SpacingBeginnerAnimatable

Fill

When a player moves to occupy an empty spot vacated by a teammate who cut, drove, or screened, maintaining proper offensive spacing.

When It's Used

After the ball handler drives and a corner player lifts or wing cuts, another player fills the empty spot to maintain spacing.

What It Creates

Maintains spacing so the defense can't help without leaving a shooter open, keeps the offense balanced for the next action.

About This Action

The concept of 'Fill' is a fundamental off-ball spacing principle where a player strategically moves to occupy a vacant area on the court, created by a teammate's action, to maintain optimal offensive geometry. This movement is not random but purposeful, designed to ensure the offense remains balanced, threatening, and adequately spaced across all five positions. It's a proactive response, executed typically as a teammate initiates a drive, executes a cut to the basket, or sets an on-ball screen that draws a defender or creates an open lane. For instance, if a point guard drives hard from the wing towards the baseline, the player occupying the strong-side corner must 'lift' to the wing to open the baseline for the driver and remove a potential double-team option. Simultaneously, a player on the weak-side wing might 'fill' the now-vacant strong-side corner, establishing a new scoring threat or passing outlet. This continuous chain reaction is crucial: a dribble-drive initiates a lift, which then necessitates a fill, often culminating in a kick-out pass to the newly filled spot for a catch-and-shoot opportunity. The timing is critical; players must anticipate the opening, moving into the space as it's vacated, not after the defense has had time to recover. The primary purpose of proper 'Filling' is to prevent offensive congestion, which chokes driving lanes and makes defensive rotations significantly easier. By consistently relocating into open space, the offense forces the defense to make difficult decisions: either help on the primary action and leave a newly positioned shooter open, or stay home and risk a score inside. It ensures the offense always has multiple threats and balanced angles for passes, keeping the ball moving and the defense scrambling. While not the most glamorous aspect of offensive play, teams that master the art of filling properly are consistently able to generate high-percentage shots, whereas those that neglect it often find themselves stuck in a crowded, stagnant mess.

Connections

Replace, Relocate, Catch-and-Shoot | Chain: Dribble-drive → Lift → Fill → Pass" class="inline-link">Kickout Pass → Catch-and-Shoot

Defensive Counters

Close Out, Rotate, Jump to the Ball

Common Mistakes

One of the most pervasive errors related to 'Filling' is the failure to move at all when a teammate vacates space. Players often become fixated on the ball, neglecting their off-ball responsibilities. When a driver penetrates, and a perimeter player doesn't lift or a cutter doesn't prompt a fill, the result is immediate offensive stagnation: the driving lane becomes congested, the defense can sag into the paint without consequence, and kick-out opportunities vanish. The correction lies in developing 'off-ball vision' – teaching players to actively scan the court, identify empty zones, and anticipate the next potential offensive threat, moving decisively as soon as a teammate commits to their action. Another frequent mistake is improper timing or location when filling. Players might fill too late, after the defense has already recovered and closed off the window of opportunity for a pass or shot. Conversely, players might fill into an already occupied space or a spot that doesn't provide optimal spacing, creating new congestion rather than relieving it. This often stems from a lack of understanding of the team's offensive spacing principles or poor communication. To correct this, coaches must drill specific 'fill' responsibilities based on offensive sets and player positions, emphasizing precise timing (moving 'as' the space opens) and communication cues (both verbal and non-verbal) to ensure only one player occupies a crucial vacated spot and that the new positioning truly enhances offensive flow and threat. Defensively, the most common counter-failure against effective 'Filling' is a breakdown in multi-level rotations and communication. When the offense executes a drive-and-kick sequence where a player fills an open corner, defenses frequently overcommit to the primary driver, failing to account for the relocating off-ball shooter. This leads to slow or non-existent close-outs, leaving the 'filled' spot wide open for a catch-and-shoot. The defensive correction requires constant drilling of 'jump-to-ball' principles, aggressive close-outs on the catch, and vocal communication regarding switches and assignments to ensure no shooter is left unattended when the ball is reversed to a filled spot.