Zones and junk defenses

Guarding areas instead of players, and hybrids built to erase one scorer.

All families · 11 terms · 10 full, 0 partial, 1 short

1-2-2 zone

One defender at the top, two at the elbows, two on the blocks; it covers the arc better than a 2-3 and the baseline worse.

One defender stands at the top of the key, below the handler. Two stand at the elbows, just outside the lane, labeled two at the elbows, and two stand just inside the lane near the blocks, labeled two on the blocks. The offense has a handler at the top with the ball, wings on both sides, a player in the right short corner beside the right low defender, and a shooter in the left corner with no defender near him.

Why it is run. One at the top and two at the elbows covers the arc better than a 2-3, and two on the blocks covers the baseline better than a 3-2, at the cost of doing neither as well as the shape built for it.

What beats it. The quick wing-to-corner pass before the elbow defender steps out; the same high-post and short-corner attacks that beat the 2-3.

defense · Half court · full · Taught in lecture 4.6 · See also 2-3 zone, 3-2 zone

1-3-1 zone

One at the top, three across the free-throw line, one on the baseline; built to trap and force long passes.

The offense has 1 at the top, 2 on the right wing with the ball, 3 on the left wing, 4 in the right corner and 5 in the left short corner behind the zone. The defense is a 1-3-1: x1 at the point, just inside the arc below 1; x2 and x3 level with the free-throw line out beyond each side of the lane, with x4 between them in the free-throw circle; and x5 in the lane just above the rim, labeled baseline runner. Two teal arrows converge on 2, one from x1 and one from x3, labeled trap the wing. A third teal arrow takes x5 along the baseline across the lane toward 4 in the right corner, to take the corner away.

Why it is run. A long thin shape with a point and a baseline runner exists to trap the wing catch with two defenders and force the long pass out of it; it is a gamble on turnovers, not a scheme of protection.

What beats it. The skip pass out of the trap to the far corner, which the single runner cannot reach; a handler who keeps his dribble and splits the trap.

defense · Half court · full · Taught in lecture 4.6 · See also Zone defense

2-3 zone

Two defenders up top and three across the baseline, packing the paint.

Two defenders, x1 and x2, stand above the free-throw line on either side of the free-throw circle, labeled two guards up. Three stand across the back: x3 outside the left block, x5 in front of the rim and x4 outside the right block, labeled three across under the basket. The offense has 1 at the top with the ball, 2 on the right wing, 3 on the left wing, 4 in the left corner and 5 at the high post, just below the free-throw line and right of center, between the two lines of the zone.

Why it is run. Two up and three across the back closes the paint completely and keeps the rim protector at the rim; it is thin at the high post, where the two lines meet, and in the corners the back line has to stretch to.

What beats it. The high-post entry and the pass from there to the corner; the skip pass when the whole zone has shifted; offensive rebounds against a back line with nobody to box out.

defense · Half court · full · Taught in lecture 4.6 · See also Zone defense, 3-2 zone

3-2 zone

Three up top, one at the top of the key and two at the free-throw line extended, and two on the blocks, pressuring shooters at the cost of the glass.

Three defenders stand up top, labeled three up top: x1 at the top of the key, in front of the handler, and x2 and x3 out toward each wing on the free-throw line extended. Two defenders, x4 and x5, stand low on either side of the rim, labeled two on the blocks, so there is only one defender on each side of the glass. The offense has a handler at the top with the ball, wings on both sides, a shooter in the right corner, and 5 in the middle of the lane, below the free-throw circle and between the front three and the low pair.

Why it is run. Three up top crowds the arc against a shooting team and guards the high post; two players are left with the whole baseline and the glass.

What beats it. The short-corner catch behind the low pair; the drive into the gap between a top defender and a low one; the offensive rebound.

defense · Half court · full · Taught in lecture 4.6 · See also Zone defense

Amoeba defense

Also: amoeba

A zone that changes shape during a possession, starting from something like a 1-3-1, so the offense cannot be sure which zone it faces after each pass. One glossary calls it a junk defense and another a zone.

The offense has 1 at the top with the ball, 2 on the right wing, 3 on the left wing, 4 in the right corner and 5 in the left short corner. The five defenders start in a 1-3-1, labeled starts as a 1-3-1: x1 at the point above the free-throw circle, x2 and x3 level with the free-throw line out beyond each side of the lane with x4 between them just below the line, and x5 in the lane above the rim. A dashed pass goes from 1 to 2 on the right wing. Five teal arrows show the defenders sliding while the pass is in the air: x1 drops toward the right elbow and x3 steps down and out below 2, and those two end high, while x2 drops into the left side of the lane, x4 drops to above and right of the rim and x5 slides toward the right baseline, and those three end low, labeled ends two up, three back. The shape shown is one example; the scheme's point is that the offense does not know which shape it will see after the next pass.

Why it is run. A zone offense works by recognizing the zone and attacking its seams; a defense that changes shape moves the seams after the offense has found them, and the confusion is the point, because it is built to force turnovers rather than to protect the rim.

What beats it. Patience and ball reversal, since a shape that changes on every pass eventually leaves a defender out of place; and a catch at the high post, which every shape has to answer.

defense · Half court · full · Taught in lecture 4.6 · See also 1-3-1 zone, Match-up zone, Junk defense, Zone offense

Box-and-one

Four defenders in a box zone with one chasing the opponent’s best player man-to-man.

Four defenders form a box inside the lane, labeled the box: x4 and x5 at the elbows and x2 and x3 near the blocks. The fifth defender, x1, stands beside the opponent's scorer, 2, on the right wing, labeled the one, face to face. The offense has 1 with the ball at the top, 3 on the left wing, 4 in the left corner and 5 along the right baseline. Only the scorer has a defender of his own; the other four attackers are guarded by the box.

Why it is run. Against a team with one scorer and little around him, one defender in the scorer’s chest all game and a four-man box behind him bets that the other four attackers cannot beat a zone.

What beats it. The other four attackers scoring; the chased scorer setting screens, which the box has no rule for; a big posting against a zone that has no one to double.

defense · Half court · full · Taught in lecture 4.6 · See also Zone defense, Junk defense

Diamond-and-one

The box-and-one with the four zone defenders in a diamond, one at the top, one on each side of the lane and one under the rim, while the fifth chases the scorer.

The offense has a handler with the ball at the top, a scorer on the right wing, another wing on the left, a shooter in the left corner and a big low on the right near the baseline. Four defenders form a diamond, labeled the diamond: one at the free-throw line, one just outside each lane line halfway down the lane, and one in front of the rim. The fifth defender stands face to face with the scorer on the right wing, labeled the one, face to face.

Why it is run. Turning the box forty-five degrees puts a zone defender at the free-throw line and one in front of the rim, so the top of the key and the rim are guarded better than the box guards them, and the blocks and short corners worse.

What beats it. The unchased attackers scoring from the blocks and short corners the diamond leaves thin; the chased scorer setting screens, which the zone has no rule for.

defense · Half court · full · Taught in lecture 4.6 · See also Box-and-one, Junk defense

Junk defense

Also: combination defense

Any zone-and-man hybrid built to take one player out of a game.

Four defenders form a box inside the lane, labeled the box: x4 and x5 at the elbows and x2 and x3 near the blocks. The fifth defender, x1, stands beside the opponent's scorer, 2, on the right wing, labeled the one, face to face. The offense has 1 with the ball at the top, 3 on the left wing, 4 in the left corner and 5 along the right baseline. Only the scorer has a defender of his own; the other four attackers are guarded by the box.

defense · Half court · short · Taught in lecture 4.6 · See also Box-and-one

Match-up zone

A zone whose defenders take the player in their area man-to-man while he is there.

A 2-3 zone with the ball at the top with 1. x1 and x2 stand high on either side of the free-throw circle, x3 and x4 are the two back corners of the zone, and x5 is in front of the rim. The attacker 4 cuts from the left wing down through the lane toward the right corner, passing below 5 at the high post. The left-back defender, x3, follows him into the lane, his arrow running under the cut, labeled follow him through. Past the lane the right-back defender, x4, drops toward the end of the cut to pick him up, labeled then he is yours. 2 is on the right wing and 3 in the left corner.

Why it is run. A zone shape with man principles inside it shows the offense a defender on every catch and a zone on every pass, so neither its zone offense nor its man offense finds what it was built for.

What beats it. Cutters through the seams faster than the hand-off can be made; the overload that puts two attackers in one area.

defense · Half court · full · Taught in lecture 4.6 · See also Zone defense, Man-to-man

Triangle-and-two

Two defenders chase the opponent’s two best players man-to-man while the other three form a triangle zone, one at the free-throw line and two on the blocks.

Half court. 1 has the ball at the top. 2 on the right wing and 3 on the left wing each have a defender face to face with him, just inside him, x2 and x3, each labeled chaser. The other three defenders form a triangle, labeled the triangle: x1 at the free-throw line, and x4 and x5 just inside the lane near the left and right blocks. The other three attackers, 1 at the top, 4 in the right corner and 5 on the left baseline outside the lane, have no defender of their own.

Why it is run. Two chasers on the two scorers and a three-man triangle behind them concedes the arc to the other three attackers entirely, which is only a bet worth making when the defense is sure they cannot make it.

What beats it. The three unchased attackers shooting; the two scorers screening for each other and dragging the chasers into the triangle.

defense · Half court · full · Taught in lecture 4.6 · See also Box-and-one, Junk defense

Zone defense

Each defender guards an area rather than a player.

Two defenders, x1 and x2, stand above the free-throw line on either side of the free-throw circle, labeled two guards up. Three stand across the back: x3 outside the left block, x5 in front of the rim and x4 outside the right block, labeled three across under the basket. The offense has 1 at the top with the ball, 2 on the right wing, 3 on the left wing, 4 in the left corner and 5 at the high post, just below the free-throw line and right of center, between the two lines of the zone.

Why it is run. Guarding areas instead of men puts more bodies in the paint than man-to-man can, removes the ball screen as a problem, and hides a slow big in the middle; the arc, the skip pass and the glass are the price.

What beats it. Zone offense: the high-post catch where two areas meet, the short corner behind the back line, the overload, and the skip pass to the side the zone has just left.

defense · Half court · full · Taught in lecture 4.6 · See also 2-3 zone, Match-up zone, Man-to-man