Split Cuts out of the Post: Reading Defenders
Quick Breakdown for Coaches
Setup: Ball enters the post, typically low or mid-post from the wing. Immediately, a cutter sprints toward the post to screen for another player. The post reads and delivers a pass.
Execution: The cutter can curl, flare, or backdoor based on the defense. Screener slips if there's a switch. Post player becomes the decision-maker.
Coaching Keys: Emphasize screen contact, quick cuts, and reading the defender. Post players must scan the floor and pass early.
Why It Works: Forces defenses into constant decisions, uses misdirection and timing over isolation or hero ball. Perfect for teaching offensive IQ.
Rethinking the Post: From Scoring to Decision-Making
For decades, the post was treated as a one-way street—dump it inside to your biggest player and let them back down their defender. If they couldn’t score? Reset and try again. But modern basketball has shifted.
Today, the post isn’t just a scoring option—it’s a decision-making hub. Teams from the NBA to youth leagues now treat the post as a point of playmaking, not just power. The best offenses run movement around their post players, not through them alone.
One of the most valuable actions that arises from this shift is the split cut. It’s quick. It’s simple. And it doesn’t require elite athletes to execute. What it does require is timing, reading defenders, and team buy-in.
What Is a Split Cut?
A split cut is a two-player action that begins right after a post entry. Here's the sequence:
Post Entry – The wing passes to the post (low or mid-post).
Immediate Screen – The passer (or another perimeter player) sprints toward the post to set a screen for a teammate.
Cutter Reads – The teammate uses the screen to either curl, flare, or cut backdoor.
Decision Time – The post player reads the defense and makes the pass.
The action should start the moment the post touches the ball. The goal? Turn the post player into a quarterback surrounded by moving targets.
Why Split Cuts Are So Effective
Split cuts work because they force defenders to react under pressure—and quickly.
1. Misdirection
When the ball enters the post, defenders instinctively watch the ball. That second of ball-watching opens up off-ball opportunities for the offense.
2. Defensive Confusion
Screens force defenders to make choices. Do they switch? Fight through? Go under? Poor communication equals open cutters.
3. Playmaking Post
Instead of being a scoring black hole, the post player reads and passes. That forces the defense to guard all five players, not just one.
Example: Standard Split Cut Action
Let’s walk through a basic example.
Wing Entry: Your 2-guard passes into your 5, who’s posted on the left block.
Screen Setup: The 2 immediately cuts toward the post and sets a screen for the 3, who’s on the left slot or corner.
Cut Options:
The 3 curls hard over the screen for a quick layup or jumper.
If the defender jumps over, the 3 flares to the wing.
If the defense switches, the 2 (the screener) slips to the rim.
Meanwhile, the 5 watches everything unfold and passes to the open player.
This action takes 2 seconds—but it demands full defensive focus and precise reads. Run it repeatedly, and you'll get buckets.
Coaching the Reads: What Players Need to Know
Success in split cuts comes down to reading defenders. Here are the basic reactions your players should master:
Chased Over: Cutter curls tight to the basket or elbow.
Top-Locked: Cutter goes backdoor—one of the easiest buckets in basketball.
Switch: Screener dives or seals.
Help Rotates: Post player skips it to the open corner or wing shooter.
Train your players to recognize these reads in real time, not just in practice drills.
The Role of Contact: Screens That Actually Work
Too many youth and high school players “ghost” their screens. They move without making meaningful contact, making it easy for defenders to recover.
Teach screeners to:
Create legal but solid contact.
Hold their position.
Use the defender’s momentum against them.
Well-set screens don’t just free the cutter—they delay help rotations, clog lanes, and create two-on-one advantages.
Variations to Keep Defenses Guessing
Once your team understands the base action, add in these wrinkles to stay unpredictable:
1. High Split Action
Run the entry to the elbow or pinch post. This opens space and creates top-of-the-key scoring threats.
2. Fake Screen and Re-screen
Have the cutter fake using the screen, plant hard, and come off a second screen in the opposite direction.
3. Double Split
Send two cutters back-to-back off the same screen. Chaos ensues.
4. Back Screen into Split
Start with a back screen to free the post, then flow directly into the split cut. Now the defense is chasing from the start.
Coaching Tips to Run It Right
Emphasize Immediate Action
Teach players to move the second the post catches. No pause. No delay.
Reinforce Screen Quality
Make screen contact a non-negotiable. It’s the difference between a live read and wasted movement.
Empower the Post Player
Your post doesn’t need to be a scorer—they need to scan and deliver. Drill skip passes, bounce passes, and quick reads from the block.
Reward Hard Cuts
Even if a cutter doesn’t receive the ball, their movement bends the defense. Praise the action, not just the bucket.
Why It Works at Every Level
You don’t need Nikola Jokic to run this. Split cuts reward timing, spacing, and teamwork. That makes them perfect for high school, AAU, and even middle school teams.
They teach reading, not just running plays.
They build unselfish habits.
They enhance flow in motion or set-based offenses.
And best of all? They fit into nearly every offensive system—whether you run 4-out, 5-out, horns, or triangle.
Final Word
Split cuts are a coach’s dream: simple to install, deadly when executed well, and perfect for building high-IQ basketball. Whether you're coaching 13-year-olds or varsity seniors, this action will raise your offense’s ceiling by forcing defenses to chase, communicate, and recover—often unsuccessfully.
Run it fast. Run it often. And watch your team play smarter basketball.
