High Post

The high post refers to the area on a basketball court located around the free-throw line and the elbows, which are the corners where the free-throw line meets the sides of the key, representing a crucial tactical space that bridges the perimeter and interior areas of the court. The high post serves as a pivotal location for offensive actions, screening opportunities, and ball distribution, offering unique advantages compared to low post play due to the greater space available for movement, better passing angles to all areas of the court, and the ability to facilitate both inside and outside offensive actions. While the low post sits closer to the basket and traditionally emphasizes power moves and physical dominance, the high post emphasizes skill, decision-making, passing ability, and the versatility to operate as both a scorer and a playmaker. The evolution of basketball over recent decades has actually increased the importance of high post play in many offensive systems, even as traditional low post play has declined, because high post actions integrate effectively with modern spacing concepts and three-point shooting emphasis. High post players combine elements of traditional big man play with perimeter skills, creating mismatches and decision-making challenges for defenses. The positioning of the high post offers several tactical advantages that make it valuable for offensive systems. From the high post, a player can see the entire court, facilitating high-low passes to post players closer to the basket, skip passes to shooters on the opposite side of the court, handoffs to guards coming off screens, and quick hits to cutters moving toward the basket. The high post position naturally attracts defensive attention and creates spacing opportunities, as defenders must account for the high post player as both a scoring threat and a passing hub. The concept of "high-low" action, where a high post player receives the ball and quickly passes to a low post teammate who has established deeper position, represents one of the classic tactical advantages of high post positioning. This action forces defenses to defend both levels of the post simultaneously, creating difficult decisions about where to provide help defense. High post screening actions, particularly the high pick-and-roll where a high post player sets a screen for a ball-handler at or near the free-throw line, have become absolutely central to modern basketball offense. The high pick-and-roll creates geometric advantages that force defenses into difficult decisions, with the screening action creating temporary advantages that skilled players can exploit. The high post screener's positioning at the free-throw line creates different angles and spaces compared to side pick-and-rolls, potentially opening direct driving lanes to the basket or creating short roll opportunities where the screener catches the ball while rolling to the basket with a running start. Players like Nikola Jokic, Marc Gasol, Pau Gasol, and Draymond Green exemplify skilled high post operators who combine passing vision, shooting ability, decision-making, and screening to orchestrate offenses from this area. Nikola Jokic in particular has demonstrated how a center operating from the high post can serve as the primary offensive hub for an elite offense, with his exceptional passing ability allowing him to deliver precise passes to cutters, spot-up shooters, and rolling teammates while also posing a shooting threat himself. The high post elbow areas serve as key locations for offensive actions in many systems. Elbow jumpers, mid-range shots taken from the corners of the free-throw line, were once common and considered good shots, though modern analytics have identified mid-range shots as the least efficient attempts in basketball, leading to decreased emphasis on elbow jumpers in favor of either driving to the basket or stepping back for three-point attempts. However, the elbows remain crucial as screening locations, with many offensive sets beginning with screens set at the elbows to free up guards or wings for catch-and-shoot opportunities or drives. The concept of "elbow touches" describes possessions where the ball is passed to a player stationed at one of the elbows, initiating various offensive actions including handoffs, drives, or quick passes to cutting teammates. High post play requires a specific skill set somewhat different from low post play. While low post players must possess strength, power moves, and the ability to score through contact in confined spaces, high post players need excellent passing vision and accuracy, the ability to make quick decisions with the ball, sufficient shooting range to threaten defenders from 15-18 feet, screening technique and timing, and the mobility to operate in more space. Some players excel at both high and low post play, able to operate effectively from multiple areas and creating matchup problems for defenses that must account for their versatility. Tim Duncan exemplified this dual capability throughout his career, capable of devastating low post scoring but also highly effective operating from the high post as a passer and screener. The integration of high post play with perimeter actions creates some of the most effective offensive concepts in basketball. The "high-low" concept can extend beyond traditional post players to include guards and wings, with ball-handlers operating from the high post and making reads based on how defenses react. The "horns" set, one of the most common offensive alignments in basketball, places two players at the elbows with the point guard at the top of the key and two players in the corners, creating multiple high post screening options and forcing defenses to defend a wide array of potential actions. From this horns alignment, teams can run high pick-and-rolls, handoffs, cuts, and various other actions that leverage the high post positioning. The defensive challenges presented by skilled high post play include the need to prevent easy entry passes while also being ready to help on drives or cutters, navigating screens set by high post players without leaving shooters open, and dealing with the passing threats that high post players create.