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Pinwheel Curls

A baseline out of bounds play against man-to-man: 2 steps with diagrams and coaching points.

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Half-court diagram of Pinwheel Curls, step 1 of 2: 5 offensive players; player 2 has the ball; lines: 1 cut, 2 screens.
Credit: Ball Coach

How it works

A baseline play where two players form a tight stagger for consecutive curling cutters. The inbounder looks first for 3 attacking the rim, then for 1 continuing through the same action to the right side.

When to use it

Under your basket, against man-to-man, when you have two cutters who can curl tight off a stagger.

Personnel

4 and 5 form a tight stagger. 3 and 1 are the two cutters, one curling right after the other. 2 inbounds and reads them in order. Cutters need to curl tight to the screen.

Step by step

  1. F112345

    Step 1. Diagram only.

  2. F212345

    Step 2. Diagram only.

Reads

  1. First read. 3 curling off the stagger to the rim.
  2. Second read. 1 following through the same action to the right side for the catch.

Counter

If both curls are covered, the stagger screeners are your outlet: pass to a screener stepping to the ball.

Teaching cues

  • Screeners: stay tight and hold the stagger a body width apart.
  • Cutters: go one after the other, shoulder to the screen, no gap.
  • Inbounder: wait for 3 to clear the first screen, then look to 1.

Use this play

Version
1 (current), approved October 1, 2026
Published by
Ball Coach
Source
Published by Ball Coach under its first-party license, credited to Ball Coach. Released as a fixed version; any later edit gets a new version number.
Use
Free to view, print and add unchanged to your playbook.

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