Actions And Plays

Elevator Doors

Mechanics: Two screeners set simultaneous, parallel screens for an off-ball player, creating a corridor (like elevator doors).

Direct answer

What is Elevator Doors?

Mechanics: Two screeners set simultaneous, parallel screens for an off-ball player, creating a corridor (like elevator doors).

Category	Actions And Plays
Source volume	Basketball Knowledge Vault/vol5_professional_the_frontier.md

Actions And PlaysOffenseDefensePnRCommunication

Mechanics: Two screeners set simultaneous, parallel screens for an off-ball player, creating a corridor (like elevator doors).

The off-ball player navigates through the doors and emerges on the other side with space.
Optimal Pairing: Off-Screen Shooter (runner) + two Stretch Bigs or Versatile Bigs (screeners).
Defensive Target: Elevator doors target man-to-man defense with a small, aggressive ball-handler over the off-ball shooter.
The two screens are difficult for a single defender to navigate.
Counters: One screener's defender stays attached to the shooter, preventing separation.

Actions And Plays

Elevator Screens (also called Closing Doors) are one of the most difficult actions to defend in basketball.

Actions And Plays

Mechanics: An initial handoff occurs between two players (typically a Primary Ball Handler and a Secondary Ball Handler or Off-Screen Shooter).

Actions And Plays

Mechanics: A Primary Ball Handler approaches the screener as if initiating a PnR, but the screener does not set a hard screen.

Actions And Plays

A quick side action where a guard dribbles toward a teammate, pitches the ball, then flows into an immediate pick-and-roll.

Actions And Plays

A Spain pick-and-roll variation that layers a back screen onto the roller's defender to open the rim or free the screener as a shooter.

Actions And Plays

Communicate early (call "Ghost!" before the action)