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Give and Go in Basketball: Basic Information Explained

What is general information about give and go in basketball

Basic definition of give and go

Give and go consists of action that occurs when an offensive player in possession of the basketball near a perimeter area of the court passes it to another offensive player and then, the initial offensive player immediately cuts toward the basket.

General function of give and go

The primary passer, who is the first player, initially throws the basketball to the primary receiver, who is the second player.

Next, the primary passer becomes the secondary receiver and attempts to get open while cutting toward the rim.

From there, if the secondary receiver (i.e. the first player) succeeds in getting open, then the primary receiver (i.e. the second player) becomes the secondary passer and swiftly throws the ball back to the secondary receiver.

Following that, the secondary receiver scores points, preferably by way of a close-range shot such as a layup, dunk, or floater in some cases.

General reference of give and go

Essentially, it is generally referred to as give and go because as the name implies, an initial player will give the basketball to another secondary player. Following that, the initial player will immediately go towards the basket, ultimately to score points after receiving the ball again from the second offensive player.

Give and go can develop offensive skills

Give and go action could be a practical method of developing the fundamental skills of passing and cutting.

Passing is generally important because it promotes ball movement, which could also lead to defensive breakdowns.

Cutting is generally important because it promotes player movement and that could potentially lead to one or more mistakes by the opposing defense, which could also result in high percentage scoring opportunities.

Give and go can aid in building general player/team chemistry

Give and go action could be effective and is generally important because it can aid in building chemistry between the two players involved in the primary activity as well as the team overall.

Basically, passing the basketball to teammates and receiving it from teammates builds trust while also promoting good teamwork as well as providing positive contributions to the team as a whole.

General relationship of give and go action when compared to pass and cut action

Give and go action is very similar to basic pass and cut action but there is a very minor difference between the two.

Essentially, with give and go action, the initial passer will always cut towards the basket, especially for a possible scoring opportunity.

Nevertheless, this is not an absolute mandate within pass and cut action, although that is what would usually happen as well.

In other words, within pass and cut action, the initial passer could cut towards the basket to potentially score points but it is also viable for the initial passer to simply cut away from the ball in certain instances.

Put another way, pass and cut action gives the initial passer the option to cut towards the basket or away from the ball in general.

Conversely, within give and go action, the initial passer immediately cuts to the basket, specifically to potentially score points.

A brief example of pass and cut away action would be something like the solo series within the triangle offense.

In the solo series, the initial passer, who is typically the point guard, gives the ball to the strong side wing player, known as the trigger or key.

Afterwards, the initial passer executes a speed cut through the lane and away from the ball to the weak side corner.

Moreover, it should be mentioned that within the solo series, the initial passer does coincidentally cut towards the basket as they are cutting through the lane but this is generally not to score points as that player is actually cutting away from the ball.

It is interesting to note as well that the triangle offense also features give and go action to one degree or another, primarily by way of the pinch post series and the corner series alongside the aforementioned solo series.

What are examples of basic diagrams that feature give and go action

Example 1

Example 1 - Give and Go

This is an example of basic give and go action with only two offensive players. To begin, 2 receives the ball from 1 and after that, 1 cuts to the basket.

Next, 1 receives the ball from 2 again and then scores points via a layup or dunk to complete the give and go action.

Example 2

Example 2 - Give and Go

This is an example of give and go action derived from the 5 out motion offense strategy. To start, 4 receives the ball from 2 via a wing to corner pass.

Next, 2 cuts to the basket and receives the ball again from 4. Following that, 2 scores points at the rim via a layup or dunk.

Example 3

Example 3 - Give and Go

This is an example of give and go action derived from the UCLA offense strategy. To begin, 2 receives the ball from 1 via the slot to wing pass.

Next, 1 cuts toward the basket via the UCLA screen set by 5. Afterwards, 1 receives the ball again from 2 and scores points near the basket.

Example 4

Example 4 - Give and Go

This is an example of give and go action initiated from a basic 1-4 high set. To start, 5 receives the ball from 1 by way of the top to left side high post pass.

After that occurs, 1 cuts toward the basket via the weak side flare screen set by 4. Next, 1 receives the ball again from 5 and scores via a layup near the basket.

Example 5

Example 5 - Give and Go

This is an example of give and go action derived from a set with an isolated post player.

To begin, 5 receives the ball from 3 and afterwards, 3 moves toward the basket by way of a Laker cut.

Following that, 3 could receive the ball again from 5 and score near the basket via a layup or dunk.