Spain PnR (Ball Screen + Back Screen)
Setup: Handler uses a ball screen from the big.
Actions And Plays
Spain PnR
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.
Direct answer
What is Spain PnR?
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.
Quick facts
| Category | Actions And Plays |
|---|---|
| Diagram | spain-pnr |
| Source volume | Basketball Knowledge Vault/vol5_professional_the_frontier.md |
What it is
- Spain PnR combines a normal ball screen with a third player back-screening the rolling big's defender.
Why it matters
- It delays the defender responsible for the roller.
- It forces the defense to guard the ball, the roll, and a popping shooter at the same time.
- It is especially dangerous late in games because one missed communication creates a layup or three.
How it works
- Ball handler uses the screen.
- Big rolls to the rim.
- Third player back-screens the big's defender.
- Back-screener pops or spaces after contact.
- Handler reads lob, pull-up, corner, or pop.
Reads and counters
- Is the roller free for a lob?
- Did the big's defender get screened or switch late?
- Did the low man tag from the corner?
- Is the back-screener open on the pop?
- Can the handler score if both defenders stay attached?
Teaching cues
- The back screen belongs on the defender's blind side.
- The handler should look rim first, then pop, then corner.
- The pop threat must be real enough to punish overhelp.
Bilingual terms
| English | Spain PnR |
|---|---|
| Simplified Chinese | 西班牙挡拆 |
| Traditional Chinese | 西班牙擋拆 |
Related concepts
NBA Teams That Feature Spain PnR
Phoenix Suns (Monty Williams era)
Phoenix Suns Spain PnR (Monty Williams)
Multiple ball screens flowing into Spain
Ghost Screen / Fake PnR
Mechanics: A Primary Ball Handler approaches the screener as if initiating a PnR, but the screener does not set a hard screen.
Pistol Action / Dribble Pitch Into PnR
A quick side action where a guard dribbles toward a teammate, pitches the ball, then flows into an immediate pick-and-roll.
Flip Action / Handoff Into Immediate Ball Screen
Mechanics: An initial handoff occurs between two players (typically a Primary Ball Handler and a Secondary Ball Handler or Off-Screen Shooter).