One of our mottoes here at That Basket Life is to take nothing for granted. This is why we spend a lot of time covering topics like pivots, and close-outs and all sorts of topics related to footwork and screening. They may be boring on the surface but if you master the details you will become a better more efficient basketball player. In this post's discussion we are covering another one of these boring yet important topics. Specifically, we will be discussing some of the more popular cuts involved in basketball. Cuts are very important in basketball. So important that in order to stand a chance to challenge a defense, any offense should have at least some sort of cutting action in it.
Some of the cuts we'll be covering below are:
- Basic Cut
- V-Cut
- L-Cut
- Flash Cut
- Backdoor Cut
- Curl Cut
- Loop Cut
- UCLA Cut
- Flare Cut
- Laker Cut
Basic Cut - This is the most basic of all cuts. The traditional cut to the basket. This is used very often by all teams. If you don't have action to the basket then you're not winning games.
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| Basic Cut |
V-Cut - This is one of the most basic of cuts and is used when trying to get open especially on the perimeter. If a V cut is done correctly then it will work almost all of the time. What one must do is get up into the body of the man that is covering you. Once you get into his body and lean on him a bit you can then plant your foot and reverse course and go back outside to receive the ball. As with all moves, the plant foot should be firmly grounded and you must maintain good balance as you reverse course. Once you head back to the outside to receive the ball it is again imperative that you prepare to receive the ball in balance and in a position to pivot and face the basket.
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V-Cut
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L-Cut - This is a good cut to use when you are starting at the low post with a goal of ending up open at the wing. It is a good idea to lean in on your defender with this move as you move up the post and then with a good solid and balanced plant foot explode to the direction you want to end up at. Once you head to the outside to receive the ball it is imperative that you prepare to receive the ball in balance and in a position to pivot and face the basket.
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| L-Cut |
Flash Cut - This is a cut that is used when you need to have a player flash the post. Flashing the post means that you will want a player to come from one position either on the perimeter or the low block and moving to a position in the high post. When you flash the post it is best for you to be controlled when receiving the ball so you can be able to pivot and face the basket as quickly as possible.
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Flash Cut
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Backdoor Cut- This cut is so effective against an over play on the perimeter. The only thing required is that the passer and the receiver are on the same page.
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| Backdoor Cut |
Curl Cut - This cut is so effective when you are trying to lose a defender around a screen. Basically what you are doing is running your defender all the way around a screener while looping back to where you came from. With this cut you may find yourself with your back to the basket so receiving the ball in balance so you can pivot and face the basket is essential. It should be noted that this is a great cut to use for an ally oop or action to the basket also.
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Curl Cut
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Loop Cut - This cut is used when you are cutting to the opposite side so you can balance the floor. The cut will go from the wing towards the basket and then looping back up towards the other wing.
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| Loop Cut |
UCLA Cut - This cut was made famous by John Wooden and his 1-4 offense. Basically it is a cut to the basket from the point after a shallow backscreen by the post player on the high block. This move is initiated by the point guard making a pass to the wing before he makes his cut to the basket.
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| UCLA Cut |
Flare Cut - This cut is used as an alternate to the roll of the pick and roll. Instead of rolling to the basket off of the pick the shooter will flare to the open spot for a jump shot. Footwork is very important on this cut as many times a player will fake towards the basket and then back up to the 3 point line on the flare. Remember to stay in balance and keep your footwork efficient so you can get your shot off quickly.
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| Flare Cut |
Laker Cut - This cut starts with a pass to the post and then a cut to the basket by the wing who made the pass. The cut to the basket will follow a path around the post player who has the ball. This move is very effective if the post player is a good passer from the block.
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| Laker Cut |
So there you have it. Some of the most common cuts in basketball. If you are running a motion offense it is best that your players are familiar with most of these cuts as a good motion offense will use most of these at some point or another. If you're not running a motion offense you should still spend time with your team introducing some of these cuts because you need movement in your offense or else you are too easy to guard. Remember the keys to good team offense is teamwork and action to the basket.
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