Seeing the Whole Play: What Players, Coaches, and Fans Should Know About Officiating Screens
A feature article in partnership with RefMasters
Basketball Intelligence is excited to be partnering with RefMasters as we feature some of their wonderfully insightful content, bringing you further in-depth into the mechanisms and nuances that go into officiating the game.
If you're interested in becoming an official, a coach, or simply a more knowledgeable player or spectator, RefMasters offers an outstanding blend of professional experience, community support, and a technologically advanced approach to help you better understand the art of officiating.
In our first featured piece, NBA official James Williams breaks down a brief clip from the recent Timberwolves-Warriors series to explain what all goes into making an off-ball call.
If you’ve ever shouted, “That’s an illegal screen!” from the bench or the stands, this one’s for you.
We wrapped up a recent RefMasters University session with a play from Game 1 between the Golden State Warriors and the Minnesota Timberwolves. On the surface, it looks simple—just a screen to free up a shooter on the wing. But beneath that simplicity is a moment packed with nuance, mechanics, and judgment.
Let me break this play down and offer three things every player, coach, and fan should know about how we officiate screens. My hope? That next time you see a screen like this, you'll see it a little differently.
1. The Ball Isn’t Always the Most Important Thing
Watch the clip again. You’ll notice the Trail official (the one on the top-right of the screen by the 28-foot mark) never follows the ball. That’s not a mistake, it’s elite officiating. They recognize the play is being run to get a shooter open. That means the most important thing happening isn’t the ball handler. It’s the screener and the defender.
Officiating isn’t about chasing the ball. It’s about anticipating action and putting your eyes where they matter most.
Takeaway for players and coaches: If a ref isn’t looking at the ball, it doesn’t mean they’re lost. It means they’re working ahead of the play. The best officials don’t react, they prepare.