5-out or 4-out-1-in: which spacing fits your roster?

What 5-out and 4-out-1-in each ask of your roster, when each strains, and a three-practice trial and drill package for both. Neither is better in general.

Try the three-practice trial

Two half courts. In 5-out all five players start outside the three-point line. In 4-out-1-in four start outside, at both slots and both deep wings, and one starts inside, at the dunker spot. — Where the five players start in each option. In 4-out-1-in, player 5 starts inside, at the dunker spot.

The short answer

Should all five players start on the perimeter, or should one stay inside?

Neither approach is better in general. The right one depends on who is on your roster this season and what the defense gives you, and a team can change between them from game to game.

Side by side

5-out

All five players start on the perimeter, the biggest player included, so the paint is empty for drives and cuts.

How it works

With nobody in the paint, a defender who helps on a drive has to leave a perimeter player, so a drive becomes a shot at the rim or a pass to a teammate the help left open.
The offense is mostly reads: pass and cut, back cut when the defender over-plays, and fill the spot someone just left.

It fits when

Your bigger players can catch on the perimeter, decide quickly, and either shoot an open shot or make a short pass.
You have several players who can drive, and at least one who can find the open teammate.
Opponents like to pack the lane against you, and your players can make the open shots that packing gives up.

It strains when

Your main big player cannot shoot or pass from the perimeter: the defender can sag into the empty lane and take your driving room away.
Your offensive rebounding depends on big players who start near the basket, since fewer of them begin there.
Players are new to making reads. A read-based offense asks every player to decide on every pass.

Players it asks for

Several players who can attack a closeout.
Bigger players comfortable facing the basket.
At least one dependable passer to start the reads.

What it costs to teach

Heavy on decisions and habits: cut after passing, fill an empty spot, do not let two players use one passing window.
Light on memorized patterns, so it is quick to start and slow to master.

4-out-1-in

Four players space the perimeter and one stays inside, on a block or just outside the lane at rim level.

How it works

The inside player is a scoring, rebounding or lob target, and the four outside keep enough room to drive and pass.
The inside player stays active: seals for an entry pass, runs to the rim, or moves to a spot that keeps the strong side open.

It fits when

You have a player who is clearly more dangerous close to the basket than on the perimeter, as a scorer, finisher or offensive rebounder.
The other four can shoot and drive well enough that defenders cannot leave them.

It strains when

The inside player stands still in the lane: that blocks the drivers' path.
The inside player is double-teamed and the other four do not move to punish it.
Only three of the perimeter four can shoot, so defenders can help off the fourth.

Players it asks for

One player who scores or finishes near the rim.
Four perimeter players defenders can't afford to leave.
Guards who can deliver an entry pass to the right place.

What it costs to teach

Heavy on the inside player's job: earn a good position, finish, and relocate when there is no action.
The four outside players keep their spacing when the ball goes inside and punish a double team.

Which one fits your roster

Your biggest players are comfortable on the perimeter and your guards drive well.: Lean toward 5-out. 5-out puts that skill in the spots where it makes defenders choose.
You have one player who scores or rebounds most effectively near the rim, and four others who can shoot and drive.: Lean toward 4-out-1-in. 4-out-1-in gives that player a place to work while the other four still have room.
Your main big player can neither shoot nor pass from the perimeter.: Lean toward 4-out-1-in. 5-out would put that player on the arc where the defense can ignore them and leave the lane open for it to fill. Some teams keep that player as a screener or roller instead.
Your roster changes a lot, with different bigs available game to game.: Either can work. Teach the shared habits (cut after passing, keep windows clear) and let each big player's ability set where they stand.

Try each for three practices

Run one option for three practices, then the other, and watch what your players actually do. Each plan uses roles only, so it fits any roster.

A three-practice 5-out trial

Practice 1: Spacing and the pass-cut habit. Walk the five spots with no defense, then play 3-on-3 where a pass must be followed by a hard cut and a replacement.Drill: 3-on-3 pass-cut-replace (12 min)
Practice 2: Driving into the open lane. Drive-kick shooting so every player practices the drive, the pass and the relocation.Drill: Drive-kick shooting (15 min)
Practice 3: Live reads. A constraint game written here, not a library drill. Warm up with paint-touch decisions if you have time, then play 5-on-5 half court with one rule: a shot only counts after a paint touch or a back cut. Stop play to check who is standing where.

One possession, in words

The ball handler at the top drives toward the right wing. The nearest defender helps from the corner, so the ball handler passes to the corner player, who was left open. If the help does not come, the ball handler finishes at the rim. Either way, the other three fill the spots the drive and the pass have left.

Watch for

A big player drifting to the short corner, which puts a helper back in the lane.
Players standing after a pass instead of cutting.
Two players occupying the same window.

A three-practice 4-out-1-in trial

Practice 1: The inside player's job. Earn a deep position, catch, score through the middle, then add one counter. Guards work on the angle of the entry pass.Drill: Post seal, score, counter (12 min)
Practice 2: Finishing reads and the four outside. Short-roll finishing reads for the inside player and the passer, so both know what the defense is giving.Drill: Short-roll finishing reads (12 min)
Practice 3: Live with a rule. A constraint game written here, not a library drill. Warm up with drive-kick shooting if you have time, then play 5-on-5 half court where a possession must include an inside touch or a drive-and-pass before a shot. The inside player must move to a new spot after every pass out.

One possession, in words

The guard on the right wing passes to the inside player, who has sealed a defender on the block. A second defender leaves a corner player to help, so the inside player passes to that corner for an open shot. If nobody helps, the inside player scores. When the ball leaves, the inside player moves to the dunker spot or the short corner, out of the driver's path.

Watch for

The inside player finishing a cut and then simply standing in the paint.
Entry passes thrown before the inside player has a position.
The four outside all drifting toward the ball when it goes inside.

The practice package

5-out: 42 minutes of core drills

3-on-3 pass-cut-replace (12 min)Builds the pass-cut-replace habit the whole approach depends on.
Drive-kick shooting (15 min)Every player practices the drive, the pass and the relocation.
Paint-touch decisions (15 min)Grades whether a paint touch turned into the right finish, extra pass or spray-out.
5-out cutting reads (15 min)OptionalA full-team version of the cutting reads for staffs that want an extra live layer.

4-out-1-in: 39 minutes of core drills

Post seal, score, counter (12 min)Teaches the inside player to earn a position, score and counter.
Short-roll finishing reads (12 min)The inside player's reads and the passer's delivery.
Drive-kick shooting (15 min)Keeps the four outside spaced and ready when the ball comes back.