"Elevator" Screens: How to Surprise Defenses
Let’s talk about a play that’s been making defenses look silly for years — the elevator screen.
If you’ve got a knockdown shooter and two guys who can set a real wall, this thing is borderline unfair.
The Basic Idea
Two screeners stand shoulder-to-shoulder. Think elevator doors before they close. Usually, you’ll see it set up at the top of the key, the free-throw line, or sometimes just inside the lane.
Your shooter starts low or maybe on the wing. The key here is disguise, don’t let the defense smell it coming. You can hide it with some normal motion, a decoy cut, or just making it look like they’re clearing out.
On the signal, your shooter sprints right between the two screeners. The second they’re through, bam, the doors slam shut. Screeners close that tiny gap so the defender can’t squeeze through.
Ball’s already in the air to your shooter. Catch. Shoot. Net.
If you’ve never seen it live, it’s beautiful. Two guys sealing off a defender while your shooter pops into daylight, it’s like you opened a trap door to a wide-open shot.
Why It Works
It’s quick, it’s tight, and it’s deceptive. There’s not much time for the defense to react. It also forces the defender into bad choices:
Try to chase through? Forget it — the gap closes.
Go under? You’re giving up a clean three.
Switch? Not easy in that tight space.
Plus, the play is loaded with built-in counters. If the defense tries to blow it up, you’ve got:
Slip — screener dives to the rim if their defender jumps out early.
Flare — one of the screeners pops to open space if the defense overplays the lane.
Curl — shooter bends the cut toward the basket if their man cheats high.
That’s why smart teams love it — it’s not just a one-trick play.
Keys to Coaching It
Here’s where most teams mess it up:
Timing is everything.
Close too early? You’ll get whistled for an illegal screen.
Close too late? The defender’s right there with your shooter.
Drill the timing until it’s second nature.
Set it up with deception.
Don’t run it straight out of a timeout with zero movement.
Use a few passes, a fake backdoor, something to make the defense shift first.
Sprint through the gap.
Walk it and you’re dead. This has to be a violent, game-speed cut.
The whole point is to beat the defender to the catch.
Screeners, be strong.
Feet wide, hips square, no leaning into the defender.
You’re a wall, not a moving target.
Where to Use It
Baseline Out-of-Bounds (BLOB): Defense is stationary, you can script it exactly how you want.
Sideline Out-of-Bounds (SLOB): Great for a quick three with little clock.
Out of the Post: Set your screeners at the elbow after a post entry — the ball comes back out for the shot.
End of Quarter: One of the best ways to get a quick, clean look before the buzzer.
Film Room Examples
Warriors: Curry will fake low, then burst through Draymond and Bogut like he’s shot out of a cannon. Defender smacks into two bricks, Curry’s already mid-release.
Grizzlies: They’ll run it after a post feed, using Marc Gasol as a screener because he can slip or shoot if needed.
Pelicans: Baseline version with a slip option — if the defense jumps the gap, it’s an easy layup.
Lakers: Sideline version into a flare screen if the defense switches.
Final Take
If you’ve got even one shooter on your roster, this belongs in your offense.
It’s not flashy. It’s not complicated. But it’s brutal for defenders because it forces them into a bad spot in a split second.
Drill the timing, teach your guys to sell it with motion, and rep the counters until they’re automatic. Once your team gets the feel for it, you can run it from almost any spot on the floor and make it look different every time.
The beauty of the elevator screen isn’t just in the open shot — it’s in how many ways you can disguise it, and how quickly it punishes a single defensive mistake.
Run it once, and you’ll see why it’s stayed in playbooks for decades.
An elevator screen is simple. Two guys stand shoulder to shoulder, tight like elevator doors. Shooter sprints through. Doors close. Defender’s stuck. Catch, shoot, bucket.
Warriors run it best. Curry fakes low, bursts through Draymond and Bogut. Perfect timing. Defender smacks into a wall, Curry’s already shooting.
Grizzlies do it from the post. Pelicans use it on baseline out-of-bounds, with a slip if denied. Lakers run it on sideline plays, or flare if overplayed.
Why it works? Fast. Looks normal until it’s too late. Built-in counters—slip, flare, curl. Hard to switch in tight space.
If you’ve got a shooter, run it. It’s one of the toughest plays to guard in basketball.
