You are being denied the ball, so instead of fighting for the catch you cut behind your defender to the basket. The moment his head turns or his hand reaches into the passing lane, the space behind him is yours. The pass is usually a bounce.
Why coaches use it
It is the price a defense pays for denying. A team that puts a hand and a foot in every passing lane is by definition standing with its back to the rim, and the backdoor is the only thing that makes them stop.
You do not need many of them. Two backdoor layups in a half will move a denying team a step off, and once they are off, every catch you wanted in the first place is available. That is the real return: the cut buys you the offense you meant to run.
The classic version comes out of a 1-4 high set, sometimes called blind pig. The ball goes into the elbow rather than to the denied wing, the high post catches facing the rim with the whole lane in front of him, and the denied player cuts straight behind his man. From there it is a two-foot pass and a layup.
How it is guarded
- See the ball. The denying defender keeps one eye on the passer and jumps back at the first hard step.
- Deny with your back to the sideline, not the rim. An open stance costs a little pressure and takes away the blind spot.
- Have a rim protector. Which is why teams that deny hard usually also drop deep.
The cut has to be sold. Two hard steps at the ball first, and a cut that goes all the way to the front of the rim rather than to the block.