As some of you know I am not the greatest fan of the bounce pass. I think it is too slow and shooters don’t like to shoot off the bounce pass. However the bounce pass does have it’s moments and I thought I’d go over those times now.
1. Post Entry: i believe in the bounce pass as an option for a post entry pass. Post defense has gotten tough and physical over the years and the refs allow more and more contact. That contact makes the entry pass more difficult. I believe that the entry pass to the post is a lost art and one that needs to be practiced over and over. It is a pass where angle is extremely important. Let’s look at a defensive scenario. Any good defense will pressure the ball so that each pass is contested. Poor defenses don’t contest passes. If you are playing against a good defense you have to understand how difficult the post entry pass can be. A low hard bounce pass is one that can get past the initial defender and become handled by the post player without the defense being able to contest it much. If the pass is slow and bouncy you can expect to be on the bench because slow passes are the worst and slow bounce passes are the worst type of those.
2. Fast break: I believe the last pass before the layup can be a bounce pass on the fast break in situations where a 2-1 or 3-2 is ongoing. Understand the situation and that a bounce pass is slower. You can lead the offense with a bounce pass because it gives the player time to get to the ball.
3. Back door cuts: A bounce pass is very effective as a pass to a player who is making a back door cut. The defense can keep their hands in the passing lane, but a bounce pass to a back door cutter has a better chance to get through for a layup. Again, understand that a bounce pass is slower but more effective because of the difficulty to steal in this situation. These passes must be practiced to be perfected.
