2 on 0 Offense

One of the drills that I use quite often is a 2 on 0 offense. This is a great drill to use early in practice to help get the players loose and ready. 2 on 0 offense is a great drill to pair with outlet passing to get the players running up and down the floor, making good passes, and working on all the little nuances of an offense. 2 on 0 offense is a great tool to use when installing different quick hitters or offenses to break down different movements in the plays. An offense using a screen concept can drill all the different options of a screen in the offense very quickly in this drill.

I am going through the 8 concepts I like to use within my offenses. Any offensive movement can be drilled here. I will add different 2 on 0 concepts if a new play has movements outside of these 8 that I am detailing here. This drill can be modify to fit your team and what you are trying to do with your offense.

Movement #1-Pass and Shot

The first movement is just a simple kick-out and shot. Depending on the shooter this can on the wing or baseline. It can be a 10-15 footer all the way to the 3-point line. This is usually the first movement every time we do 2 on 0 offense. This drill is done early in practice so a simple catch and shoot can help get the players loose.

Movement #2-1 or 2 Dribble Pullup

The 2nd movement is a 1 dribble pullup. Now the shooter catches the ball, usually does a pump fake, and then takes 1 or 2 dribbles into a pullup jumpshot. This 2nd movement can transition easily from just the catch and shoot to the 1 dribble pullups. The drill can transition without any wasted practice time. This is now practicing all the offensive fundamentals. The players are running, passing, dribbling and shooting all in 1 drill.

Movement #3-Give and Go

The 3rd movement is a give and go. The first two movements are helping to get the players warmed up and loose. Now the 2 on 0 offense is starting to use both players in each offensive movement. The key to this is the cutter taking a jab step away from the ball and simulate cutting the face of the defender. The cut will only work if the cutter get in front of the defender. The players should be using this drill to work on setting up a cut and then cutter hard over the top of the defender.

Movement #4-Dribble At with Backcut

Movement 4 and 5 are both using the dribble as a start for the 2 man game. For movement #4, a pass is made to the wing. The wing dribbles at the point. As the dribble is coming towards the point they backdoor cut to the basket. A pass is made on the cut giving the point a layup. An offense using the dribble drive a lot can have rules for how the offense moves when the ball is dribbling at a player.

One of the rules I have used is a dribble at you is an automatic backdoor cut. We drilled this movement in the 2 on 0 offense and by the time I installed the complete offense, every player was already cutting when the ball was being dribbled at them. This was a situation where I started using this movement in practice a couple weeks being putting the complete offense in. After a couple of weeks doing this cut, the install of the offense was that much easier.

Movement #5- Dribble At with Loop Behind

This is the same setup as movement 4 but instead of a backdoor cut, I have the player loop behind the dribbler on the drive. I had a team who was quick but short. A backdoor cut worked but the defender was still there to alter our shots. So I started having them loop behind the dribbler.

This mesh acted like a screen. The dribbler would use a flip pass to the looper. The loop then was able to turn straight to the basket and attack the rim without their defender. The defender would get caught in traffic of the dribbler and their defender and we would shoot wide open layups.

I have also used this loop behind with a good 3-point shooter. The shooter comes behind the driver and if the 3-point shooter’s defender does not get above the dribbler then there is an easy flip back pass to a wide open 3.

If a team is able to use both the backdoor cut and loop behind on dribble ats, then the offense can read the defense and react leading to wide open shots. If the defense tries to get above the dribbler, then the offense backdoor cuts. If the defense stays under the dribbler then the offense loops behind. These two movements can get rid of rules and instead lets an offense read and react to the defense. If a team is reading and reacting to a defense, then the defense can do nothing to completely stop the offense.

Movement #6-Pick and Roll

I really like the 2 on 0 offense for drilling all the screening options. The first option is the normal pick and roll. The point passes to the wing and follows the pass straight into a ball screen. The wing uses the screen and plays into a pick and roll. The wing can go all the way to the basket for a layup. The wing can pull up at the elbow for a jumpshot. Or the wing can pass to the roll for a layup.

In a practice we can do all three actions within a minute or two every day if we want. These 1 or 2 minutes can really improve a ball screen offense. The players can get really comfortable with all 3 options. This comfort can really show up in games because of the number of reps we can get throughout the entire season.

Another option we use that is not usually familiar to players is the pick and run. Instead of the screener turning open to the ball on the screen, they turn away from the ball and run straight to the basket. At first the players struggle with the run but after a day or two they get comfortable with the movement. Then we add another drill later in practice with a defender. Once we add the defender it is just a matter of both offensive players learning the timing and passing lanes of the pick and run. We are able to do this quickly by maximizing our practice time in a couple of drills over the course of a week instead of spending a chunk of time in the middle of a practice.

Movement #7- Pick and Pop

Another option off of a ball screen is the pick and pop. Instead of the screener rolling to the basket they pop out away from the ball screen. As the wing comes off the ball screen they look to attack the basket. If the screener’s defender plays off and under the ball screen, then the pop should be open. The wing attacks this defender and then kicks the ball back out to the screen for a wide open 15 foot jump shot.

I also like this option with a smaller team. The pick and pop creates space giving the smaller offensive team an advantage. The smaller team does not have to try and shoot over defenders close to the basket. The pop makes the defense either stay and help on the drive opening up the pop. Or the defense stays with the pop and should give the driver more space to get all the way to the basket.

Movement #8-Slip screen

The last movement is the slip screen. If a defense plays off the screen then a pick and roll or pick and pop will work. But if a defense plays a hard hedge then a slip screen works. This is putting offensive counters to anything the defense will do to try and stop a ball screen. The pass is made to the wing and the passer follows simulating a ball screen. As the defender jumps up above to hedge, the screener cuts straight to the basket before setting the screen. The wing reads the cut and makes a pass to the slip for an easy layup. These last 3 movements can all be drilled every day in practice in a couple of minutes of practice to help improve the offense. This is getting good offensive reps without having to set up a full offense and defense.

Conclusion

While there are more movements that can be used in a 2 on 0 drill, these are the 8 that I tend to use the majority of the time. This drill is about maximizing reps while using as little practice time as possible. This drill can be used early in practice to get the players running up and down the floor along with outlet passing. 2 on 0 offense can be tailored to any offense. If I am running a dribble drive offense then I will do movements 4 and 5 above more. If I am running a ball screen offense like the one from the link then I will do the ball screen options more. These movements can be done without any defense first and then they can be done later in practice with a defense out there as well. This is able to get twice as many reps to help the offense. This is a great drill to do throughout the entire season and it will greatly improve the offense as the season goes along.

Let me know in the comments if there are any other offensive movements that work well in a 2 man game that I might have left out. If I can get enough other movements then I might add another post detailing all the other movements possible within this drill.