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 1-2-2 Press?
The 1-2-2 Press is normally a ¾ court press with the defense in a 1-2-2 setup. One player is the point who will put the initial pressure on the ball as it comes up the floor. Two players will start around the half-court line. These two players are going to be the 2nd player to trap the ball with the point. Or they are going to be covering the middle of the floor. This will depend on the location of the ball.
The last two players will start somewhere around or above the 3-point line. These two players are going to either prevent a sideline pass or be the rim protector. The back two players should not be moving up the court for any reason. The 1-2-2 Press is really about the front 3 players getting up and trapping with having the two back players as protection.
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. 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 1-2-2 Press
A team with 3 tall guards are the best personnel for the 1-2-2 Press. The back two players are going to stay back and protect the rim. The front 3 guards are tasked with trying to get traps and steals. They are having to cover a lot of floor space. The taller these front 3 players are, the more likely the press is going to work.
Speed can help with the press but size is the biggest indicator of success with the 1-2-2 Press. The 1-2-2 Press uses the advantage of having taller guards to its maximum. Teams with taller guards can struggle at times getting the most benefit of having taller players.
The 1-2-2 Press is a great press to try with taller guards because the passing lanes for the offense is always over or around the taller guards. This can make it harder on opposing guards if they are smaller because of the size difference.
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 first 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 1-2-2 Press?
The 1-2-2 Press is one of the safer presses to run because it does not extend as aggressively as other presses. The 1-2-2 Press extends and traps much like other more aggressive presses but does not leave the offense any openings on the back end if they break the press. The reward of the press is still there but the amount of risk has been reduced. It is a good press to apply pressure without leaving the defense wide open for the offense to take advantage of the aggressiveness.
The 1-2-2 Press is also a great press to use when a defense has really tall guards. The 1-2-2 Press keeps three guards up front and trapping. This will maximize the size advantage of tall guards. A 1-2-2 Press with 3 tall guards makes it very difficult for the offense to dribble through or pass around the taller guards.
Another time to use the 1-2-2 Press is when a team has multiple post players on the floor at the same time. The 1-2-2 Press leaves two players in the back of the press. These back two players do not have to rotate up and get involved in trapping during the press. This gives the defense the ability to press with a team who has multiple post players. Teams with slower post players can struggle to have a quality press, but with the 1-2-2 Press those teams have a viable pressing option.
Advantages of a 2-3 Tandem Press Over a 1-2-2 Press
1) Better Middle of the Court Coverage
The 2-3 Tandem Press has the look of a 2-3 Zone but stacks the top two guards in a line. This puts one guard out front pressuring the ball and one guard roaming the middle of the court. This gives the look of a 1-3-1 Press but has the top two guards of a 2-3 Zone out front instead of having one of those guards in the back like a 1-3-1 Press. The idea is the same for both presses in putting a defender in the middle of the court to make the offense work up the sideline to break the press.
The easiest way to break a press is to get the ball into the middle of the court to turn and go towards the basket. A true 2-3 Press has the look of a 2-2-1 Box Press where the middle of the press is wide open. So, either the middle of the court stays open or a defender has to rotate into the middle which leaves that defender’s initial area open.
The 2-3 Tandem Press solves this by dropping one of the top guards back into the middle. This gives the 2-3 Tandem Press a look of 1 guard out front instead of 2. But by stacking the guards, the middle of the court has now been filled leaving the offense the only option of going up the sideline to break the press. The stacked guard look of the 2-3 Tandem Press forces the offense to the sideline keeping them away from the middle of the court.
The 1-2-2 Press has the issue of the middle of the court being open like a true 2-3 Press would. So, either a wing defender will have to rotate into the middle which leaves their sideline more open. Or one of the back defenders have to rotate up into the middle which opens up more space in the back of the press making it easier for offenses to score once they beat the press.
The 1-2-2 Press is a battle between the offense and defense of who can control the middle of the court. The offense is trying to get the ball into the middle while the defense is trying to keep defenders rotating into the middle to prevent the ball from going there. Whichever team can win that battle is who will gain the advantage in the press.
2) More Players Involved in Press
The 2-3 Tandem Press gets 4 defenders involved in the press even though it is a relatively passive press. The tandem guards are covering the middle of the court while the 2 outside defenders are covering the sidelines. The front guard is trying to trap on either side with the wing defender. The backside wing defender can drop or extend depending on where the offense is positioned.
A good backside wing defender can adjust to the offense and jump passing lanes. Any skip pass by the offense gives the backside wing defender a chance for a steal. Also, any lazy or slow pass can be stolen if read correctly. While the 2-3 Tandem Press is not an aggressive press like the 1-2-1-1 Diamond Press or the 2-2-1 Box Press, it is still putting 4 defenders up to create pressure and turnovers. It is a sneaky press in that way.
The 1-2-2 Press only extends 3 defenders up into pressure positions. Two defenders are staying back. By only extending 3 defenders up, this leaves more space for the offense to pass and move. This gives the offense more options on how to break the press. The 3 defenders are going to have a harder time getting good traps and steals.
The 1-2-2 Press has a harder time getting steals but it is also far less likely to give up any layups. By not having as many players involved in the press, the 1-2-2 Press is much better than the 2-3 Tandem Press in not giving up easy baskets once it is beat. This is the classic risk-reward scenario. The 1-2-2 Press is less risky because it is not extending a 4th defender up but it is not as rewarding because there will be less turnovers created.
3) Can be Passive or Aggressive
The 2-3 Tandem Press has the ability to use 4 defenders in the press or it can drop back where only the point defender is active in the press while the other defenders are dropping back. The ability to morph from passive to aggressive gives the defense the chance to play to the game and not just one style.
The 2-3 Tandem Press can be aggressive. It can have 4 defenders up in the press looking to create traps and turnovers. The two guards in the stack with the two wing defenders can extend looking to trap and create steals. The two wing defenders can move up the court making the 2-3 Tandem Press a very aggressive press. The backside wing can extend looking to jump and steal any reversal passes. This type of aggression puts the 2-3 Tandem Press into similar presses like the 1-2-1-1 Diamond Press.
On the other hand, the 2-3 Tandem Press can be passive. The stacked guards can be kept back allowing the offense to bring the ball down the court without much pressure. The wing defenders can be kept back as well where the only defender really extended is the point defender. This type of passiveness looks to slow down an offense rather than trying to create turnovers.
I personally like the 2-3 Tandem Press as a one trap and drop press. It is passive in slowing the offense down. The point and ballside wing have one chance at a trap when the ball crosses half-court. Every defender looks to be aggressive in getting a steal on the one trap by jumping passing lanes. But as soon as the pass is made out of the trap, every defender retreats back into a half-court defense.
So, the 2-3 Tandem Press can be aggressive or passive in its approach. It can also be both at the same time. It can be passive until the ball crosses half-court and then becomes aggressive until the pass out of the trap. Once the pass happens, then it retreats out of the press. The ability to be both gives a great advantage to the 2-3 Tandem Press.
The 1-2-2 Press is somewhere in between aggressive and passive. It is not truly either. The 1-2-2 Press is not an aggressive press because only 3 defenders are extended up into the press. This leaves too much room for the offense to move around the press. But it is not truly a passive press because the 3 defenders are working to get traps and steals. The 1-2-2 Press is a good balance of both passive and aggressive without being either.
Advantages of a 1-2-2 Press Over a 2-3 Tandem Press
1) Can Be Used with Multiple Post Players
The 1-2-2 Press is a great press and half-court defense when a team has multiple post players. Most defenses have a spot for 1 post player but a 2nd post player will be forced to guard the perimeter. Post players can struggle to guard the outside. Teams can try to avoid this as much as possible but most zone defenses and presses have a position that is well suited for 1 post player but not a 2nd.
The 1-2-2 Press keeps 2 players back leaving the front 3 defenders as the press while the other 2 defenders are back standing and waiting. This gives teams the chance to keep 2 post players in the game at the same time because neither of the 2 back defenders are actively in the press. They are not involved in chasing and trapping. They are waiting in the back for the offense to get past the front 3 defenders.
At the high school level and below, teams are going to be composed of the kids in the school. A good coach has to constantly change their system to maximize the players they have currently. The 1-2-2 Press gives a coach the chance to keep pressing even if the personnel is not the most ideal for a press such as having 2 post players. The 1-2-2 Press can be an adjustment a coach makes to keep a pressing program pressing while having a team come through with a bigger makeup.
The 2-3 Tandem Press can struggle with 2 post players in the lineup. The two wings are waiting and rushing to trap as the ball crosses half-court. The rush has to be sudden and with speed. A slow post player will struggle to be able to rush.
The 2-3 Tandem Press has the back defender that is ideal for a post player. But a 2nd post player has to play the wing. They have to rush to trap. If they are too slow to rush properly, then they are going to have to try to compensate for their lack of speed.
The wing post defender will either cheat up showing the trap too early and giving the offense a chance to see the trap coming and evade it. Or they will rush too slowly and the trap will not occur right at half court giving the offensive player more room to pass out of the trap. Either way the trap is far less effective with a slower post player having to play the wing position.
2) Less Likely to Give Up a Layup
One of the biggest benefits of the 1-2-2 Press is the ability to press without giving up a layup if the press does not work. The major risk of using a press is if the offense is able to beat the press and get a layup because the defense has some many players up the court trying to get turnovers. The defense pushes defenders up the court in hopes that the offense cannot get through the press.
But what if the press does not work? What if the offense is able to dribble through the press or pass around and over the press? That will normally give the offense a chance at having a 2v1 or 3v1 at the basket. This is a major advantage to the offense and will lead to scoring easy layups.
The 1-2-2 Press leaves 2 defenders in the back. By having two defenders back towards the basket, even if the offense can beat the press, they still have to score against 2 defenders instead of 1. By keeping multiple defenders back, the 1-2-2 Press does not give up many layups. The offense is able to beat the press but then they have to beat 2 defenders at the basket to get a layup. Most of the time 2 defenders can guard well enough to prevent an easy layup.
The 2-3 Tandem Press is like most presses in it is using 4 defenders out front instead of just 3 defenders like the 1-2-2 Press. By pushing 4 defenders forward, it leaves only 1 defender back. Now if the offense can get through the 4 defenders, that leaves them having to beat just one defender at the basket.
Like most other presses, the 2-3 Tandem Press has a difficult time recovering quick enough to prevent a layup if the press gets beat. The offense is able to attack the lone defender back with speed and numbers. There is just so little that back defender can do to stop the offense.
3) Aggressive Press with Little Risk
The 1-2-2 Press is a great mix between aggression and passivity. The front 3 defenders can extend and really go after traps and turnovers. They can be aggressive in forcing the offense into making mistakes. But the back 2 defenders are staying back and forcing the offense to slow down and pull the ball back out when the press is beat. This makes it a passive press in that it is not going to give up a bunch of easy layups.
The 1-2-2 Press is aggressive with the front 3 defenders but very passive with the back 2 defenders. This combination reduces the risk of the press because of the back 2 defenders. The reward is also reduced because it is only putting 3 defenders up in trying to get a steal. This turns the 1-2-2 Press into a low reward but low risk press.
The 2-3 Tandem Press is higher risk but also higher reward. The aggressiveness of the 2-3 Tandem Press is higher because more players are being used in the press. But the risk is also greater because there are more defenders in the press. The 2-3 Tandem Press is more likely to get turnovers but it is also more likely to give up easy layups.
The balance between risk and reward changes with each press. The 1-2-2 Press is a low risk press that is still aggressive with the front 3 defenders. When they can turn the offense over then it is a great press. But if the front 3 defenders cannot get turnovers, then it has little benefit. The 2-3 Tandem Press has a higher risk but it is also more likely to create turnovers. The 1-2-2 Press is really good when a team wants to put pressure on the offense without jeopardizing the back end of the press.
Which is Better? A 2-3 Tandem Press or a 1-2-2 Press
The 2-3 Tandem Press is the better press. The 1-2-2 Press tries to do 2 things at once. It is trying to be an aggressive press but other presses are better than the 1-2-2 Press. It also tries to limit the risk which again other presses are better. The 1-2-2 Press is decent at several different things but it is not great at any. It is the typical “Jack of all trades, but master of none.”
The 2-3 Tandem Press knows what it is and what it is not. It is not an aggressive all-out press. It is a passive press for teams to use when they are playing a 2-3 Zone or 2-3 Matchup Zone Defense. It gives the team the chance to press and trap without compromising the structure of the 2-3 Zone. It is much more of a passive press to slow teams down and allow the 2-3 Zone structure to take shape earlier in the possession.
I will pair the 2-3 Tandem Press with the 2-3 Matchup Zone. This keeps the same structure but adds the full court pressure while keeping the half court man defense. These little adjustments give so much nuance to the 2-3 Tandem Press. It gives it the look of a 1-3-1 Press but with the personnel positions of a 2-3 Zone. The 2-3 Tandem Press is using the stronger points of the 1-3-1 Press and the 2-3 Zone to create its own unique style of defense.
The 1-2-2 Press strengths are not as strong as the 2-3 Tandem Press and the weaknesses are worse. That is not to say it is a huge difference between the 2 but the differences are there. The only way the 1-2-2 Press gains the advantage is if a team is using the 1-2-2 Zone Defense as their primary defense.
The 1-2-2 Zone Defense can be preferred with multiple post players being in the lineup. The extended 1-2-2 Press keeps those personnel groupings while still pressing. This one scenario can give the 1-2-2 Press the edge. But outside of that specific situation, the 2-3 Tandem Press is the better option.
