Get Action
Pass and screen-down — the ball-handler runs to the screen.
Get action is what happens when the point guard wants the ball back in scoring position. The setup: PG passes to the wing, then cuts off a screen set by a big near the lane line, receiving the ball back as a hand-off or direct pass. The catch happens with momentum toward the rim.
Get differs from a standard pick-and-roll because the PG isn’t initiating with the ball — they’re cutting INTO the action without it, getting the ball back at the point of attack. The defender chasing the PG has to fight over the screen while also tracking the original pass and return.
Modern NBA teams run Get action as a counter to defenses that aggressively pressure the primary ball-handler at the top of the floor. By giving up the ball and cutting back into the offense, the PG escapes the on-ball pressure and re-enters the action with a moving start. Defensively, Get is hard to scout because the trigger is a simple pass-and-cut rather than a recognizable formation.
Key principles
- Point guard passes to the wing or top, then sprints toward a screen
- Big sets a screen for the point guard on the lane line
- Point guard catches in the lane with momentum and a live dribble
- Branches into pick-and-roll, post-up, or kick-out three