Need a Good Pick & Roll Game With a Great Spacing and Great Shooting Options? Try the A Set Offense by Lason Perkins

Written by: Chris Hungerford

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Time to read 4 min

About the A Set Offense 


The A Set Offense, better known as Horns, is a very popular offense utilized by international professional and college teams around the world, and can give you a lot of options for easy shots from the key and three-point line. With the great spacing and wide open key, the A Set Offense stretches the defense and perfectly responds to zoning, and other defensive variations. With this type of play, you can run Pick & Rolls, screens for your shooters, isolation actions, and many other things that you aim. 

How to set up the A Set Offense


First of all, we have to mention that spacing is a priority key to run the A Set Offense. Your players have to be disciplined and at the right spots, patient and smart to read defensive reactions. 


Your point guard with the ball has to be in the middle of the court. He starts the play by using one of the two screens above the three-point line.

Put your best shooters in the corner. it's very important to stretch the defense and make a great spacing for a Pick and Roll game, so your best shooters will drag their defenders away from the key. If defenders decide to help in a Pick and Roll game, they risk a lot by leaving our best shooter wide open. Also, players in the corner should be able to read the defense, since there is a lot of space for a potential back-door cut, or to move one or more steps above to make a better angle for a potential pass.   

Your post players are positioned above the three-point line at the top of the key. This will make space for a post player to roll to the basket after the screen. Also, if you decide to play Pick & Pop game, your post player can stay above three- point line and another post player would cut to the basket so you can keep the same set up. 

Notes from Coach Jason Perkins

  • Keep in mind that you want your team to learn certain fundamentals before playing the A Set Offense, such as passing, screening, and cutting. 
  • Remember, these plays are not special, it's the players that make the plays work. Execution of these plays doesn't have to do anything with the size or speed, it's a matter of your fundamentals.

Pick and Roll Entry 


The A Set Offense starts with Pick & Roll game. Play Maker with the ball starts the play by choosing one of the two screens offered.


After he made a screen, the post player cuts to the basket with aim to receive the ball and score. 


After the screen, the first option of a point-guard with a ball is penetration. If he cannot penetrate, he will look for a post player who is cutting to the basket as a second option. 

If none of these options are working, a post player who didn't screen and roll will pop out at the middle of the court to receive the ball and look for a High Low option. 

 Who Might Use the A Set Offense


The A Set Offense is an offense for any basketball level, high school, college, or professional teams. If your team is disciplined, patient, and well-organized, this could be your primary offense. There are many international professional teams that use this type of offense as a primary weapon. Also, coaches who are more prone to the team game instead of individual solutions, use this the A Set, because it makes everybody involved. 

Advantages of the A Set

  • You don't need size and speed to run this offense. It's a matter of your fundamentals and game understanding.
  • Horns Set Offense makes everybody involved and dangers to score, every player is positioned at the spot where he can give his maximum (shooters at the 3 pt line, post player roles to the basket, the best ball-handler is with the ball etc... )
  • This is something that you can run to change the tempo of the game, depending on your coaching style

Weakness of the A set

  • Playing this kind of offense requires learning and mastering in fundamentals and a high understanding of basketball. Your players (explicitly point-guard) have to be able to read defensive reactions and make the right decisions at the right moment. If you don't have such players this could be a hazard. 
  • It could take time to run this play properly because each player is very important and must stay in the system and be disciplined.  

              Learn More About The A Set Offense from Jason Perkins by renting DVD.Just click below


                                                           A Set Offense by Jason Perkns

set offense

set offense

First of all, we have to mention that spacing is a priority key to run the A Set Offense. Your players have to be disciplined and at the right spots, patient and smart to read defensive reactions.  First of all, we have to mention that spacing is a priority key to run the A Set Offense. Your players have to be disciplined and at the right spots, patient and smart to read defensive reactions. 

 First of all, we have to mention that spacing is a priority key to run the A Set Offense. Your players have to be disciplined and at the right spots, patient and smart to read defensive reactions. First of all, we have to mention that spacing is a priority key to run the A Set Offense. Your players have to be disciplined and at the right spots, patient and smart to read defensive reactions.  First of all, we have to mention that spacing is a priority key to run the A Set Offense. Your players have to be disciplined and at the right spots, patient and smart to read defensive reactions.  First of all, we have to mention that spacing is a priority key to run the A Set Offense. Your players have to be disciplined and at the right spots, patient and smart to read defensive reactions. 

set offense. set offense. set offense. set offense.