What is a fadeaway in basketball
The fadeaway is a type of basketball move that occurs when an offensive player in possession of the ball jumps in the air to take a shot while moving away from the basket and the on-ball defender that would be guarding that same offensive player, ultimately to create a scoring opportunity.
Why is the fadeaway potentially effective
The fadeaway move is potentially effective because it allows the offensive player with possession of the ball to create separation between themselves and the defender that would be attempting to block or contest the offensive player’s shot attempt.
To provide simple clarity of this, let’s say that within standard 5 on 5 action, an offensive player in possession of the ball desires to take a jump shot near one of the perimeter areas of the court such as the high post elbow.
However, let’s say that the offensive player is being heavily guarded by an on-ball defender that is currently doing a great job with lockdown defense.
To make things more interesting, let’s also say that there is only three seconds remaining on the shot clock or game clock.
Furthermore, at the same time, the offensive player cannot even throw a basic chest pass or bounce pass because no other teammates are open to receive the ball.
From there, if that same offensive player attempts to take a standard jump shot with the on-ball defender still in their space, the final result would most likely be a blocked shot, an air ball, or a heavily contested field goal attempt that has a below average chance of actually going into the rim.
At best, the defender might bail out the offensive player by making contact with that same player in the act of shooting, which could lead to a shooting foul and subsequent free throws.
Nevertheless, it is usually not a wise decision to hope for a defensive fouling mistake in this type of scenario.
Therefore, the offensive player should strongly consider taking a fadeaway shot as the alternative scoring option as opposed to a standard jump shot in this particular instance.
When the offensive player does that, the fadeaway action would automatically create a certain level of space and separation away from the on-ball defender, which could also result in a higher chance of the ball going into the rim.
What is a potential drawback of the fadeaway
In terms of a potential drawback of the fadeaway, it could be very challenging to make this type of shot on a consistent basis, particularly for beginners.
This is mainly because the offensive player is moving away from the basket while shooting the ball at the same time.
Also, the fadeaway shot basically requires the offensive player to possess a certain level of upper body strength as well as lower body strength.
However, with the fadeaway shot, the offensive player typically has to compensate with additional power from the upper body.
Moreover, the fadeaway does not necessarily follow standard shooting mechanics as it relates to a player being in alignment with ten toes toward the basket.
Due to all of this, the fadeaway shot could be strenuous to make consistently, especially in the beginning stages of practice and development.
What are the common types of fadeaway shots
Standard fadeaway
The standard fadeaway is generally the most common fadeaway that occurs, particularly near the perimeter areas of the court inside of the three-point line.
Also, in terms of basketball positions, the standard fadeaway could be utilized by any player but it is probably more favorable for perimeter players such as the point guard, shooting guard, or small forward.
Essentially, those types of players could use the standard fadeaway to create space and separation, especially against tall defenders with long arms who could potentially block the basic jump shots of the shorter perimeter players.
Post fadeaway
The post fadeaway occurs near the low post areas or sometimes, within the lane area and it could be utilized to create separation from post defenders.
As it relates to basketball positions, the post fadeaway is commonly used by traditional post players such as the power forward or center.
However, the post fadeaway could also be utilized by the shooting guard or small forward as well, especially if those types of players have the capability to execute low post moves around the basket.
Similarly, certain point guards that are above average in terms of height and/or size could also perform the post fadeaway in some instances.
Side fadeaway
The side fadeaway typically occurs near the baseline area close to the basket.
What makes the side fadeaway unique is that it is not necessarily utilized to move backwards and away from the basket but instead, it is performed to move to the side away from one or more defenders.
As a basic example of the side fadeaway, let’s say that an offensive shooting guard has possession of the ball near the right side wing area during 5 on 5 action.
Let’s also say that there is ten seconds remaining on the game clock and the game score is tied between both teams in the fourth quarter.
Due to this condition, it is in the offensive team’s best interest to release a shot before the clock expires.
Following that, let’s also say that an offensive center sprints over towards the offensive shooting guard to set a side ball screen but that screening action gets countered with ice defense by the on-ball defensive shooting guard.
That tactic effectively forces the offensive shooting guard to attack the rim on the baseline side.
However, as that dribble action occurs, the screener’s defender, who would be the defensive center, attempts to contain the offensive shooting guard in possession of the ball while the defensive shooting guard that initially iced the ball screen chases behind.
At this moment, the offensive shooting guard in possession of the basketball (and the offensive team as a whole) would like to give themselves a chance to win the game.
To do that, the offensive shooting guard would have to take an obvious jump shot. The problem though is that there is not much space to get off a standard jump shot of decent quality.
To alleviate this issue, the offensive shooting guard decides to execute the side fadeaway by jumping away from the defensive center as well as the defensive shooting guard while moving towards the baseline.
At the same time, the offensive shooting guard releases the ball to take a jump shot and because that same player faded away from the defense, particularly towards the baseline, it is difficult for those defenders to contest or block the shot.
Afterwards, regardless if the ball goes into the basket ring or misses, with the side fadeaway action, the offensive shooting guard created one of the best shots available, given the circumstances.