Q: In a 3 OUT set, if player up top passes to the player on the right wing and basket cuts, won’t there be a spacing problem with the ball-side post?

A: Spacing will be compromised only for the time that the cutter is passing between the post players. Good spacing will return as the cutter fills out. Let me take a different stab at your question:

If you are running a 3 OUT 2 IN formation, you’ve already determined that some types of basketball actions are more advantageous for you (due to your personnel) than others. As an example, if you want to score lay-ups with perimeter Pass & Cut action, then you should be in a 5 OUT or 4 OUT 1 IN formation - the best being 5 OUT. But since you’ve chosen a 3 OUT formation, I assume that your post action is stronger than your perimeter Pass & Cut action. When your perimeter passes and cuts, the chance to get a return pass is either immediately (before getting too close to the posts) or later after coming out of the lane. As an example: the point passes to the wing, basket cuts, and then fills out to the ball-side corner. Of course the point is not going to get the ball back while passing through the lane, but when filling out, there’s a chance to use the ball-side post as a screen to rub off his defender. If the point player were to fill out to the weak side, there’s a chance to rub off the weak-side post and receive a skip pass. Perhaps the weak-side post sets a Pin Screen for the point player on his way out.

(By the way, you might use a 3 OUT situation because you have 3 great penetrators and you want to afford them the most spacing for driving. See the layer on 3 OUT 2 IN.)

Let’s take another situation: The wing passes to the point and basket cuts. There’s no chance for a lay-up, but there’s a chance to use the posts as double staggered screens. In other words, if you’re going to emphasize Perimeter Pass & Cut action, then your perimeter players should be adept at using screens and catching and shooting.

In other words, each formation can take advantage of certain actions but also gives up the chance to use other actions. A 5 OUT set might have the best chance for Pass & Cut lay-ups, but it gives up a chance for Post Play of any kind. If they played in a 5 OUT set, a Steve Alford or Reggie Miller would only have post screens to work their game around if the cutting actions of other players created brush screens. There would be no “formal” post screens. A 3 OUT 2 IN formation can take advantage of all types of Post Play and afford a Reggie Miller/Steve Alford with screens galore to work their game, but at the same time the 3 OUT formation gives up chances for Perimeter Pass & Cut & Score with a Lay-Up action. A 4 OUT formation has all kinds of combinations of 5 OUT and 3 OUT advantages and disadvantages.

I hope you get my point: all actions are still available regardless of the formation, but depending on the formations, some actions have a better chance of leading to a score than others.