What is a 2-2-1 Box Press?
A 2-2-1 Box Press is a 3/4 Press with two players starting on the elbows, two starting at half-court and 1 playing back. The four players up front in the press form a box so it is called a 2-2-1 Box Press.
The front two players are trying to force the ball to sideline in order to get a trap on the sideline. The ballside players are working together to try and get the trap. The backside players are rotating back to either the middle of the court or as the rim protector.
The 2-2-1 Box Press can either be an aggressive press that is really working to get traps and steals. It can also be a press that is more passive that is trying to slow down the offense and not give up quick shots. The ability of the 2-2-1 Box Press to be both aggressive and passive gives it an advantage over other presses.
What is a 2-3 Tandem Press?
A 2-3 Tandem Press is an extended 2-3 Zone. This gives the 2-3 Tandem Press the ability to extend up the floor while being able to drop back straight into a 2-3 Zone. This helps to prevent baskets in the transition from a press to a half-court zone defense while keeping the players in the same positions for the 2-3 Zone.
The front 2 players in a 2-3 Tandem Press are working together to create the pressure out of the press. One player is extending up to pressure the ball while the 2nd front player is staying in the middle of the floor. The two players on the back line on the outside are coming up to help provide trapping opportunities.
On the initial setup of the 2-3 Tandem Press it is going to look similar to a 1-3-1 Press. The difference is the traditional middle player who is normally the center in a 1-3-1 Press is going to be at the back of the 2-3 Tandem Press. This gives the 2-3 Tandem Press a much easier time dropping back into a 2-3 Zone.
The front guard is chasing the ball trying to get the ball to the sideline. Once the ball is on the sideline, the two back wings are waiting to try and trap the ball with the front player as soon as the ball crosses half-court.
The idea of the 2-3 Tandem Press is keeping the setup and formation of a 2-3 Zone while being able to extend up the floor to create pressure in a press. It is not going to create as many steals as some other presses but it is not going to give up easy scoring chances in the transition from a press to a half-court 2-3 Zone Defense.
Best Team Personnel for a 2-2-1 Box Press
In my opinion the middle two defenders are the most important players for a 2-2-1 Box Press. These two players must be smart and able to anticipate. They are going to determine when and where the trap is going to take place. They can not just rush into the trap but wait until just the right moment of when to trap. This timing is key which is why I am always wanting smart players in these two spots.
The front two players must be able to guard the ball well. They are going to force the ball up the sideline. They cannot let the ball be dribbled around them and back into the middle of the court. Their job is to get the offensive player worried about them, so they do not see the trap coming from the middle player. They do not have to read the play at all. They just need to put as much pressure on the ball handler as they can while forcing them up the sideline.
The back player is also going to be involved in the press. Some presses have positions where a player can be hidden within the press. The 2-2-1 Box Press uses all 5 players in the execution of the press. The back player is staying in a vertical line with the ball and does not allow a sideline pass when the middle player rushes the ball for the trap. The back player must be fast enough to get to the sideline pass on the trap.
Best Team Personnel for a 2-3 Tandem Press
The 2-3 Tandem Press is an extension of the 2-3 Zone. This gives the half-court 2-3 Zone the ability to extend the floor defensively. The best personnel for the 2-3 Tandem Press is any defense that is going to use the 2-3 Zone.
The 2-3 Zone is best used with a bigger guy in the middle of the zone and two longer players playing on the sides of the back row. This means the best personnel for the 2-3 Tandem Press is with taller, longer players on the sides of the back row. These two players are going to be involved in any traps so having taller players is going to help those traps.
The other player needed is the front player in the 2-3 Tandem Press. The two guards are going to be stacked in a line. The front player in the stack is going to be chasing the ball no matter where it goes. A guard who is fast helps to provide the initial pressure and funnel the ball into the trap areas. This front player is going to be doing the majority of the running so having multiple players who can rotate in and out of the game is a benefit.
For me, I like to have a guard who I want to stay in the game playing the back position in the guard stack. This can help to conserve their energy in the press. So, if I have a point guard or shooting guard who I want playing the whole game, then they can play the back of the stack. This keeps them from having to run a lot in the press so they will not have to sub out as much.
When to Use the 2-2-1 Box Press?
The 2-2-1 Box Press can be used in two different ways. It can be aggressive and trying to get steals. Or it can be passive in just trying to slow an opponent down to prevent transition opportunities.
The 2-2-1 Box Press can be used when behind to try and speed up the game and work to get steals. The middle players in the Box Press will be aggressive in trapping to give the defense chances to get steals and easy baskets. It gives the defense the ability to guard the offense 3/4 court away from the basket giving the players more time to get steals. This can help the defense get back into a game.
The 2-2-1 Box Press can also be a more passive press where the defense is not necessarily trying to trap the ball. It shows like it is going to be up and trapping but the middle players are never going to rush the ball to trap. They are going to retreat back into the half-court as the ball moves up the floor. This type of pressing forces the offense to slow down and not rush into a trap. Against a team that likes to score in transition, this can force them to slow down and play a more half-court game.
When to Use the 2-3 Tandem Press?
The 2-3 Tandem Press is best used when a half-court 2-3 Zone team is wanting to extend and put pressure up the floor without losing their ability to drop straight back into a 2-3 Zone. The 2-3 Tandem Press keeps the players in the same spots as the half-court 2-3 Zone but just extended up the floor.
The other time I like to use the 2-3 Tandem Press is with a big, slow center. I do not want a bigger, slower center having to move around in a press. By playing a 2-3 Tandem Press, the big center is able to run straight back to the defensive basket and be a rim protector at all times. This gives the defense a chance to press without having to take a slow center out of the game.
The other scenario I like is with two tall, long wing players. The 2-3 Tandem Press and the 1-3-1 Press can take advantage of tall wings in getting traps right past half-court. With two tall wings, the defense can switch between the 2-3 Tandem Press and 1-3-1 Press depending on which half-court defense is being played at the time.
Advantages of the 2-2-1 Box Press Over the 2-3 Tandem Press
1) Better Pressure
The 2-2-1 Box Press can be passive or aggressive. The players can push up hard to create more trapping opportunities if needed. This gives the defense an advantage because they can apply pressure on the ball immediately and sustain that pressure throughout the offensive possession by trapping multiple ways and in multiple locations.
The pressure the 2-2-1 Box Press applies is up to the defense on how much or how little they want to put on the offense. The amount of pressure can be adjusted throughout a game depending on the quarter the game is in, the amount of time on the clock and the score of the game. These factors can influence the aggressiveness of the defense.
The 2-3 Tandem Press is a passive defense. Their is only one player up in the press and most of the time they are not going to be applying much pressure on the ball. The 2-3 Tandem Press is trying to get the offense to put the ball into a trap area before trying to trap. If the offense keeps the ball out of these trouble areas, then the defense will drop back into a half-court defense without getting a trap.
The 2-3 Tandem Press can go multiple possessions without ever getting a trap in the press. The 2-3 Tandem Press is a much better press at controlling tempo rather than creating pressure.
2) More Ways to Create Traps
The 2-2-1 Box Press can trap in four different ways. The middle defenders can trap early when the ball is caught on the inbounds. They can trap in the middle by waiting for the offensive player to take one or two dribbles before leaving to trap. Or they can trap late by waiting to trap until the ball crosses half-court.
The 2-2-1 Box Press can also trap with the front two players leaving the middle defenders back as a decoy. This gives the 2-2-1 Box Press the ability to change how the press is attacking the offense. By changing how the defense is trapping, the offense can become confused and it could lead to more turnovers.
Most presses have one or two ways to trap. Offenses know how and where the trap is coming. And the offense can avoid those areas as much as possible. The 2-3 Tandem Press is only going to trap with the front player and the wing when the ball crosses half-court. If the offense can keep the ball in the middle of the floor, then the 2-3 Tandem Press will not trap or will have a hard time trapping.
The 2-2-1 Box Press can change how they are trapping depending on what the offense is doing. By having 4 different ways to trap, the defense can stay one step ahead of the offense and counter anything the offense is doing to avoid traps.
3) Can Be Changed to Keep Offense Off-Balanced
The 2-2-1 Box Press can change how the defense is trapping but it can also switch between being passive and aggressive. The 2-2-1 Box Press can be aggressive in trying to trap multiple times and in multiple places with different players. But it also can be a passive press in getting the ball stopped early and not letting the offense get out in transition.
The 2-2-1 Box Press can show press but drop with the ball as it is coming up the floor. This gives the ability of the press to change so much that the offense will always be guessing what is the defense doing. Are they trapping? Are they trapping early? Are they trapping late? Who is trapping? Where are they trapping? All of these different possibilities make the 2-2-1 Box Press very hard for the offense.
The 2-3 Tandem Press is what it is. Once the offense understands what the defense is doing, then the offense should be able to counter the defense with good player placement and ball movement. There is not a whole lot the defense can change to confuse the offense.
Advantages of the 2-3 Tandem Press Over the 2-2-1 Box Press
1) Easier Transition to Half-Court Defense
The 2-3 Tandem Press is a great press to use if the primary defense of the team is a 2-3 Zone. The 2-3 Tandem Press keeps the same player formations between the press and the half-court zone. By using the same setup, no players are having to cross each other when transitioning from the full court defense to the half-court defense. Every defensive player is simply dropping back into the half-court.
The 2-2-1 Box Press is not an easy transition from the full-court to half-court because the 2-2-1 formation is rarely if ever used as a half-court defense. There is a point in the transition where the defense will have to stop the 2-2-1 Box Press and move into their half-court defense.
This transition will have players leaving their press area coverage. This switching and moving areas by the defense gives the offense a chance to attack these openings. If the defensive players do not move all together, then these openings could be enough time for the offense to get a good shot.
The transition between a press and half-court defense can give the offense the ability to attack while defensive players are leaving their pressing responsibilities and getting to their half-court responsibilities. The 2-3 Tandem Press shortens this scramble for the defense because the players are not leaving their areas, but just reducing the coverage area for each player. This reduces the ability of the offense to attack the defense.
2) Ability to Hide a Slower Player in the Press
One of the great advantages of a 2-3 Tandem Press is the ability to keep a bigger, slower player in the game while still being able to press. A lot of centers struggle to stay in the game if a team is wanting to press. The 2-3 Tandem Press does not use the back player in the press for anything but rim protection. This gives the ability of a team to keep a bigger or slower center in the game while also being able to pressure the opponent’s guards with a press.
The 2-2-1 Box Press uses all 5 players for the press to be executed properly. A bigger or slower center has certain responsibilities they must fulfill or the press will not work. So, a lot of teams will substitute the center out of the game for a quicker forward.
If the center has a size advantage or has an opponent unable to guard them, then a press can remove this advantage. The 2-3 Tandem Press can establish a pressing defense while not having to remove the advantage of having a dominant center in the game.
3) Much Simpler to Execute-Less Moving Parts
One of the best aspects of the 2-3 Tandem Press is the simplicity of the press. 4 of the defensive players move very little or possibly not at all. One player, the front player, chases the ball trying to get it to the sideline. The lack of movement makes the press much more unlikely to have breakdowns. The players should rarely be out of position because they are not needing to move to another position.
The 2-2-1 Box Press has every player moving with the ball. Four players can be doing their job but if one defensive player does not cover their position, then the offensive has the chance to take advantage of the breakdown.
The 2-2-1 Box Press needs all 5 defenders engaged and moving with every dribble and every pass. This can lead to many more breakdowns due to players not getting into the right position or getting there too slow.
Which is Better? The 2-2-1 Box Press or the 2-3 Tandem Press
Neither press is bad. Both of these presses are good presses to run. The difference is how and when they are used. And that is what separates them for me.
If a defense is needing to be aggressive with trapping to get steals because they are behind in a game then the 2-2-1 Box Press is the better option. On the other hand, if a team is ahead in a game and wanting to slow the opponent down and possibly get a steal or two, then the 2-3 Tandem Press is the better option.
Neither press is clearly better than the other press. The 2-2-1 Box Press is the much better aggressive press whereas the 2-3 Tandem Press is the much better passive press. Personally, I have used both presses during my career. For that reason I would rate the 2-2-1 Box Press and the 2-3 Tandem Press as a tie.
