The paint plays a very important role in deciding the strategy for the game. The paint refers to a specific area in the court and most basketball strategists and analysts discuss it before and after the game.
Sometimes you may hear people talking about the “points in the paint”, and you may wonder what does that means? Well, we are here to offer you a clear answer to what in the paint means in a basketball game.
From a strategic point of view, paint is very important for the whole court. Hence coaches and teams make their plans for the game keeping in mind the paint area on the court.
And it is said by many analysts that the team that holds more control over the paint area has a better chance of winning. Hence the importance of this area while strategizing the play-off is important.
Let’s now dive deep into it and see why the paint is such an important part and what strategies are deployed to take control of it.
What is the paint in basketball?
To answer the question simply, the area in the court that is painted in a different color than the whole court is the area known as the paint.
This painted area starts from the free-throw line to the baseline and lies between the free throw lanes. The differentiating color is used to highlight the area, that’s why it’s called the paint because it is painted a different color as opposed to the hardwood floor of the court.
Segmentation of the paint:
The paint itself as you can see a very crucial area in the basketball game. However, it has further segmentation, such as it is also known as the key and the lane.
The name of the lane is given due to the lines that extend to the free-throw line and the lane-like shape that is created from the baseline to the free-throw line.
The word key was used for this area due to the shape that had, as the lanes were narrow and the free-throw area was round. This caused the paint area to have a keyhole shape. Hence it was known as the key.
Analysts and coaches use different terms to talk about specific areas inside the paint and these areas, so let look at some crucial areas inside the paint.
Low Post:
The low post is a unique spot in the paint where most players position themselves to get a pass to make a score or pass the ball ahead. The low post area is near the basket on the lane lines. This is an optimal spot for the players to make the shot or pass the ball.
The block:
The block is an area on the key, where the players can post up for a ball pass or a shot. It is marked to ensure that players do not get too close to the basket in a free throw. The block is located on the free-throw lane lines.
High Post:
The purpose of the high post is similar to that of the low post. However, as the name denotes the high post is closer to the free throw lines.
Top of the key:
The top of the key is the area above the jump ball circle and at the free throw lines. This is the area on the court where the pint guard directs and starts the game.
Now that we know all the areas within the paint that are crucial for the game, it is now time to understand the importance of the paint area.
Importance of the paint:
Noting all the areas that we have mentioned above the importance of this area becomes apparent. This is the one spot that helps both teams land more shots throw the basket. And due to its proximity to the basket, this area becomes very important for both sides.
From the defenders’ point of view, the defense needs to be very strong and ensure that the offense team players do not get a chance to enter the paint and try to shoot.
Similarly, for the offense, it is important to try to get in the paint and make sure they have men standing in the paint to pass the ball and try for the shot.
The field goal percentage of shots made from inside the paint is the highest among all the other areas on the court. This makes the paint the most crucial area from a strategic perspective for both teams.
Strategies in the paint:
Considering all the things that we have mentioned above about the paint you can now understand the importance of the paint from a strategic point of view. Since both teams try their best to utilize the paint to get the highest percentage of field shots.
There are strategies that the defense side uses to ensure passes aren’t made to the paint and these strategies are called: Zone defense, weak-side help, and denying the pass. Utilizing these strategies on the defense side ensures that the players don’t get into the paint and score.
This is the most action-packed area in the whole court as the offense team sends in their best shooters and the defenders try their best to keep them at bay. The referees try to ensure no fouls are being made however, some shoving and pushing are overlooked as this is the strongest area of the game.
What is the paint mean in Basketball?: Final Words
Now you know everything about the paint area on the basketball court. It is a very crucial part of the game and every team strategizes not only their offense strategy but their defense strategy as well.
Since both sides need to be made stronger and powerful to ensure that the ball doesn’t get passed into the defense side and scores are not made. Similarly, the offense needs to be strong as well in getting inside the paint and scoring shots from within the paint.