Just a word about setting screens before we start: Don’t be a telephone pole. Make yourself big. Too many players stand erect with their hands over their nuts. This is wrong. The proper way to set a screen is to get down in a defensive stance. Let the referee see your hands. This makes you big and takes up more space. That said, let’s get down to business.

You can set a screen as close as desired, as long as the screener is in the normal field of vision of the player being screened. When out of his field of vision, the screener must allow enough space for a normal step. This will vary among referees; therefore, players must adjust. These screens are called:

1. Outside Screen – Whenever the defender is playing his man loosely, the screen should be outside the defender, that is, between the defender and the man he is guarding.
2. Inside Screen – When the defender is close to the offensive player being screened for, the screener should be inside the defender and closer to the basket.
3. Lateral Screen - Whenever the defender is guarding an offensive player in a way that lateral (side) screening might open that offensive player for a shot, drive, or cut, to the basket, the screener stops on either side of his teammate’s defender. The advantage to the lateral screen is that it comes within the field of vision of the defender; hence, it can be set with the wide base mentioned previously.
4. Back Screen – When an offensive player moves behind a stationary teammate who has the ball, or dribbles behind a teammate, a back screen is being set. Both defensive players will be inside and closer to the basket than the offensive players.
5. Rear Screen – When a wing or pivot player moves behind a defender from a position out of the visual field of that defender, he sets a rear screen. It is an inside screen that is set by a player moving from a close-in-to-the basket position to the rear of the opponent. An excellent rear-screen maneuver is to have the pivot player break from his post position toward the ball handler, who passes to him. The pass is usually high enough that the pivot man must jump and catch the ball in the air. He must be well in front of his defender as he moves to the ball from directly behind the passer’s defender. As the pivot player makes contact with the floor, he pivots toward the basket, holding the ball high over his head. The passer immediately cuts of the pivot player, to either side, running his defender into the pivot player’s rear screen. The pivot passes to the cutter if no switch is made; however, if a switch is made, he dribbles in for an easy lay-up, himself.
6. Double Screen – A double screen is set when two offensive players stop in a shoulder-to-shoulder position, parallel to, perpendicular to, or oblique to the end line, anywhere within shooting distance of the basketball goal. Many set offensive patterns use this maneuver to obtain good shots or cutting opportunities.

This is a pivoting maneuver used by a screener after screening for a teammate after that teammate cuts off the screen. To do this, the screener pivots on the left foot, taking a long step toward the basket with the right foot when the cutter goes to the screener’s right. If the cutter goes to the screener’s left side, the screener should pivot on his right foot, taking the long step toward the basket with his left foot.

The position of the defender guarding the teammate being screened for dictates the type of screen to be used.