Elbow Series

Elbow Series isn’t one play — it’s a category. The starting alignment is constant (one big at the strong-side elbow), but the branches multiply based on what the defense does. The action’s strength is that all six branches look identical for the first half-second, then diverge based on the read.

Common branches:

• Elbow Get: the big executes a dribble hand-off to a wing cutting up from the corner.
• Elbow Pop: the big sets a ball screen for the top guard, then pops to the wing for three.
• Elbow Chest: the big sets a pin-down for the strong-side wing.
• Elbow Flex: the big back-screens the weak-side wing for a cut to the rim.

The offense’s coordinator chooses which branch to run based on the defensive coverage. Some teams call the specific branch from the bench; others let the big read the defense and choose. Either approach works once players internalize the read library.