pick-and-roll

[pik-uhn-rohl]

noun

Basketball.

1. an offensive maneuver in which a player interposes their own body between a teammate with the ball and a defender, then cuts quickly toward the basket for a pass from that teammate.

Word History and Origins

Origin of pick-and-roll¹

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

A high-flying athletic center, Hayes is the type of player who excels next to a pick-and-roll artist such as Doncic, who loves to put on a show with flashy lobs.

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The pick-and-roll chemistry between the Lakers guards and the new center was slow to develop during the preseason, especially because Doncic did not get a full training camp as he returned from a busy summer with the national team.

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Doncic’s wizardry in the pick-and-roll makes him an athletic rim-running center’s dream as the crafty point guard drops passes from every imaginable angle.

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One of the league’s pick-and-roll savants, Doncic should help Ayton rediscover the dominance he flashed while helping the Phoenix Suns reach the NBA Finals in 2021 and post a franchise-record 64 wins in 2022.

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Ayton, Redick emphasized, was once Chris Paul’s pick-and-roll partner in Phoenix.

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When To Use

What does pick-and-roll mean?

A pick-and-roll is an offensive play in basketball where a teammate screens off a defender and then breaks free so the ball-carrier can pass it to them.