What is a 1-3-1 No Trapping Defense?
A 1-3-1 No Trapping Zone Defense is a zone defense setup in a 1-3-1 formation that uses positioning to try and stop an offense. The 1-3-1 no trapping defense does not trap the ball like its name indicates. This defense tries to play passing lanes to get deflections and steals. It is a passive defense in that it is not a defense built on ball pressure. The 1-3-1 no trap defense wants to force players to pick up their dribble and not be able to pass the ball to a teammate. This defense tries to force the offense to not be able to make any passes and make mistakes because of it.
The 1-3-1 no trapping defense goes against what a typical 1-3-1 trapping defense tries to do. By playing against the trends of a traditional 1-3-1 trap, the 1-3-1 no trapping defense tries to counter how an offense typically attacks a 1-3-1. The 1-3-1 no trap will leave the ball alone at times. The players will look to stay in passing lanes to prevent the ball from being passed around the court. This keeps the ball in one player’s hands thus preventing the offense from being able to properly execute an offense.
What is a 3-2 Zone Defense?
A 3-2 zone defense is a defense with 3 players across the top of the zone and 2 players on the bottom. The 2 bottom players will start on each block. The middle player in the 3 across will be right at the top of the key on the 3-point line. And the 2 wings are going to be extended out closer to the wings of the offense.
The point man or middle man of the 3-2 zone is going to follow the ball and stay in between the ball and the basket. They will stay almost on the lane lines as they go around the floor following the ball. This player is the most important player in the 3-2 zone. They have to be able to guard the opponent’s guard when they are at the top of the key. They also must be able to guard the opponent’s post players when they are on the block.
With the point man rotating around the entire floor, the other players do not have to rotate as much. The post players are going to be staying on their side the majority of the time in the zone. This means the post players can be slow and still be effective within the zone defense. It also means the post players of the zone are going to be on the backside of the zone for rebounding.
The wings are also going to stay on the outside more often. They will have to rotate to the high post when they are on the backside, but they will never have to drop down to the block. This keeps the post players near the basket and the wings on the outside of the defense except for the point man who will be covering both.
Best Team Personnel for a 1-3-1 No Trapping Defense
The best team personnel of a 1-3-1 no trapping defense is a very tall team. The 1-3-1 is based on playing passing lanes rather than guarding a player or the ball. A defense needs to be able to take away the ability for the offense to pass the ball. The taller and longer a defense is, the harder it is going to make it on the offense to be able to see around them and to make passes.
The one exception to this is the bottom player in the 1-3-1. The bottom player needs to be fast. This player has to cover corner to corner so the team needs a player fast enough to run sideline to sideline.
When scouting and preparing for an opponent, the 1-3-1 no trapping defense would only be considered if the point and wings of the 1-3-1 zone are all significantly taller than the opponents guards. Without this size advantage the offense might not struggle as much with the defense playing in the passing lanes. The 1-3-1 no trapping defense takes the size advantage of the defense and uses it.
Best Team Personnel for a 3-2 Zone Defense
The key to the 3-2 zone starts with the point man at the top of the zone. This player has to be able to guard the perimeter and the block. They have to be able to defend quick guards as well as post players. Without this one player, the 3-2 zone is not going to work. A quick stretch 4 or a tall guard are ideal for this spot.
The next personnel for the 3-2 zone is usually a team with 2 bigs on the court at the same time. The bigs are usually slower players. The 3-2 zone helps to limit the movement of the 2 bigs on the block. The 3-2 zone helps to maximize the advantage of having two bigs on the floor at the same time. It also helps to reduce the disadvantages of having two slower players on the floor at the same time.
The two wings can be any type of player. The taller these wings are the better, but they are going to be staying on the outside, so they do not have to be tall.
When to Use a 1-3-1 No Trapping Defense?
There are two instances in which the 1-3-1 no trapping defense would be the best time to use it. The first is like I stated above is when the defense has a significant height advantage over the offense. The height advantage of the defense added to the positioning of playing passing lanes makes it very difficult for the offense to score the ball. The offense would need to rely on a single player creating and making their own shot and at a height disadvantage. This is very hard to do.
The second instance is when the opponent has a dynamic point guard or driver of the basketball. If an opponent has a player that can drive the ball and score at a very high rate, then the defense has to do something to counter this one player. The 1-3-1 no trap would disguise what it is doing. And in turn invite the drive only to collapse around them when they do drive. The defense can use the 1-3-1 no trapping defense to help corral the guard to limit their scoring.
The 1-3-1 no trapping defense is going to play the passing lanes. So, if a player on offense has the ball out front, the point man of the defense is going to be playing the reversal pass and the wing on ball side is going to be in the passing lane to keep the ball out of the corner. This means the middleman of the 1-3-1 zone is actually guarding the ball in the traditional sense.
This is inviting the scorer to drive the ball at the middleman. Once the drive starts and gets close to the middleman, the point and wing can collapse down effectively triple teaming that scorer. The 1-3-1 no trap invites the drive only to surround the drive as the ball gets close to the lane. The offensive player can get too deep into the zone and panic. This panic leads to turnovers. It is corralling the scorer into an area and then overwhelming them with defensive players. This can help limit the ability of the scorer to score.
When to Use a 3-2 Zone Defense?
The 3-2 zone is a zone defense that is more aggressive than the 2-3 zone but not as aggressive as the 1-3-1 zone defense. It gives the defense the ability to pressure the ball on the perimeter while maintaining a good presence around the basket.
It is a good defense to add along with the 2-3 zone or the 1-3-1 zone to give the ability to be more aggressive or more conservative without going to an extreme. It can give a passive defense the ability to become more aggressive. It can give an aggressive defense the ability to become more conservative. It can give the defense a little adjustment to get the offense out of rhythm.
The 3-2 zone is also a good zone to get closeouts on the perimeter. All 5 defenders are responsible for a portion of the 3-point line. This gives the defense the ability to cover more of the perimeter and reduce outside shots. This would be a good zone to use against a team that likes to play a 5-out offense. The 3-2 zone has the ability to spread out and maintain coverage around the perimeter.
Advantages of a 1-3-1 No Trapping Defense Over a 3-2 Zone Defense
1) Can Be Extended Up the Court
The 1-3-1 No Trapping Defense is a passive defense with the defenders playing the passing lanes to prevent any passes from being made. The 1-3-1 No Trapping Defense is a complete 180 from the 1-3-1 Trapping Defense where ball pressure and traps are sought. The 1-3-1 No Trapping Defense is trying to keep the ball in one offensive player’s hands and wait for them to make a mistake.
Both the 1-3-1 No Trapping Defense and the 1-3-1 Trapping Defense can be extended into a press using the 1-3-1 Press which is the same defense only extended up the floor. While the 1-3-1 No Trapping Defense can extend into the 1-3-1 Press, it can also just extend up without turning into a full press. This can force the offense into having to make more and better decisions earlier each possession.
Even when the point defender of the 1-3-1 No Trapping Defense is extending up the court, they are not looking to put pressure on the ball. The point defender is trying to force the offense into making more decisions with the ball. Each additional pass is another chance for the offense to throw it away or the defense to get a steal.
The 3-2 Zone Defense should not extend past the 3-point line. The point defender has to cover from the top of the key all the way down to each block. This amount of space the point defender has to cover makes it impossible to have them extend up the floor. Every step extended up the floor is another step they need to cover when the ball is passed down to the corner. This makes the 3-2 Zone Defense a very compact and passive defense.
2) Does Not Rely on 1 Person
The 1-3-1 No Trapping Defense is built upon the defenders playing a better positional game than the offense. The defenders are guarding against the passes rather than the offensive players. When all 5 defenders are in the right positions, the offense is going to struggle to pass the ball against the zone.
The positioning of the defenders gives the 1-3-1 No Trap Defense the ability to plug and play any player. Players can rotate in and out of the game freely. No single defender is going to make the 1-3-1 No Trap Defense work.
However, the taller and longer the point and wing defenders are the better the 1-3-1 No Trap Defense will work. While the long defenders are not necessary, they do help to make the 1-3-1 No Trap Defense much more successful.
The 3-2 Zone Defense relies on the point defender to cover a lot of the defensive responsibilities of the zone defense. The point defender is defending all 3 levels. They are mirroring the ball at all times. They may have to go from defending on the ball at the top of the key to defending the post on the block in 1 or 2 passes.
The 3-2 Zone Defense must have a defender capable of guarding the best offensive perimeter player and immediately drop to the block to guard the best offensive post player. This is hard to do but must be done for the 3-2 Zone Defense to be effective.
3) Protects the Middle
The 1-3-1 No Trap Defense does a good job of protecting the middle and forcing the offense to keep the ball on the outside of the court. By playing the passing lanes rather than the offensive players, it also prevents the offense from being able to pass the ball into the inside of the zone.
A good zone offense is working to get the ball into the middle of the court. The 1-3-1 No Trapping Defense is setup to prevent the ball from being passed into the middle of the court. When the ball does get into the interior of the 1-3-1 No Trapping Defense multiple defenders can collapse around the ball making it very hard to get the ball back out to the outside or get a shot.
The 3-2 Zone Defense keeps 4 defenders on the outside and lets the point defender move with the ball to protect the middle of the court. This reliance on one defender patrolling the lane area can present problems for the defense. The offense is one good screen from getting an easy pass and shot at the basket.
The point defender has to control the lane area. A slow rotation by the point defender will give the offense openings. A good screen or quick ball movement will also open up the middle of the court because the point defender will just not be able to keep up.
Advantages of a 3-2 Zone Defense Over a 1-3-1 No Trapping Defense
1) Better 3-point line coverage
The one massive benefit of running a 3-2 Zone Defense is the ability to keep all 5 defenders covering a portion of the 3-point line. All 5 defenders have coverage on the 3-point line so the offense has a lower chance of getting open on the outside.
The offense also will have trouble trying to overload one side of the 3-2 Zone Defense. An overload is when an offense puts more players in one area than the defense can cover. The 3-2 Zone Defense has the ability to easily put 4 defenders on one side which will negate an overload attempt. This outside coverage makes it very hard for a good outside shooting team to find open spaces to shoot the ball.
The 1-3-1 No Trapping Zone Defense can struggle with a good outside shooting team. The middle defender does not have any outside defensive responsibility while the bottom defender has corner to corner coverage. The rotations of the 1-3-1 No Trapping Zone leaves openings on the outside. A well placed screen can also create good open spaces to get a wide open shot.
2) Less Rotation
The 3-2 Zone Defense has very little rotation. The point defender is rotating with the ball but the other 4 defenders are mainly staying in the same spot. There is a little side to side movement within the 3-2 Zone Defense but not a lot.
Some defenders can struggle when there is a lot of moving and rotating in a defense. Sometimes the simple is the most effective because the defenders can just play without having to think about what it is they are supposed to be doing. The 3-2 Zone Defense has a few simple rules. Once those rules are established and learned then the defenders can just go play and react to the offense.
Less rotation can make things simple for players. The 3-2 Zone Defense is a good defense for younger players or players just learning the game of basketball because rotations are simple and easy to understand. Outside of the point defender, the other 4 defenders are staying on 1 side of the court and moving side to side on their rotations.
The 1-3-1 No Trapping Defense is a very complex defense. The defenders are guarding areas and not players. The area each defender is guarding will change with each pass. The defenders are wanting to stay in between the ball and another offensive player. When the offense moves, the defense is also having to change their positioning.
The 1-3-1 No Trapping Defense is created in such a way that a defender can be in the perfect position. A single offensive player can cut and now that same defender is completely out of position. Each defender has to be aware where the ball and every offensive player is on the floor. Then they have to position themselves in between the ball and an offensive player.
The constant moving and shifting of the 1-3-1 No Trapping Defense makes it complex and unpredictable. If defenders are not understanding the entire concept of the defense then they can easily get out of position. This makes the 1-3-1 No Trapping Defense one that is ever changing and rotating.
3) Bigs stay inside and Guards stay outside
One of the big drawbacks of any zone defense with a lot of rotation is getting defenders out of position. A post defender does not need to be on the outside trying to guard the ball at the 3-point line. Likewise a guard should not be on the inside trying to guard a post player. Post players need to stay inside close to the basket and the guards need to be on the outside guarding the perimeter.
A 3-2 Zone Defense does a great job of keeping the guards on the perimeter and the post players on the inside. The two exceptions are the point defender guarding both the inside and outside and the bigs having to guard the perimeter corner. The 3-2 Zone Defense is structured in a way where the defenders are in positions to have the best chances of success. The defenders are not out of position through the course of each offensive possession.
There are a few spots like in the deep corners where a post defender will be needed to guard the perimeter but it is only in that one spot. The post defender in the corner also has the sideline and baseline to help so they are not on an island with no help. The two elbow defenders are going to stay up and out of the post. Even if the ball goes into the post, the elbow defenders are guarding for the kickouts. The guards are not on the inside trying to defend in the post.
The 1-3-1 No Trapping Defense has a lot of moving pieces with players going both on the inside and outside. Just in the setup, a stretch 4 is the best option for the point defender and a fast point guard is the best option for the back defender. This puts a guard closest to the basket and one of the post players farthest away from the basket.
One of the problems a 1-3-1 No Trapping Defense can have is rebounding out of the zone. This is because the guards are being asked to be around the basket and normally are the main rebounders on the backside of the defense. Add to that the point defender usually being a stretch 4 who is usually one of the better rebounders being away from the basket. The point defender can have a lot of trouble trying to get back inside to help with rebounding.
The 1-3-1 No Trapping Defense flips the positions of the defenders just enough where defenders can be out of position. Guards will have to drop down and be able to guard the post well enough for the defense to work. Also the post players will have to defend the ball on the perimeter at times or the defense will not work.
Which is Better? A 1-3-1 No Trapping Defense or a 3-2 Zone Defense
Neither defense is a primary defense. Both the 1-3-1 No Trapping Defense and the 3-2 Zone Defense are great supplementary defenses. They are great additions to a defensive playbook to give the offense a curveball when they get in a good rhythm.
The 1-3-1 No Trapping Defense is a great piece to add to the 1-3-1 Zone concept. The 1-3-1 Press can extend the floor. The 1-3-1 Trapping Zone can put a bunch of pressure and traps in the half court. And the 1-3-1 No Trapping Defense can confuse the offense after the pressure and trapping of the 1-3-1 Trapping Zone.
The 3-2 Zone Defense can be used alongside the 2-3 Zone and 1-2-2 Zone for a mix up of defensive rotations. The changes between the 3 zone defenses are subtle but can help to confuse an offense enough to cause problems.
Both the 1-3-1 No Trapping Defense and the 3-2 Zone Defense work better with a certain type of personnel. The 1-3-1 No Trapping Defense needs length to work its best. And the 3-2 Zone Defense needs the point defender who can guard the outside and inside equally well.
Well all of that in mind, I give the edge to the 3-2 Zone Defense. The 1-3-1 No Trapping Defense needs to be added to the 1-3-1 Trapping Zone and 1-3-1 Press as an entire defensive concept. This takes complete commitment to the defense using the 1-3-1 Zone as the primary defense. I like the 1-3-1 Zone as an additional defense to the playbook but not the primary.
The 3-2 Zone Defense is probably not going to be a primary defense but it works without a team having a full commitment to a single defensive concept. And given the right personnel the 3-2 Zone Defense can be very hard to play against. This is why I give the edge to the 3-2 Zone Defense and say it is the better defense over the 1-3-1 No Trapping Zone.
