What makes an Around-the-Post (ATP) shot legal under USA Pickleball rules?

Rule 11.M explicitly permits a player to return a ball around the outside of the net post. There is no requirement that the ball travel above the net cord; it may skim inches off the asphalt around the net post as long as it does not contact the post itself or the crossbar. The ATP typically occurs when an opponent hits an extreme sharp-angled dink that pushes the defender wide outside the sideline. If the ball bounces wide enough, the defender can sprint laterally and direct the ball into the opponent's backcourt from outside the post, making it nearly impossible to defend because of its low trajectory.