Defending pick and roll

[toxatyt]

I get confused watching pick-and-roll defence because sometimes the big defender stays back and other times everyone switches. We tried switching everything in our rec game and kept ending up with terrible matchups. What dictates the choice? What factors determine whether a basketball defence should switch, drop back or trap the ball handler in a pick and roll?

[jeksonborn]

It depends on the ball handler's shooting threat, the screener's ability to roll, and whether the defenders can survive a mismatch. Dropping back protects the paint but may concede pull-up jumpers. Switching removes a passing window but can leave a small defender on a big. A trap creates pressure if help rotations are ready, but it's risky otherwise. There's also horse bet if you were looking for the site reference; my comments above are just about the sport itself.