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Scramble and X-out

Start the defense in rotation against two perimeter threats. Protect the rim first, X-out on the kick-out, and communicate the final matchup. 5 to 15 players, 1 basket, about 12 minutes.

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Scramble and X-out drawn on a half court in 2 steps. 1. Protect the rim before leaving the paint: O1 drives middle. X2 stays on the rim line while X1 sinks between the two corner shooters. Neither defender leaves early. 2. Kick-out triggers the X: O1 kicks to O3. X1 takes the first pass while X2 crosses the lane to O2. The two recovery routes stay separate and finish at opposite shooters.
1. Protect the rim before leaving the paint: O1 drives middle. X2 stays on the rim line while X1 sinks between the two corner shooters. Neither defender leaves early. 2. Kick-out triggers the X: O1 kicks to O3. X1 takes the first pass while X2 crosses the lane to O2. The two recovery routes stay separate and finish at opposite shooters.Credit: Drawn by Ball Coach

What it needs

Players
5 to 15 players
Baskets
1 basket
Court
Needs a half court
Time
About 12 minutes
Equipment
basketballs, two colors of pinnies, scoreboard or score sheet
Type
Team work, intermediate

Set it up

Play 3-on-2 at one basket with a ball handler at the slot and shooters in both corners. Place one defender at the nail and one defender on the rim line. Extra groups of five wait behind the baseline and rotate in together after two possessions. Begin every rep with the ball handler attacking the paint.

Run it

The ball handler drives the middle while both shooters hold corner spacing. The low defender protects the rim first, and the nail defender sinks between the two shooters without committing early. When the driver kicks to either corner, the nail defender closes to the first pass while the rim protector exits diagonally to the opposite corner, creating the X-out. Both defenders call the receiver they are taking before the ball arrives. The offense may shoot, drive the closeout, or make one extra pass, and the rep stays live until a score, turnover, or defensive rebound. Rotate driver to shooter, shooter to defense, and defense to the back of the offensive line.

What to coach

Start the defense in rotation against two perimeter threats. Protect the rim first, X-out on the kick-out, and communicate the final matchup.

Score it

The defense earns one point for protecting the rim without giving up a layup, one for completing the correct X-out before either shooter catches uncontested, and one for finishing with a stop or rebound. The offense earns two points for a rim score or uncontested three and one for forcing a late or incorrect matchup. A defender who runs to a shooter before the rim is protected scores zero for the rep. Play to 12.

Make it harder

Walk through the X-out with a predetermined kick-out, then let the driver choose either corner. Add a drive or one-more pass after the closeout, then progress to 3-on-3 by adding a recovering on-ball defender who begins behind the play.

Use it in practice

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Where this drill comes from

Ball Coach wrote this drill for its practice planner's drill library. The curricula below shaped how the library organizes practice; no text or diagram is copied from them. The diagram is drawn by Ball Coach.