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.
What is a 1-2-1-1 Diamond Press?
A 1-2-1-1 Diamond Press is a very aggressive trapping press. It is a press that attempts to create as much chaos as possible leading to offensive turnovers. The 1-2-1-1 Diamond Press has a defender guarding the inbounds pass. Two players are on the elbow looking to trap the entry pass with the inbounds defender. One player is at half-court and one player is all the way back.
The point defender is guarding the ball out-of-bounds. They are trying to get a deflection on the entry pass. If the offense is able to make an inbounds pass, then the point defender and the ballside elbow player are trapping. The backside elbow player is rotating to the middle. And the middle defender is rotating to the ballside sideline. The back defender is looking to steal any long cross-court pass.
The 1-2-1-1 Diamond Press is aggressive and tries to put the offense in spots for them to make mistakes against the press. The 1-2-1-1 Diamond Press does not read and react to the offense. It tries to dictate to the offense what they can and cannot do. The press is going to trap as soon as the ball in passed into the floor and continues to trap until the ball crosses half-court.
Best Team Personnel for 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. 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.
Best Team Personnel for a 1-2-1-1 Diamond Press
The success of a 1-2-1-1 Diamond Press comes down to mainly two defenders. The first is the point defender who is guarding the in-bounds pass. The second is the middle defender who starts at half-court. These two defenders are a big reason why the 1-2-1-1 Diamond Press either succeeds or fails.
The point defender in a 1-2-1-1 Diamond Press is the initial defender guarding the in-bounds pass. They are wanting to create pressure even before the offense gets the ball into the court. They are also half of the first trap that traps as soon as the ball is passed in. The more active this point defender is, the more likely the defense is going to get a steal.
The point defender can also benefit from being a long defender. The taller this point defender is, the harder the in-bounds pass will be and the better the first trap is going to be. The ideal player for the point defender is a quick, stretch big(4). A player who has the size of a post player with the speed and quickness of a guard.
The 2nd most important player in the 1-2-1-1 Diamond Press is the middle defender. This player should get most of the steals on bad passes out of traps. They need to be able to move sideline to sideline. They also need to be a very smart player who can anticipate what the offense is going to do. The ability of the middle defender to be in the right spot at the right moment can make the 1-2-1-1 Diamond Press a turnover machine.
The middle defender is supposed to stop any passes going up the sideline after the initial in-bounds pass. That means they have to be able to get to the sideline fast enough to stop that 2nd sideline pass. However, a smart defender who can read the offense can time the sideline pass and get steals by arriving just in time for the pass to be stolen.
Aside from the sideline pass, the middle pass also defeats the press. An exceptional middle defender will be able to anticipate and guard both the sideline pass and the middle pass until one of the front defenders is able to drop back into the middle. This kind of reading, reacting and anticipating is hard to find in a player. The defenders who can do all three make the 1-2-1-1 Diamond Press extremely hard to play against.
When to Use a 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.
When to Use a 1-2-1-1 Diamond Press?
The 1-2-1-1 Diamond Press is best used in two situations. First, it is a great press to change the tempo of the game from a slower pace to a faster pace. Tempo can have a huge effect on the game. The ability to change the tempo can be a major reason for why a team is able to win a game. If the tempo of the game is too slow, then the 1-2-1-1 Diamond Press is a great way to increase the tempo of the game.
The second great use of the 1-2-1-1 Diamond Press is to create more traps and hopefully more turnovers. The 1-2-1-1 Diamond Press can be used when behind an opponent to try and make a comeback. The aggressiveness of the press can cause the opponent to get trapped and throw bad passes. Bad passes can be stolen and steals can be converted into easy points. This is a great press to use to make a comeback late in a game.
Advantages of a 2-3 Tandem Press over a 1-2-1-1 Diamond Press
1) Better Rim Coverage
The 2-3 Tandem Press only has the two front defenders in the extended 2-3 Zone crossing half-court. And the two wings are only coming up the court when they have a chance to trap at half-court.
This lack of aggression leaves 2 defenders back towards the basket at all times. Even if the offense is able to beat the front 2 defenders, they are still going to have to deal with 2 or 3 defenders before getting to the rim.
The ability to extend and be aggressive in trapping while keeping defenders back give the 2-3 Tandem Press the benefit of pressing while eliminating a lot of the risk of pressing. The risk of a 2-3 Tandem Press is reduced while keeping the ability to trap and create turnovers. It is a win-win situation.
The 1-2-1-1 Diamond Press has poor rim coverage. 4 defenders are extended leaving only 1 defender back. And if an offense is able to break the press, then it is normally 2 or 3 offensive players going against the 1 defender at the basket. There is very little rim coverage because the 1-2-1-1 Diamond Press is relying on the forward pressure to create turnovers.
2) Less Rotation-Keeps Guards Out Front and Bigs in the Back
The 2-3 Tandem Press does not do a lot of rotating within the press. The positions each defender starts in is the position the defender will stay in throughout the press. It is also the position each defender will stay in if the defense drops back into a 2-3 Half-Court Zone Defense.
This lack of rotation keeps the press simple and easy to run for the players. Each defender is given just a small amount of responsibility within the press. Defenders are not required to do multiple actions or reads. Each defender has 1 or 2 reads and reactions. This reduces the number of breakdowns that the 2-3 Tandem Press will have.
The 1-2-1-1 Diamond Press has a lot of moving parts and rotations. The point defender is covering sideline to sideline as is the middle defender. The two elbow defenders are trapping the first pass or covering the middle. There are 4 main trapping spots but the diamond press can trap anywhere on the court.
The 1-2-1-1 Diamond Press is built on causing chaos. This chaos must start with the defense in how they are playing. Players are going to be running all over the court and trapping as much as possible. This means rotations are going to occur because players are not always going to cover their spots due to trapping in another area. This means defenders will have to rotate to cover a teammate who has been in a trap elsewhere.
3) Controls Tempo
One of the biggest advantages of the 2-3 Tandem Press is the ability to control the tempo of the game. It gives the defense the ability to speed up a slower playing team and slow down a faster paced team.
Tempo is one of the keys to being a good basketball team. But tempo is only considered when scouting or playing a team that plays really fast or really slow. Making an opponent play out of their comfort zone can lead to them making mistakes. And it doesn’t have to be a dramatic change in pace.
A team that walks the ball up the court can struggle with some ball pressure and making them play against a press. This little change in tempo makes them start their offense in a different way than normal. Also, a team that plays an up-tempo transition game can struggle when forced to play a half-court game.
The 2-3 Tandem Press can control tempo in either direction by how aggressive the front player is in pressuring the ball. When trying to speed a team up, the front player can extend all the way up the court and chase the ball everywhere. When trying to slow a team down, the front player can stay closer to half-court keeping closer contact with the other defenders. This makes the offense slow down to get the ball across half-court.
The 1-2-1-1 Diamond Press is an aggressive press which is going to speed the game up. There is no way to play a diamond press in a slower tempo. The diamond press is going to get the tempo at a higher pace. The tempo of the game is going to be a high pace when running a 1-2-1-1 Diamond Press. While this can be good against slower tempo teams, it can be a disadvantage when playing an opponent that plays at a faster tempo than you.
Advantages of a 1-2-1-1 Diamond Press over a 2-3 Tandem Press
1) More Traps and Chances for Traps
The great benefit of a 1-2-1-1 Diamond Press is the aggressiveness of the press. It is a constant up-tempo full-court pressure trapping defense. The 1st trap is made on the in-bounds pass. Then the press is still looking to trap if the offense is able to get out of the 1st trap. The offense never has a chance to relax throughout the entire press. This is a benefit to a defense that is wanting to trap and continue to trap.
The 1st trap is made by the on-ball defender following the in-bounds pass to trap immediately. If the offense is able to pass or dribble out of the trap, then the defense is chasing the ball looking to trap a 2nd or even 3rd time before the offense is able to get the ball across half-court. An offense that tries to play slower will find themselves in numerous traps before getting the ball to the offensive end of the court.
The constant trapping pressure of the 1-2-1-1 Diamond Press works because it can wear out the opponent physically but also mentally. It is mentally fatiguing knowing the defense is going to be pressing and trapping all game. Teams that are not able to handle both the mental and physical pressure of the 1-2-1-1 Diamond Press will be more likely to have turnovers.
The 2-3 Tandem Press is a one trap only press. It is looking for 1 trap on the sideline as soon as the offense crosses half-court. If the trap is not there, then the press retreats and tries again next possession. If the press is able to get the trap, then it looks for a steal from the trap, and then retreats whether they get the turnover or not.
2) Better Pressure
The 1-2-1-1 Diamond Press is all about pressuring the offense into mistakes. The more pressure applied gives the defense more chances to take advantage of an offense’s mistakes.
The 1-2-1-1 Diamond Press wants to pressure the ball all 94 feet of the court. The point defender is guarding the in-bounds pass into the press. The press is trapping the 1st pass as well. The pressure is immediate and constant. There is nothing passive about a Diamond Press.
A 2-3 Tandem Press is the exact opposite. It is a passive press with a single chance for a trap. It allows the offense to move up the court at the pace they choose. The offense is still in control of the tempo because the press is not putting pressure on the ball.
The offense can eliminate the single trap of the 2-3 Tandem Press by keeping the ball in the middle of the court and away from the sidelines. This adjustment by the offense will turn the 2-3 Tandem Press into a completely passive press without having any pressure at all.
3) Creates a Size Advantage on the Ball
The point defender on a 1-2-1-1 Diamond Press is going to be either stretch 4 or a very mobile 5. A mobile big(4) or center(5) will usually be tall with long arms. They are guarding the in-bounds pass and trapping that 1st pass.
A press offense will normally have the guards handling the press and the bigs up the court. This puts the stretch 4 defender playing on the ball defense and trapping against the offense’s point(1) or guard(2). The size advantage of the point defender against the offense’s point(1) can make it difficult to pass the ball out of the trap. This can lead to deflections and steals for the defense.
It is hard for a smaller guard to pass out of a trap when the defenders are taller. So, the 1-2-1-1 Diamond Press is already working for the defense due to the pressure being applied to the offense but the defense is also applying pressure with a size advantage. This can make it very hard for the offense to get the ball out of the initial trap and up the court.
The 2-3 Tandem Press keeps the smaller guards up the court in the press and the bigger, taller players back towards the basket. Even when the 2-3 Tandem Press traps, it is trapping with the point(1) and a forward(3). The trapping players are much more likely to be the same size and length as the guards on offense. The size similarity makes it easier on the offense to get out of the trap if they end up in the trap to begin with.
Which is Better? A 2-3 Tandem Press or a 1-2-1-1 Diamond Press
Personally, I like both of these presses and use them much more frequently than most of the other presses that are out there. I like and use the 2-3 Tandem Press to control tempo to slow the game down against an up-tempo team. Similarly, I use the 1-2-1-1 Diamond Press to increase the tempo of a game when it is moving too slowly. These two presses are working on doing the opposite things.
With the two presses working on opposites agendas, which one is better? It is my personal preference to more aggressive rather than more passive. I want to be the team dictating the tempo and playing conditions of the game. I want to be proactive and not reactive. And for that reason, I give the advantage to the 1-2-1-1 Diamond Press.
Even though I am giving the advantage to the 1-2-1-1 Diamond Press over the 2-3 Tandem Press, I like to install and have both presses available to me earlier in a season. They can work together to help a team keep the tempo at a pace that they want. The 1-2-1-1 Diamond Press increases the pace while the 2-3 Tandem Press decreases pace. These two presses paired together gives a team the ability to press in all situations.
