Pistol 5 — Full System Deep Dive

What it is

• Pistol 5" is a half-court action where the ball is passed ahead to the 5-man positioned at foul-line extended (mid-post/wing area, between the 3-point line and the free-throw.
• Sabonis at foul-line extended (between arc and free-throw line).
• Pass Ahead + DHO: Fox throws to Sabonis, cuts toward ball, receives dribble handoff back immediately - Fox reads: shoot off the catch, attack baseline, attack middle - If baseline.

Why it matters

• It puts a skilled big in the decision seat while guards move at speed.
• It creates pressure without needing a traditional high pick-and-roll.
• It is difficult to scout because the same entry can become handoff, backdoor, keeper, or flowing action.

How it works

• Guard hits the 5 and cuts toward the ball.
• The first read is usually DHO if the defender trails.
• If the defender overplays, the guard cuts backdoor.
• If the DHO is covered, the 5 keeps the ball and attacks or flows into the next side.
• Weak-side players punish help with lift, corner, or skip spacing.

Reads and counters

• Trail defender: hand the ball off.
• Top lock or overplay: cut backdoor.
• Big defender sags: 5 keeps and drives or shoots.
• Help tags early: hit the corner or weak-side lift.
• Switch: look for the guard-big mismatch before the defense loads up.

Teaching cues

• Teach the 5 to read the guard's defender, not memorize a handoff.
• The guard must cut with enough speed to force the defender to declare.
• Spacing matters before the entry; the action dies if the help is already in the lane.

Bilingual terms

Learn before and after

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