What is a block in basketball
A block, also referred to as a blocked shot, occurs when a defensive player is able to use one or both hands to nullify an offensive player’s field goal attempt, generally while the basketball is in mid-flight on an upward trajectory, typically towards the rim.
It should also be noted that even if an offensive player attempts to release the ball out of their hands to take a shot but a defender is able to get at least one hand on top of the ball, which in this case, prevents the ball from taking flight, that could still be considered a block as well.
Essentially, any time that an offensive player attempts a field goal but a defensive player neutralizes that offensive action by using one or both hands to make legal contact with the ball, then it generally means that a block has occurred.
Related: Blocked Shot, defender block field goal attempt during upward shooting motion – NBA Video Rulebook
Which basketball positions could achieve the most blocks
In reference to standard basketball positions, post players such as the power forward and center will usually achieve the most blocked shots within a single game or throughout the season as opposed to perimeter players such as the point guard, shooting guard, or small forward.
Essentially, post players are usually the tallest members of a team and they typically possess the longest wingspan in terms of arm length.
This means that there would be at least a moderate chance that those particular post players would have an opportunity to block shots, especially around the rim when compared to perimeter players.
Additionally, although perimeter players such as the point guard, shooting guard, or small forward might not have as many shot blocking opportunities as the power forward or center, those players could still block shots occasionally, generally near the perimeter areas of the court but sometimes around the basket in certain instances.
If the point guard, shooting guard, or small forward does happen to get a block near the perimeter, it would usually occur because of an excellent defensive closeout and great timing in terms of arm extension as the opposition attempts to release the ball, particularly via a mid-range or three-point jump shot.
Also, if a perimeter player is able to block a shot near the basket, it will most likely happen as a chase down block.
Essentially, if an opposing player has an opportunity to quickly score points at the rim via transition offense and more specifically, via primary break or even a one man fast break, then it is possible for a perimeter player to utilize their speed to chase down that offensive player and block their shot, typically from behind the offensive player.
For example, let’s say that there are two teams, denoted as Team A and Team B respectively, involved in a full court 5-on-5 basketball game.
Afterwards, let’s say that the point guard of Team A has possession of the basketball at the top and attempts to throw a basic chest pass to their teammate, a shooting guard, near the right side wing area.
However, the defensive shooting guard of Team B is able to stick a hand in the passing lane to deflect the pass and once that occurs, that same defensive shooting guard is able to gain possession of the ball.
This also results in a steal for the defender and a turnover for the offensive point guard of Team A. From that point, Team A is now in transition defense and simultaneously, Team B is in transition offense.
Next, the shooting guard of Team B has an opportunity to advance the ball from Team B’s backcourt into Team B’s frontcourt and easily score a layup or dunk at the rim with little to no resistance to protect the basket.
Nonetheless, for this case, the point guard of Team A is very fast as well as athletic and that same player is able to use their speed to catch up with the shooting guard of Team B.
Following that, when Team B’s shooting guard attempts to score via a layup or dunk, Team A’s point guard is able to leap in the air with a high vertical jump, extend an arm and adjacent hand to swat the shot attempt away from the basket.
This results in a block, and more specifically, a chase down block for the point guard of Team A.
Why is it generally important for teams to have a shot blocker
It is generally important for teams to have at least one shot blocker such as a rim protecting center because without one, the opposing team could simply pass the ball towards the basket or attack the rim via dribble penetration to ultimately score, particularly in the lane.
Basically, a defensive team without a shot blocker could be potentially detrimental because field goal attempts in the lane and around the rim are typically the highest quality shots available.
In other words, it is usually much easier for an offensive team to get points via layups, dunks, floaters, or post moves as those types of basketball shots will typically result in high percentage scoring opportunities.
Even if the rim protecting defender is not able to necessarily block the shot, their arm length and wingspan could still influence the offensive opposition to alter the shot attempt, particularly when the offensive player is close to the basket.
When that occurs, it could lead to a lower offensive shooting percentage as opposed to a higher one when there is little to no rim protection at all.
What is additional information to consider about blocks
General information about blocks in relation to statistics
A block is one of several categories of statistics that could be documented as numerical data, especially by an official scorer within organized basketball games.
Additionally, this numerical data of blocked shots could typically be viewed for an individual player or for an entire team and this information could also generally be displayed for one or more games or as an average of blocks over the course of one or more seasons.
Furthermore, after the completion of one particular basketball game, a player’s individual blocks alongside the team’s total blocks could be generally viewed in a box score for that specific game.
General information about blocks in relation to goaltending and basket interference
If the ball is on a downward trajectory after an offensive player’s shot field goal attempt but a defender attempts to swat it away from the basket, then that would most likely result in a goaltending violation as opposed to a blocked shot.
It should also be noted that if a defender swats the ball away while it is above the basket ring and within the imaginary cylinder of the basket ring, then this could potentially result in a basket interference violation instead of a valid blocked shot.
Basically, after a offensive player tries for a field goal, once the ball is above the basket ring and on a downward flight or inside of the hoop’s imaginary cylinder, the potential shot blocker has to give the ball a chance to go into the rim.