“The quality of the pass leads directly to the quality of the shot.” – Pete Carril, former Princeton Coach.
Often in Basketball, we cheer for the one who scores. But let’s not forget that, Basketball is a team effort. The one who supports the player is equally important as the scorer.
An attempt to field a goal requires the teamwork of a couple of players. They effectively pass the ball in between and secure a goal.
Dig up a little and you will find there have been many players who broke the record in assists. Such as Magic Jonhson who had 10,141 assists in NBA during his career.
Today, we are going to talk about “Pass in basketball”. Because passing is as important as dribbling or shooting in basketball; also related to the scoring indirectly.
Shall we begin?
Highlights
- Passing is the quickest way to move the ball from player to player.
- With more passes, there are more openings for players to score.
- According to some experts, passing is, in fact, more effective than dribbling in terms of getting the ball.
- Pass in basketball needs at least two players; however, more players can involve.
- The NBA’s all-time leader in assists is John Stockton – former basketball player, who recorded 15,806 assists over his career.
- The chest pass is considered the most effective pass in basketball.
- A good basketball passer knows where to touch with the right velocity and angle.
- Timing is a crucial factor in passing. A pass should come as the post player is getting into his position.
What is Passing in Basketball?
Source: stack.com
“If you can’t pass the ball properly, a bowl of pasta’s not going to make that much difference!” – Harry Redknap
In short, passing involves moving the ball throughout the court between teammates. It requires two players and they have to be from the same team to complete the pass. But more than two players can be involved in passing too.
Consider passing as moving the ball from point A to point B; where one player throws the ball and another player must catch it.
Be it in football or basketball, passing is an important element of the game. A successful passing requires careful measurements.
The player has to move forward with the right velocity and pass the ball at the right time to the right location. Mess up a little, and it may result in losing the ball.
It is the fastest and most clever method to get the ball moving across the court.
The Other Side Of Passing
There is nothing known as a bad pass. Poor passes are often the result of inexpert measures and half-baked actions. In worst cases, players who initiate the pass, don’t genuinely enjoy it and fail to deliver the value of it.
Also, often young and rookie players don’t find passing interesting. It takes time for them to improve their strategies for making successful passes.
Thus, basketball coaches need to be extra careful with them and remember successful passes come from years of experience and practice.
Only a few rules apply for passing in basketball. One of the highly applied ones is when a player passes the ball from the frontcourt and the other player is in the backcourt, he can’t have the passed ball.
Both players must remain on the same side of the court. Otherwise, it will be a backcourt violation and result in loss of possession of the ball.
Types of Pass in Basketball
Source: functionalbasketballcoaching.com
In general, there are two types of pass in basketball. However, there are some variations also. Let’s check them out.
Two Major Types of Pass
1) Air Pass:
The ball travels without touching the floor; in mid-air. It is exactly the opposite of a bounce pass; which travels along the ground. We have a chest pass, baseball pass, and overhead pass under Air Pass in Basketball.
We will soon talk about them.
2) Bounce Passes:
The pass travels across the floor and bounces to the destined receiver. It is best used when the on-ball defenders have their hands high and the offensive players are closely guarded for other passes.
General Variations in Basketball Passes
From two major pass in basketball, we have four other basic forms of passes. They are:
Chest Pass
It is as the name is; the pass origins from the chest of a player.
A player passes the ball from their chest while spreading their arms out and thrusts the ball forward with both hands to his teammates during a chest pass.
To apply the spin trick, a player can try his way out below,
His thumbs will be straight behind the ball while throwing it. With the pass delivered, his fingers will be rotated with the thumbs turned down. It should support the ball with a nice backspin.
However, there is a catch in Chest Pass. A player must throw the ball to the chest level of another player in the offense. A chest ball passed below or high is often hard to catch.
Mark that chest pass is the most common and basic form of air pass in basketball. It derives a fast and direct pass of the ball from one player to another.
Bounce Pass
Players must pass the ball with the same velocity as the chest pass; pointing to the ground. The player must throw the ball far enough to be at least at the waist height of his teammate.
How far to throw the ball? There are no specific numbers to it. But professionals suggest covering ¾ of the distance between the player who is passing to his teammate who is receiving the ball.
The ¾ rule is a good point to start; but not mandatory to follow. Try on different measures and find out what’s best for you. Experiment how it bounces back to the receiver depending on how you throw it.
You can also support the pass with a proper and nice backspin. It will help you figure out the right distance to bounce the ball easily.
Overhead Pass
Another form of air pass is the overhead pass. It is a good choice for an outlet pass. It starts from behind the player’s head. He throws the ball using both hands and passes the ball out front.
In detail, for an overhead pass, you will need to grip the ball on the side using both hands and bring it right above your front head. Target the chin of the receiving player and shoot.
But be careful! Basketball can turn out to be a tricky game with the opponent always looking for scopes to steal the ball.
Focus and don’t bring the ball behind your head. Otherwise, any opponent team member may steal and throw the ball in a split second.
Note:
* An outlet pass is when a team transits from defense to offense by passing the ball to an available teammate.
* When a player is mentioned as being “out front,” it means that they are placed near or at the top of the key or perimeter, usually between the three-point line and the midcourt line.
Wrap Around Pass
Experts say there is no other pass like Wrap Around; it is both deceptive and creative. Why deceptive?
During a wrap-around pass, the player uses the defender and wraps the ball around his back to safely deliver it to his teammate.
In detail, use your non-pivot foot to go around the defense. No need to use both hands; you can pass the ball to the target player with the outside hand.
Wrap-up Around Pass is a mixed kind of pass in basketball. You can use it either as a bounce pass or an air pass.
Here is how it happens; as an air pass, players use this pass on the perimeter while it is used as a bounce pass to easily proceed to the post (between the court and the free throw line).
Baseball Pass
No, we are not in a baseball tutorial. Baseball pass in basketball only involves the speed of baseball and nothing else.
It is a one-handed pass used for passing the ball over long distances with the same motion as a baseball throw. You may find it interesting! Baseball pass involves a two-handed overhead pass with a similar technique to that of a baseball pitcher.
This pass is generally used to quickly advance the ball down the court to a teammate; who is in a favorable scoring position.
Many players; especially the young ones may not feel comfortable with other passing forms. To strengthen the arm and get an overhead pass can be out of their league.
Baseball Pass is ideal for them; they can create more force and easily put the defense at risk with an open layup.
Dribble Pass
Deliver it as an air pass or bounce pass. The dribble pass involves a quick offensive one-handed pass. You can quickly pass the ball to a team with possible scoring opportunities right after a dribble action.
Many players find it their favorite because of its speed. The defense team hardly gets the opportunity to limit or prevent any offensive strategy with the dribble pass.
To some extent, the one-handed pass like the dribble pass has often proved to be more effective than the two-handed pass like the chest or bounce pass.
Because when the offensive player collects the ball using both hands, the defensive players get enough time to respond to the pass. You have a higher possibility to face deflection or a defensive closeout from the defenders.
However, don’t get us wrong because, in specific scenarios, two-handed passes may prove to be more effective and reasonable.
Can you take 2 steps after a pass?
Yes. However, how many steps should the authority allow after receiving the pass depends on certain situations.
Leagues like NBA, FIBA, and NCAA permit two steps for players after receiving the ball. They must pass the ball once the two steps are complete.
However, the player it is advised that the player should complete a dribble before completing his two steps.
Upon completion of his two steps, he can either pass the ball to another player with better opportunities to goal, score himself, or get to a stop.
This is done so that, a single player doesn’t keep the ball in custody for too long.
What is No-look Pass in Basketball?
Another term, you should be aware of before honing the passing skill in basketball is the no-look pass or the blind pass.
It is an offensive trick when the player in possession of the basketball passes the ball to a teammate without making eye contact with the same teammate.
The player who passes the ball targets another player or at least convinces others to misinterpret his target.
You can call it a fake pass to someone, and then pass it to the actual target. It is the signature move of Magic Johnson to make foolish out of the defenders.
This pass is best applied when the offensive player is open with the ball handlers surrounding him and he quickly grasps the knab of another player.
The no-look pass can either be strategically planned or show up as an instant trick following the progress of the match. And, no, it is not an illegal move.
Here It Ends FOR NOW
We are almost at the end of our article. While there are many other tricks and strategies in Basketball, passing is something you should never neglect.
It is the easiest yet quickest trick to pass the ball to your teammate and keep the ball in possession.
Many basketball players have especially developed this skill to prevent losing the ball; for example, Pete Maravich; best known as Pete Pistol.
It is not just about the game; Passing also creates a sense of joy and excitement among the viewers. A change in hands with frequent passing is also refreshing for us and a treat to our eyes.
We are still not finished yet. There is a lot to learn about Basketball. Stay in tune with us for more!