Cutting. It’s the first movement & spacing concept that 99% of basketball players are taught.

And yet, very few players are highly effective cutters. In 20 years, I’ve only coached a handful.

I think a big part of that is because most players don’t take pride in their cuts.

As coaches, we tell players every basket cut is a scoring cut, but they don’t really believe that.

They aren’t necessarily wrong. They won’t score on most of their basket cuts. But they should score on some of them!

That leads to the 2nd problem. Players are not taught when to cut.

Why Players Struggle with Cutting Effectively

Because passing and cutting is taught universally so early on, most players do it without thinking - and without looking.

When they don’t have the ball, they ball watch. As a result, they miss cutting opportunities.

Not the great cutters. They know what to look for.

To be an effective cutter, you do need to be aware of the ball, especially when it’s driven. But you also need to keep 1 eye on your defender. More times than not, your defender will tell you when the time is right to cut.

With that in mind, here are 5 basket cuts your players can use to score more points, as well as the cues that make them work.

Cutting 101: The Basics

There are 2 basic basket cuts:

• Backdoor cut

  Definition:

  A backdoor cut is a cut where the offensive player cuts behind the defender to the rim.

  Potential Cues:

  When the defender overplays. Some teams use a spot on the floor to cut a backdoor cut. For example, if the defender cross the 3 point line, that offensive player automatically cuts.

  

  Other coaches might teach players to back cut if the defender is directly between the offensive player and the ball. Either cue works - just be clear with your players.

  When the defender turns their head. A second cue for a backdoor cut is when the defender ball watches. This can happen anywhere on the court.

  A “2nd cut” after a drive is a common occurrence.

  In this example, x2 turns to look at 1 after 1’s drive, losing sight of 2. That cues 2’s cut.

  

• Face Cut

  Definition:

  When the offensive player cuts in front of the defender to the rim.

  Potential Cues:

  Defender not in the gap: Face cuts are most effective against a defender who does not “jump to the ball.”

  

  Because x2 didn’t jump to the ball, 2 is able to cut in front of them. This makes for an easier pass for player 1.

Cutting 301: 3 Next Level Basket Cuts That Get Buckets

Once your players understand backdoor & face cuts, start layering in these 3 actions:

• 45 Cut

  Definition:

  A cut from the wing (45 degree angle to the rim).

  Potential Cues:

  Opposite side baseline drive: The best time to 45 is on a baseline drive by a teammate on the opposite side of the floor. You could make this an automatic 45 cut.

  

  1’s drive draws x4’s help. X2 is taught to drop. That opens up a gap for 2 to 45 cut. If x2 takes the 45 cut away, 4 should be wide open for a corner 3.

  On ball action towards the wing: 45 cuts are also effective at creating space for zooms & ball screens.

  When the action brings the ball handler towards the wing, a 45 cut forces their defender to make a decision.

  

  If they go with the cut, a big gap is opened up for the dribbler.

  If they stay in help, the cutter should be open at the rim.

  Check out some examples of the Cavs using 45 cuts below:

• Burn or Corner Cuts

  Definition:

  A burn cut is a cut made from the corner to the basket.

  Potential Cues:

  Opposite side middle drive: Whereas 45 cuts pair nicely with baseline drives, burn cuts are ideal with middle drives.

  

  On the drive above, many teams would ask x4 to help. If x4 steps over to help, that leaves space for 4 to cut behind them.

  Even if x4 doesn’t help, they commonly watch the drive and lose sight of their player. That allows 4 to cut to the basket undetected.

  (Corner cuts are a great action and can get you 1-2 layups a game. If you use them, I suggest pairing them with a corner drift for the wing player. This is a great way to create more space for your drive and create a kickout option in the corner.)

  

• Laker Cut

  Definition:

  A basket cut made after a pass into the post. It can be an automatic cut after a post pass. (One argument for making it automatic is it clears that defender from “digging down” into the post.)

  Or, you can use the cue below.

  Potential Cues:

  Defender turning their head: This works similar to the backdoor cut.

  On a post pass, most defenders turn and look at the ball.

  As soon as that happens, the passer should cut to the rim.

  

  Players can Laker cut on the high side or low side of the post player. That decision is cued by where the post player is & whether their defender (x1 above) helps on the low side or high side.

Cut Hard, Score Easy: Why Cutting Changes Everything

It’s hard to score in the half court. It’s extra hard to get layups.

That’s why cutting is so crucial. If you can generate a handful of cutting layups each game, that’s 10 extra points.

Not only that, but your hard cuts also create more driving lanes. Why? Because when the defense has to respect your cuts, they stick closer to their player and pay less attention to the ball.

That’s a win-win for your offense. Starting today, go beyond the ‘what’ of cutting and educate your players on the ‘when’ & ‘why’. The scoreboard will reward you for doing so!

If you’re interested in checking out more motion offense drills, concepts & videos, check out our motion O hub page!

Comments Most Likes First   Oldest First   Newest First Steve MacKinney says: 10/3/2025 at 11:54:15 AM Add Traffic Cut to the list: If a teammate cuts toward the ball and goes between your defender and the basket, cut behind your cutting teammate and time the cut so your defender runs into your teammate and/or your teammate's defender. Example: The ball is passed to the strongside elbow. You are at the point and your teammate cuts from the weakside wing toward the strongside elbow. You run your man into the cutter (and his defender) on your way to the basket. Only do this if the other two offensive players are on the strong side, at the wing and corner for instance, so you don't have to deal with those pesky help defenders. Also have the passer fake a pass to the first cutter so his defender is less likely to drop into help position. This is a moving screen, but it will not get called if the first cutter is acting like he wants the ball and avoids running over the defender of the second cutter. Like     login   register

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