No Look Pass in Basketball: Basic Information Explained

What is the no look pass in basketball

The no look pass, also occasionally referred to as the blind pass, features offensive action that occurs when a player in possession of the basketball throws it to a teammate without looking directly at that same teammate.

Also, the no look pass could be technically performed at any opportune time within the game but it is usually most effective during transition offense, especially in primary break when the offensive team could have a possible numbers advantage.

Why is the no look pass potentially effective

The no look pass is potentially effective because it could be utilized as a tactic to deceive or mislead one or more defenders which could then generate possible scoring opportunities that might not have been available otherwise.

Generally speaking, most defenders have a tendency to watch the ball and/or look at the eyes of the player in possession of the ball in an attempt to anticipate or predict which one of that same player’s offensive teammate would receive the ball if a pass were to occur.

Basically, defenders want the player in possession of the ball to telegraph the pass so that it could be deflected or preferably intercepted, which in that case would result in a turnover for the offensive team.

However, if a deflection or interception is not feasible, then defenders at the very least, would still want to track where a pass is going so that they could execute a defensive closeout if necessary or contain the ball, in general, wherever it goes.

Ultimately, the no look pass could be beneficial to the offensive team in certain instances because it typically inhibits the overall capabilities of defenders, at least momentarily.

As a basic example, let’s say a player has possession of the ball at the top and that same player is being guarded by a certain on-ball defender with standard man to man defense.

Afterwards, let’s say that the player with the ball executes a standard basketball pass to a teammate near the right side wing.

When that occurs, if the on-ball defender and/or additional off-ball defenders are able to anticipate where the pass is going, then at least one of those defenders could possibly deflect the pass or maybe even intercept it in some cases.

Nevertheless, if a deflection or interception is not viable, then at the very least, the on-ball defender would be able to communicate with other teammates on the location of the ball, which is a boon for the defensive team as a whole.

Furthermore, that same on-ball defender would most likely jump to the ball to hinder possible dribble penetration from the wing towards the lane and/or eliminate a potential face cut by the player that executed the pass in the first place.

On the other hand, let’s say that the player with the ball executes a successful no look pass to a teammate near the right side wing.

When that occurs, the on-ball defender may not initially see the destination of the pass and therefore, would not be able to swiftly and effectively communicate with teammates.

Additionally, immediately following the no look pass, the defender may become frozen for a split second and therefore, not jump to the ball quickly enough.

This, in turn, could then lead to possible dribble penetration from the wing towards the lane and/or a simple face cut via give and go action from the initial passer.

Either of those scenarios could result in potential scoring opportunities, which would be favorable for the offensive team.

What is a notable drawback of the no look pass

A notable drawback of the no look pass is that if a player in possession of the ball throws it inaccurately off the mark so that the potential recipient of the pass is not able to catch it effectively or at all, then this would more than likely result in poor offensive execution or a turnover respectively.

Essentially, the no look pass is an advanced type of pass that should primarily be used in certain situations and by players that have already mastered the basic passes.

For example, let’s say that a player in possession of the ball at the top attempts to execute the no look pass with a teammate on the right side wing as the intended target of that pass.

However, let’s also say that the passing skills of the player in possession of the ball are sub-par or simply not adequate enough to perform this advanced pass on a consistent basis.

From there, let’s say that when the player that has possession of the ball throws the no look pass, that same pass is off the mark.

So, instead of the ball moving directly towards the teammate near the right side wing, the ball moves toward the space that is between the right side corner and the right side wing.

This means that the player on the wing has to reach out to that space and grab the ball so that it does not go out of bounds or get intercepted by the defense.

When that occurs, it gives the defensive team enough time to closeout and at the same time, it eliminates a potential jump shot opportunity for that wing player.

As another example of what could go wrong, let’s say that a player in possession of the ball executes the no look pass during a 3-on-1 fast break scenario.

However, let’s say again that the player has sub-par passing skills and throws the ball behind the intended receiver which subsequently results in a turnover.

This is obviously bad and could have been avoided with a standard basketball pass.

Furthermore, the player that executed the no look pass did not take advantage of the 3-on-1 fast break, which should have been at least two easy points because there would be three offensive players and only one defender.

Again, this is why it is important for the no look pass to be executed by players that have mastered the other types of passes, especially the basic ones.

Affiliate Disclosure: I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases made through the links below.

What are the different types of no look passes

The different types of no look passes that could be used to create potential scoring opportunities against the defense include the no look chest pass, the no look bounce pass, the no look behind the back pass, and the no look flip pass, among others.

Below are brief descriptions of the types of no look passes that could be executed within a basketball game.

No look chest pass

The no look chest pass features offensive action that happens when a player in current possession of the basketball throws it with two hands from their own chest area towards the chest area of a teammate without looking at that same teammate.

In terms of the various no look passes, the no look chest pass is most likely the easiest one to execute and could be used in various situations.

No look bounce pass

The no look bounce pass includes offensive action that occurs when a player in current possession of the basketball throws it with an adequate amount of strength and at a certain angle to the floor without looking at a teammate who would be the intended target of the pass.

A player with the ball could consider utilizing the no look bounce pass particularly after dribble penetration into the lane followed by an off-ball offensive player cutting to the basket.

Essentially, when dribble penetration happens, it typically influences multiple defenders to converge on the player with the ball.

As a result, at least one of the off-ball offensive players could either backdoor cut or simply straight cut to the basket.

From there, the player with the ball would more than likely be able to execute the no look bounce pass to an off-ball teammate cutting to the basket.

This could be viable because most defenders will have their hands high to deflect or intercept an air pass and/or those same defenders will simply watch the ball while forgetting about off-ball offensive players that could possibly cut to the rim.

It should also be noted that there is a special type of no look bounce pass, presumably developed by Pistol Pete Maravich called the wrist pass.

Basically, with the wrist pass, a player in possession of the ball will look towards one direction while snapping the wrist at a certain angle to execute a bounce pass in the opposite direction.

Pistol Pete goes into more detail of the wrist pass in the Homework Basketball series, particularly the Passing segment.

Moreover, there is yet another sub-variation of the no look bounce pass that occurs when the player in possession of the ball bounces it between their own legs or between the legs of a defender without looking at the teammate that would receive the ball.

It should also be stated emphatically that the bounce pass between the legs as well as the wrist pass mentioned earlier are for more advanced-level players and as a result, those types of passes are not recommended for beginners.

No look dribble pass

The no look dribble pass is comprised of offensive action that happens when a player in possession of the basketball initially dribbles it and then quickly throws it, specifically with one hand, to a teammate without looking at that same teammate.

This type of pass could be great to use during a fast break scenario because the player with the ball can quickly dribble and pass before the defense is able to fully react.

No look behind the back pass

The no look behind the back pass features offensive action in which a player in possession of the basketball throws it behind their back to a teammate without looking at that same teammate.

This type of pass could be very useful in a variety of situations because the behind the back pass in itself is already designed to deceive the eyes of a defender with misdirection.

So, by adding in the no look element, it would most likely be very challenging for the defensive team to mitigate the effects of this particular pass.

It should also be noted that it is possible to execute a no look behind the back bounce pass as well as a no look behind the back elbow pass, as performed by Jason Williams, particularly during the 2000 NBA Rookie Challenge, which is now known as the Rising Stars Challenge.

Both of those sub-variations could result in potential scoring opportunities and perhaps, even exhilaration from fellow teammates as well as spectators and fans.

No look flip pass

The no look flip pass consists of offensive action in which a player in possession of the ball flips it over their own head or shoulder to a teammate that is behind them. In terms of opposing defenders, it is very difficult to limit or prevent the effects of the no look flip pass.

This is because it initially looks like the player with the ball would be taking a jump shot or even a layup but then that same player flips the ball over their head to a teammate for a potential scoring or playmaking opportunity.

No look behind the head pass

The no look behind the head pass features offensive action that occurs when a player in possession of the basketball throws it behind their head to a teammate without looking at that same teammate.

The no look behind the head pass is somewhat similar to the no look flip pass with the main exception being the ball gets thrown behind the head as opposed to over it.

This type of pass could be very effective in the right type of situation.

For example, let’s say a player with the ball drives to the basket down the middle of the lane for a possible layup, particularly during a fast break.

Additionally, let’s say that the opposing team’s center and primary rim protector jumps straight into the air to block the layup or at least influence the player in possession of the ball to alter their shot.

As that occurs, let’s also say that another offensive player is cutting to the basket, particularly from one of the wings and a third player trails behind the ball near the lane lines.

From there, the player with the ball could execute a no look behind the head pass to either the player cutting to the basket from the wing or the player that trails behind the ball.

Afterwards, either one of those teammates could finish the play with a layup or dunk at the rim.