What is a Motion Screen in Basketball (Explained)

Setting screens is a part of almost every basketball offense.

Whether it’s a cross screen, a low screen, or a ball screen, teams often use some type of screening action to give themselves an advantage.

However, there are times when these screens are not in the right place.

This may be due to a mistake by the offense or due to the aggressiveness of the defense, which forces the scout to move and make illegal contact.

The result of this is a moving screen.

This post will look at what a moving screen is, why moving screens often occur, and how players can avoid being called a moving screen.

A moving screen is a type of illegal screen where the screen makes contact that is not allowed because it does not stay still or moves some part of its body to create contact.

Moving screens can occur either in on-ball situations, when the screen is set by the ball carrier, or in off-ball situations.

This will happen more often when the defender tries to avoid the screen by going over or under it, and the defender changes his body to make contact.

Referees often look for the following criteria to determine whether a charge sets a legal or a moving screen:

• The feet are fixed and the position is fixed
• No leaning or sliding
• There are no hip, shoulder, or arm extensions

If any of these three levels are not met, then a moving screen will likely be called.

A case is called an illegal screen usually in these three situations:

Or because the ball handler was impatient or the scout was late, the screen was not set before the linebacker ran to him.

So, because the tester made contact before finding the position, this could be a moving screen.

Once the player is officially in contact, he must remain stationary until the defender completely clears his screen.

A moving screen occurs when the screen moves its body to maintain contact as the defensive player works his way around or through the screen.

If the spotter sees that the linebacker is going to completely avoid his screen, he will often make the mistake of dropping his hip or leaning in to make at least some contact.

Officials will almost always call you for a moving screen, as it is not always stationary or on the cylinder.

Although this may seem like a straightforward question, the answer is not so clear.

The real answer is that screens CAN move to set their screens effectively…however, they must re-set the screen so that the defender has enough distance and time to avoid it.

Therefore, the screen is allowed to move to set the screen as long as the movement happens BEFORE any contact, not as it happens.

A common legal instance of this can occur during a dramatic screen.

If the linebacker avoids the first screen, the second screener on the stagger can move and reposition to ensure contact, as long as he does so with the setup and gives the defender enough time and space.

A moving screen in basketball is considered an offensive foul.

Therefore, it will be considered an advantage when the defense gets the basketball close until the screen move occurs.

It will also be counted as the foul play of the offending team.

However, even if the team is in the bonus, there will be no free throws on the moving screen because it is considered unfair to control the team.

Players can make errors on the moving screen for several reasons.

And honestly, not all of these are mistakes even the tester.

Here are some of the common reasons that moving screens occur:

Generally, this means that the cutter or ball handler does not wait for the screen to be set before attacking.

This often leads to the screen being called a moving screen because it doesn’t have time to set up on the screen before the contact appears.

If a linebacker plays solid defense and can fight over screens effectively, it can often lead to a motion screen being called, even if it wasn’t.

With a tight window between the ball handler and the screen, the linebacker will sometimes hit the screen the wrong way and make a bad catch, even if there really wasn’t any movement.

Sometimes testers feel they have to initiate contact with the defender, even if that means moving a body part overtly and being called a profanity.

It is the receiver’s job to set up the defender properly to force him to hit a screen.

The screen just needs to stay completely still and let the other player make sure the connection is happening.

A moving screen call is a frustrating call for a coach because it’s a benefit that is often avoided entirely.

Here are some tips to help your players avoid moving screens:

To always give defenders enough time and space, scouts need to focus on getting to their location early.

Once there, they should get used to setting up the screen with their feet shoulder-width apart, hands crossed in front of them, knees bent for balance, and standing completely still.

To ensure that the screener has enough time to set up early, the offensive player must always move his defender away from the screen to set up.

Once the screen is set, that’s when the cutter or ball handler should look for the attack off the screen, rubbing shoulders as it passes.

This is especially for ball screen situations, but the scout should wait to roll or slide to the basket only AFTER the ball carrier or cutter clears the screen.

While folding or sliding in advance can be a good way to sometimes escape a moving screen, it is against the rules and can be called, depending on the officials.

Also, one of the most common reasons for a shaky screen is due to poor timing between the screen and the player receiving the screen.

Therefore, it is important that your teams practice their screening games often and understand not only their role in the games, but also their teammates, especially when there is a screen involved.

There are few calls as frustrating as a moving screen for basketball coaches, mostly because they are so avoidable.

But due to bad timing, an aggressive defender, or just plain bad manners, these calls continue to happen at all levels of basketball.

But if you can teach your screens to come early and when to fold, your other players to set screens effectively, and all of your players understand your play inside and out, then hopefully you can make moving screens a thing of the past on your team.