Play Breakdown: Double Flare and Post Play
TL;DR Simple Man to Man Play with a double flare screen for the point guard and a screen the screener action for a big.
The Double Flare and Post is a quick-hitting man-to-man half-court set designed to challenge a defense’s perimeter tracking and interior help-side recovery. This set creates two distinct scoring opportunities in rapid succession: an open perimeter jumper via a double flare screen, followed immediately by a screen-the-screener action to isolate a big man inside.
By starting with a completely empty paint, the offense forces defenders to guard the play out in space, making it highly difficult to provide baseline or low-post help.
Step-by-Step Play Breakdown
The following step-by-step breakdown explains the movement patterns and screening actions demonstrated in the playbook diagrams:
Initial Spacing and Alignment
- The Formation: The offense initiates from a high-post stack alignment. Player 1 serves as the primary ball-handler at the top of the key.
- Perimeter and Post Positions: Perimeter players (2 and 3) occupy wide positions on the left and right wings near the free-throw line extended. Big men (4 and 5) start tightly stacked together directly on the free-throw line, keeping the entire low paint vacated.
Wing Entry and Screen Preparation
- The Perimeter Pass: Player 1 initiates the action by passing to Player 3 on the right wing.
- Shifting the Wall: As the ball is in mid-air, the stacked post players (4 and 5) begin to shift dynamically toward the left elbow, preparing to set up a wide, staggered blocking wall.
The Double Flare Cut
- The Flare Movement: Immediately after releasing the pass, Player 1 utilizes the double screen set by 4 and 5, executing a hard flare cut over the top toward the vacant left wing.
- The Perimeter Look: Player 3 catches on the right wing and immediately looks across the court. If Player 1’s defender gets trapped behind the wall of 4 and 5, Player 3 delivers a skip pass to Player 1 for an open three-point attempt.
Screen-the-Screener Continuity
- The Post Counter: If the defense manages to recover and prevent the skip pass to Player 1, the play transitions into its secondary phase.
- Interior Isolation: One of the high screeners ducks inside to set a back-screen for the other big man. This allows the primary target to drop down straight into the low post, sealing their defender on the block for an isolated post-entry pass from the wing.
Teaching Points
To successfully execute the Double Flare and Post play, players must master three strict details:
- Eliminate Screening Gaps: Players 4 and 5 must set their screens shoulder-to-shoulder. If any gap exists between the two screeners, the on-ball defender can split the screen and contest the flare cut.
- Cutter Timing and Depth: Player 1 must not fade too early. They must wait until Player 3 securely catches the ball, and then cut with a deep enough angle toward the sideline to ensure a clean, unobstructed passing lane.
- Immediate Post Seal: The interior player rolling to the low block during the screen-the-screener phase must find defensive contact early, pinning the defender on their back to demand a high-low or wing-to-post entry pass.
Download the PDF for Double Flare and Post and view the animation here.
