Iverson Cut
The wing cut over double screens that defined an era.
Named for Allen Iverson’s signature use of the action under Larry Brown in Philadelphia, the Iverson cut moves a primary scorer from a weak-side starting position across two elbow screens to a strong-side catch. The catch is the start, not the play — Iverson gets the ball moving downhill, then attacks whatever the help shows.
The cut works because it solves the hardest problem in basketball: getting a high-volume scorer the ball in a position to immediately attack. Static catches at the top can be denied. The Iverson cut hands the ball to the scorer already moving toward the rim.
Modern teams run Iverson with three variations: straight cut (curl over both screens and shoot), reject (refuse the second screen and cut to the rim), and flare (catch and pop back behind the second screener for a three). Any defense’s coverage on the action determines which branch to run.
Key principles
- Wing starts on the weak side and sprints across the lane over two elbow screens
- Catches at the top or wing with momentum
- Defense often switches the second screen — read the mismatch
- Branches into pick-and-roll, isolation, or pin-down action from the catch