What is general information about carrying in basketball
Basic definition of carrying
Carrying, sometimes referred to as palming, is an action as well as a violation that occurs when an offensive player in possession of the basketball initially dribbles it with one particular hand, but afterwards, the player gathers the ball so that it can temporarily rest in the palm of that same hand, followed by another dribble.
Carrying violation and subsequent penalty
Once an offensive player in possession of the basketball allows it to rest in the palm of their dribbling hand, especially within organized competition such as a standard 5-on-5 basketball game, that would more than likely result in a carrying violation called by the referee.
Following that, the opposing team would receive possession of the basketball as the penalty for the carrying violation and the offensive player that committed the violation would be credited with a turnover, which is also added to that team’s total amount of turnovers within the official box score.
Moreover, it should also be noted that even within informal games such as pick-up basketball or streetball, offensive players could be challenged by opposing players for carrying.
Carrying could lead to a potential unfair advantage for the offensive player
The general reason why carrying is a violation within the game of basketball is because it could potentially result in the offensive player gaining an unfair advantage over the on-ball defender that would be guarding them.
Essentially, by carrying the ball, an offensive player could create more separation from the on-ball defender than what would be feasible in most cases.
For example, let’s say that a point guard has possession of the ball near the top while being guarded by an on-ball defender. Next, let’s say that the point guard executes a double crossover dribble in an attempt to get around the on-ball defender.
However, during the second part of the double crossover dribble, the point guard carries the ball by holding it in the palm of the hand.
Basically, during the second phase of the crossover dribble action, the point guard would naturally lean in one particular direction before dribbling the ball across their body to the other direction.
Yet, if the point guard is able to carry the ball prior to that second crossover, even for a split second longer than normal while leaning in one direction, then the on-ball defender would most likely slide their feet towards that direction to cut off the point guard’s potential dribble drive.
Afterwards, once the point guard completes the second crossover dribble, this would result in misdirection that is illegal for this case and an unfair advantage by way of more separation than usual when compared to a crossover dribble that did not include carrying.
Additionally, an offensive player could carry the ball in such a way that makes it appear to the on-ball defender that the offensive player is on the verge of completely their dribble.
As a result of that, the on-ball defender might change their defensive stance but when that occurs, the offensive player could illegally dribble again and blow by the on-ball defender.
To give an example of that, let’s say that a shooting guard has the ball and is dribbling downhill towards the basket during transition offense.
At the same time, let’s also say in terms of transition defense, a certain opposing player engages with that shooting guard and becomes an on-ball defender.
Moreover, to prevent an easy scoring opportunity at the basket, the opposing player utilizes a standard defensive stance, which includes having their knees bent, feet slightly more than shoulder width apart, back straight, eyes forward, and arms extended away from their sides.
However, to counter that defensive stance, the shooting guard decides to illegally carry the ball while dribbling it, mainly by allowing the ball to temporarily rest in the palm of the hand.
At that moment, the on-ball defender is convinced that the shooting guard is about to end their dribble.
Therefore, the on-ball defender immediately changes their defensive stance by moving towards the offensive player to either contest a potential jump shot or at least implement more pressure defense.
Unfortunately for the on-ball defender, the shooting guard has successfully deceived them with an illegal ruse and quickly dribbles the ball again.
When that happens, the on-ball defender is not able to swiftly change their momentum to stay in front of the shooting guard and as a result, the offensive player is able to attack the rim and score at the basket.
What are violations loosely related to carrying
Violations that are loosely related to carrying include the double dribble violation and the traveling violation.
Basically, those particular violations are related to carrying because each of them consists of the offensive player executing a type of dribbling error.
Double dribble
A double dribble violation occurs when an offensive player initially dribbles the basketball at least one time, touches it or gathers the ball with both hands, and then dribbles it again.
Once an offensive player gets called for a double dribble violation, the offensive team would lose possession of the ball to the opposing team as a penalty.
It should also be noted that it is possible for an offensive player to dribble the ball one time only with both hands. This action is sometimes referred to as a power dribble, especially if it is executed around the basket as a potential low post move.
Traveling
A traveling violation occurs when an offensive player illegally shifts their pivot foot while in possession of the basketball.
Also, an offensive player could illegally shift their pivot foot and thus, travel with the ball before or after executing dribbling action.
In organized competition, the penalty for a traveling violation is loss of possession of the ball to the opposing team and a turnover credited to the offending player.