Foul or incidental contact?

[Camron Rust]

Originally Posted by Indianaref

4-27-4: A player who is screened within his/her visual field is expected to
avoid contact with the screener by stopping or going around the screener. In
cases of screens outside the visual field, the opponent may make inadvertent
contact with the screener, and such contact is to be ruled incidental contact,
provided the screener is not displaced if he/she has the ball.

Have you ever seen a screener with the ball?

Yes....and I've called a foul on that screener on occassion.

Example Play....A1 has the ball at the 3-point arc even with the free-throw line extended. A2 cuts up the lane and curls around the top of A1 towards the corner or back towards the basket. B2 is picked by A1 leaving A2 is open in the corner or on a cut to the basket. A1 drops the ball to A2 for the layup or open corner-shot.

The foul occurs when A2 passes by A1, then A1, currently having their pivot foot farthest from the basket, pivots away from the basket to put their body/hip/leg into the path of B2....knocking B2 off path in order to free up A2. This is often missed as many officials don't expect it to happen and are watching the primary defender B1....or might even think that B1 is guilty of a foul for running into A1. But, this is a screen and A1 must give B2 time/distance to avoid contact.