Scoring inside

[barkers23]

Can anyone offer any tips or point me in the right direction of some guides on scoring the ball inside?

am really struggling when driving to the basket and its even worse when a big manages to pull down an offensive rebound and go back up. pretty much every shot is blocked or rims out.

thanks in advance

[Pokes404]

If you're driving with smaller guards, learn how to use the runner/floater. It's your best bet for flipping it over a shot blocker. It's much harder to block, but it's also a lower percentage shot than a layup. So keep that in mind.

Don't be afraid to shoot a midrange pull up if the lane looks too crowded. If there are shot blockers waiting in there, you're simply asking for trouble if you keep beating your head against the wall trying to score at the rim. Shoot a pull up, even if it's a leaner. It still has a better chance of going in than a highly contested drive. Also, if there's that much help in the paint, someone else must be open. Look to drive-and-kick to a shooter on the perimeter, or drop it off to your big man when the shot blocker steps up to stop you.

As for putbacks off of rebounds, pump fakes are your friend. Sometimes you can grab a board and immediately stick it back in, but if there's someone right on you, it's better to give them a fake first, and then try to go up with it. Pump fakes can get knocked loose though. Definitely be careful of doing this is there are guards around. They're very good a poking the ball free.

If you do attempt to go back up, make sure to push the right stick (or left stick if you use the Square button to shoot) in the direction you want him to go up. Pressing it right at a defender is often going to lead to a bad result for you. Press it left or right to give yourself the best chance of avoiding the defender. And if you're under the goal, you can press it toward the baseline to have your guy lay it up on the other side of the goal with the reverse. Read where the defender is positioned and do your best to try to avoid him.

And keep in mind, sometimes, you just have no chance of being able to attempt a putback without getting blocked. There's nothing wrong with kicking the ball back out to one of your guards and running the offense again. Know your personnel. If that guy isn't great around the rim, probably best to take your new shot clock, kick it out, and try to get something better.