As our month of looking at the switch rolls along, we turn our attention this week to a clever repurposing of a spacing automatic triggered when penetration attacks a two-side spaced floor, commonly referred to as the Clyde Cut (also referred to here as the Slide Cut).
Zooming In: The Clyde Cut is effectively two cuts happening at once: a hard cut from the corner to the rim paired with a simultaneous slide or drift from the wing to fill the vacated corner, all designed to punish gap help and preserve optimal spacing.
While its success spacing around the ballscreen {🔒} and middle penetration {🔒} has been well documented here, the Clyde Cut’s value continues to expand, this time as a tool for attacking a perimeter mismatch. Against switching defenses, the same spacing principles can be repurposed to target bigs on the perimeter. In the same vein as our recent newsletter on attacking a perimeter mismatch off ball with dribble pitches, triggering the Clyde Cut on the drive at the big gives the offense another way to challenge the big’s gap integrity while generating clean catch and shoot opportunities for the mismatch.
What You’ll Learn
- How the Clyde Cut manipulates gap help and forces bigs into extended two-way closeouts.
- How 4-around-1 spacing after the PNR creates the conditions to trigger the Clyde Cut effectively.
- When to flow from the drift into a dribble pitch to maintain pressure on the coverage.
Like last week, we head back to Valencia under head coach Pedro Martinez for part two of their targeted strategy for attacking the switch.
Two Birds, One Clyde
When a big gets switched onto a guard, the defensive response is predictable: heavy gap help, with the defense loading toward the ball to support the vulnerable matchup. Offenses can become stagnant in these moments by relying too heavily on the ballhandler to create in isolation, and simply holding perimeter spacing is often insufficient against disciplined defenders who can stunt and recover.
So how can the offense open cleaner gaps around the mismatch and fully expose the perimeter player’s speed advantage? Enter the Clyde Cut.
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Zooming In: Out of the 4 around 1 spacing created after the PNR, the ballhandler will get off the mismatch by passing to a teammate lifting into the slot to trigger the subsequent cuts and drive.
By getting the mismatch off the ball and introducing the Clyde Cut, the offense accomplishes two key objectives. First, the ball reversal shifts defenders out of their gap positions. Second, the corner cut effectively empties the backside help behind the big. As the drive targets the big’s gap, the slot guard can drift into the outer third unimpeded by secondary stunts, forcing the big into a nearly impossible two-way closeout.
Creating Tough Closeouts
When switched onto a guard, as highlighted in our Drive the Big Pitches {🔒}, the big’s natural off ball tendency is to sink and protect the lane rather than deny on the perimeter. Aware of the speed disadvantage, most bigs are reluctant to sit high in the passing lane, which creates an opportunity offenses can deliberately exploit.
By introducing the Clyde Cut, the offense places the big in immediate conflict. As the ball is driven and the corner cuts through, the big is baited into supporting the drive while their matchup drifts behind them toward the corner. What is already a difficult stunt and recover for the big becomes nearly impossible when any chance of backside help or “stunt the stunter” support is removed.
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The result is an extended two-way closeout. After committing to the gap, the defender must now extend further out to the corner, often from the high side and frequently from their blind spot. That combination creates a heavily disadvantaged contest angle and increases the likelihood of a clean catch and shoot opportunity.
Opening The Backdoor
The corner cut is largely sacrificial, as this player is unlikely to receive the pass, but their role and timing are critical. The wing cannot drift until the corner cut begins, and the ballhandler should not initiate the attack until the wing has moved, so the entire sequence is triggered by the corner cut.
Earlier is better here. There is little value in waiting until the last moment; clearing the space early opens optionality for the guard, who can either complete the drift to the corner or counter with a backdoor cut.
Counter Attack
Sometimes, to the chagrin of offensive coaches, the defense handles the action well and neutralizes the initial Clyde Cut. If the big stays home and tracks the drift, the ballhandler should first look to be aggressive on the drive, as the gap is no longer being plugged.
More importantly, the offense should maintain its flow. If the drift does not create the advantage, the corner player always can counter back out of the corner into a dribble pitch.
In what has been the dominant theme this month in attacking bigs on the perimeter, continuing to find ways to force the big to defend multiple actions in space is a good bet to find an advantage. The defense may be able to take away the first layer, the drift to the corner, but can they recognize and effectively communicate when the offense shifts gears into a dribble pitch?
Against the switch, the objective is not just to hunt the mismatch but to stress it repeatedly. The Clyde Clear turns a static advantage into a moving problem, forcing the big to defend space, process movement, and survive multiple decisions in sequence.
To see how Valencia layers the action in real time, SG+ Members can now watch the full breakdown on SGTV!
