Anytime you are playing against a team that is running a 2-3 zone you should have a few plays that guarantee a good shot is coming on the possession. One of the best ways to get a good shot against a 2-3 zone is to get the defense to shift and then screen defenders on the reversal. A good screen or two can open an entire side of the court for an offensive player to either attack or shoot.
One of the most underutilized things I see across the board in basketball is screening a zone. A lot of teams have good spacing. They are able to make good passes and move the defense. But they still struggle to get a good shot. Screening a zone forces the defense to rotate in ways that it is not designed to do. Once defenders have to over rotate to cover for a screened defender, the 2-3 zone or any zone can break down quickly.
One of the easier screens against a 2-3 zone is the flare screen. This keeps the shooter from having to enter the interior of the zone. By keeping the shooter on the outside of the zone, the defense may lose the shooter moving on the outside and by the time the pass is made it is too late for the defense to react. An offense that adds a little bit of eye candy can make a flare screen that much easier and effective.
The play sets up in a 1-2-2 formation that is typical of a lot of plays against a 2-3 zone. The quick hitter can be ran to either side. In this diagram above, the point(1) makes the entry pass to the forward(3). The center(5) is posted on the ballside block. The big(4) is moving towards the corner.
The key is to the setup is the big(4) and center(5). The big(4) needs to get to the outside of the block defender they are standing next to. The center(5) must post aggressively to occupy the ballside block defender and central defender. The big(4) and center(5) need to occupy the focus of the back 3 defenders. The back 3 defenders need to be worried about the interior of the zone so the actual play can occur without interruption on the outside of the zone.
The point(1) can step into the high post to give more reason for the backside elbow defender to come across and defend the high post. The play wants the defense on the frontside worried about the post entry pass or a cut into the ballside high post area. This helps to leave the backside of the court open where the flare screen skip pass is going to be made.
Now as the defense has shifted, the play attacks the backside of the defense. The point(1) steps in towards the high post and runs out to the backside. The guard(2) and big(4) are setting screens on the backside of the defense. This can be done with either how the diagram above has or by Xing the guard(2) and big(4).
The two screens can be with the guard(2) screening the elbow defender and the big(4) screening the block defender. Or you can X the guard(2) and big(4) on the screens. The X screening will have the big(4) come up and screen the elbow defender and the guard(2) going down to screen the block defender. Either way the guard(2) and big(4) are screening the two backside defenders.
With the two screens set, the forward(3) throws the skip pass to the point(1) coming off of the flare screen for the wide open 3-point shot. This is a quick set that will get the point(1) an open 3-point shot. It is a great set to run when there is limited time on the clock. This is a great play to run right at of a timeout because it is simple enough the players can see it drawn and execute it immediately.
