Category: Offense Zone

2-3 Zone Offense “Chicago”

Here is another play attacking the 2-3 zone defense. Having an athletic O3 who can jump and finish inside is key. See the diagrams below. O2 sets up on the left wing, v-cuts and gets the pass from O1. O5 and O4 set up below the defense.

O5 back-screens the middle defender (X5), while O4 back-screens the weak-side low defender (X4). By crossing O4 and O5, we get better screening angles on both screens. O3 slides below the screens for the lob pass from O2, and possible dunk. Or if unable to dunk, O3 catches the pass, gathers and scores off the glass.

Both bigs "backscreen" their weak sides up the "weakside" of the key/post
Both bigs “backscreen” their weak sides up the “weakside” of the key/post
Look for 3 "weakside inside"
Look for 3 “weakside inside”

Notice the familiar fundamentals of the setup: 2 men in a double screen, guard in the point, pass weak side inside, back door cut, rebound the weakside. Notice how much it looks like a “red dog” or “brazil” or a “four back door”(if O3 passed to O2 passed to O1).

2-3 Zone Offense “Vermont”

Vermont starts with a "double down"
Vermont starts with a “double down”
A big "fills" a wing then "screens down" their middle
A big “fills” a wing then “screens down” their middle
VermontZonePlayC
Our “Mr. Big” gets a jump shot from the “smiley face”

Use this simple play vs the 2-3 zone defense for an easy inside jump-shot. Diagram A below shows us starting with a low double stack set, with guards O2 and O3 on the left lane line, and post players O4 and O5 on the right lane line. Put your intended shooter (here O5) as the low person in the stack.

O2 cuts under to the right corner, while O3 cuts out to the left wing. O4 pops out to the right wing and gets the pass from O1. In diagram B, O4 looks at our good shooter O2 in the corner and might even pass fake (to get X3 aware of O2), but instead reverses the ball back to O1. We want X1 guarding O1, and O1 takes a couple dribbles left (diagram C). O2 cuts up to the wing (to occupy X3), as O4 sets a good down-screen on the X5 defender. O5 curls around the screen for the pass from O1, and the inside jump-shot.

Imagine that if O4 waits for O2 to back screen X3, O4 could run “4 back door” for a “Weakside inside” pass from O1 or O3.

Attacking a 2-3 Zone: Basic Principles

motionversuszonenotes_1.gif

Several principles need to be used in order to obtain the best results against any zone defense and they are;

– attack the seams/gaps
– dribble and pass penetration
– move the zone/distort the zone
– screen the zone
– skip pass and reversals/cross splitline
– dribble one way, pass the other
– your allignment

If the zone defense is a 2 – 3 setup then your allignment must be 3 out 2.

This is often called “odd guard front”.

Your baseline players must be “deep” at least at the level of the backboard.