the wrong moment can lead to an easy basket. Against the league’s best shooters, it can be an especially crippling maneuver that gives up wide open three-pointers.
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There are two main instances, however, when shooting the gap is appropriate.
Against Bad Shooters
(Note: Some coaches prefer to lock-and-trail all pindowns and staggers, no matter the player, for two reasons: to maintain an aggressive posture toward the defense, or to minimize coverage directives for their team.)
In an ideal world, defenders that shoot the gap get underneath the screen and meet their man on the catch. In reality, they’re not always able to get there in time. To account for this fact, defenders target a spot lower on the floor on the other side of the screen. This allows them to execute the two primary goals of shooting the gap on the strong side: preventing a drive or curl, as well as encouraging a jump shot.
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Instead of following the looping arc of the offensive player around the screen, the defender darts directly to their spot. If they have done their job well, their placement will cut off a straight-line drive to the rim. If the offensive player diagnoses the under as it happens, they will pop out instead of curling.
A by-product of this approach is the space left between the offensive and defensive player. If the defender aims for a spot closer to the basket than that which the offensive player is about to occupy, the offensive player will have room to shoot on the catch. This is obviously of no consequence against a below average shooter and it might even encourage them to take a shot the defense is willing to cede.
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On The Weak Side
A great passer can straddle the middle of the floor when two off-ball screens are developing on either side, but most players lack the strength to throw such a pass or the vision to track both actions simultaneously. In order to cut down on the length of a pass, a ball-handler will often inch toward the off-ball screening action they prefer. In these situations, defenders on the weak side have an opportunity.
It’s all a matter of timing. Because the ball-handler’s movement necessarily lengthens a potential pass to the weak side, the defender is granted an extra tick of recovery time through a screen. Shooting the gap, therefore, becomes not only viable, but also more logical. If the defender attempts to jump the passing lane, they have a much greater likelihood of nabbing a steal. And if the offensive player fades to the corner and the pass is nevertheless thrown by the ball-handler, it would naturally have a higher arc due to its length of travel — not to mention the precision with which it would have to be dropped in over such a distance.
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When Not To Shoot The Gap: Against Great Shooters
Briefly mentioned above was the natural counter to gapping: fading off of a screen. In a lock-and-trail, the offensive player is encouraged to curl or, at the very least, pop out to the three-point line moving toward the ball. When a defender shoots the gap, they ostensibly eliminate these options. So what does the offensive player do? They simply move away from the ball once they clear the screen, leaving the defender hurtling toward a point no longer occupied by ball or player.
Screeners play a crucial role in this action as well. The act of lining up the screen opens up their vision to the intended path of the defender. If they sense the defender will short the route, they can slide their bodies inside. With the defender traveling at such a high rate of speed, their only choice is to continue on that same path and veer further inside. This will allow the shooter to find space easily.
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The most common gapping instance is actually a compound error. Defenders who lose track of an offensive player or are disadvantaged in some way on a lock-and-trail will try to rectify the mistake in one fell swoop. Since they’re so far behind on the lock-and-trail, they might as well attempt a last ditch effort at salvaging the play. What ends up happening, however, is confusion: If the man guarding the screener doesn’t know which path their teammate is taking, it becomes too difficult to react appropriately.