If you've played youth basketball, you know how frequently coaches at any level bemoan getting beat with a basket cut. Hell, even if you've watched enough basketball, you probably notice a clear distaste for letting players go wherever they want.

Defenders have the primary responsibility of preventing their opponent from getting open to a point where he/she can score, maneuvering their positioning and stance based on the location of the ball and their mark relative to the basket. "Man, ball, basket" are the three elements any defender is aware of.

A backdoor cut is designed to take advantage of a defender momentarily falling out of position when they lose vision of their mark and therefore allow her/him to make a run to the rim. It's a simple concept that is sometimes read-and-react, meaning a skilled offensive player notices the defender making a mistake and will cut backdoor.

Other times, there are set plays called with the pure intention of scoring on a backdoor cut.
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How do teams diagram and anticipate how and when such a cut will be successful? What has to happen in order to occupy the four other defenders so they cannot provide effective emergency help? Why and how do professional players still get beat on such a simple, elementary concept?
We'll dive into the anatomy of those pre-determined backdoor plays by using the NBA as our classroom, understanding that even the best sets rely on effective scouting, fantastic trickery and the perfect execution from all five offensive players.

Just two years ago, the Washington Wizards were a trendy pick to make a run in the Eastern Conference. John Wall, Bradley Beal and Otto Porter Jr. were an effective trio, while other youngsters and role players made them a difficult matchup on paper.

Fast forward to September 2019: Wall is out for the season with a ruptured Achilles tendon, and Porter has been shipped to the Chicago Bulls for Jabari Parker, Bobby Portis and a 2023 second-rounder. (Both players were two-month rentals and walked in free agency.) Combo guard Tomas Satoransky proved he could handle a bigger role and promptly transferred to Chicago via sign-and-trade as well this offseason.
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Now the Wizards are back at ground zero, rebuilding on the fly with a capped-out roster and All-Star Beal. Head coach Scott Brooks worked through the summer without clear direction from an organized front office who took a while to give Tommy Sheppard the keys after Ernie Grunfeld's long-running tenure was finally (mercifully?) ended.

Earlier this week, we published a piece on the surprising analytic findings surrounding after timeout (ATO) situations.

The data points show a slight shift favoring the defenses in these situations, despite the offense having the opportunity to reset in a specific and patterned manner under the coach's direction. Thus, it's more difficult to score after a timeout than it is during a regular half-court set.

Why is that? Naturally, there's a convenient and over-arching point: it's harder to score on a set defense.

​At no point will a defense be more set than after a long stoppage like a timeout. Perhaps we shouldn't over-think the logic behind this trend any more than that. It's a slight enough shift that the data doesn't fluctuate too wildly.

But what if there's something else at play here beyond the surface? What if there was a way that coaches were executing their defensive coverages in these ATO situations that can directly lead to success?

Those who follow me on Twitter (shameless plug) are likely familiar with the affinity I have for X's and O's.

Basketball's set plays are an incredible form of human manipulation: leading an individual to do something they believe is in their best interest when it really isn't. The best plays both target an individual to be the victim of said manipulation and have perfectly choreographed and rehearsed movement between five players. There's beauty and brilliance in each play, which is why I began The Daily ATO series last winter.

Timeout situations are where coaches have the largest control over their player's movements.
Whether it is to start a game or following an intense huddle, after timeout (ATO) plays have become a large part of professional strategy. Great play designs or ideas are heralded in the coaching community, and advance scouts will spend a great deal of time compiling notes on different coaches' favorite plays to gain a competitive edge.
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So what might the numbers tell us about after timeout situations? Do coaches really have that profound of an impact on how teams perform, and which ones are the best? Specifically looking at the 2018-19 season, the results may be surprising.