Author: Dan MacFadyen

13 Jun Pass & X-Cut? Umm… Let’s Discuss it.

One of my favorite parts of the Read & React is that a coach can infuse it with his own personality. There are a ton of ways the Offense can be adjusted to your style of play, your strengths and weaknesses, your personnel, etc. In fact, this blog has a bunch of ideas to help you do just that. But, those adjustments must happen within the framework of the Offense or you slowly move away from the Read & React and back into traditional motion offense. So, where does the X-Cut question fall? Let's go through it. In the Read & React the very first rule that you learn is: If you pass, you must basket cut. Simple. The problem some coaches spot within the specificity of that rule is that now you can no longer pass and screen away. And, eventually you start to miss the screen away. So, a coach who misses the screen away and loves the Read & React (these are not mutually exclusive) gets an idea. What if I changed the Pass & Cut rule just a bit? What if after you pass you could either basket cut or make an X-cut with the player one spot away? That would achieve the screen away and send someone to the basket. And, best of all, it seems like it won't mess anything up with the other layers of the offense. That question has created a rousing debate in a couple of forum threads over the last few months and I thought it was just about time to post an official answer on the Tribe. (You can also read Rick's thoughts which delve into the difference between Read & React and Motion Offense here). I discussed this with Rick the other day and we came up with the following response.