All too often coaches think plays have to be complex in order to work. Sometimes the simple can be the best executed and therefore the best producing plays a team has. Against a 2-3 zone, the best way to beat the zone is to attack the areas where the zone defenders are not.
The easiest way to do this is by overloading an area of the court where the 2-3 zone is not going to have enough players to guard every offensive player. This can be done by overloading the top of the zone or the baseline. It can be done by overloading the frontside or in this case the backside.
At first, the play is going to put the ball on one side at a severe disadvantage. The 2-3 zone is going to have 3-4 defenders ballside while the offense only has 2. This puts 3 offensive players on the backside against 1 or 2 defenders. The ability to get the ball to the backside effectively will make the play work well.
This play gets the ball to the backside with the use of a ball screen. The ball screen works well because it gives the offense another scoring chance without having to pass the ball backside. Once the ball screen is stopped then the ball should get to the backside where the offense will have a major advantage because of the overload to begin the play.
The start of the play has the point(1) enter the ball and cut backside. This away cut puts the forward(3) and big(4) on the frontside with the point(1), guard(2) and center(5) all on the backside.
Depending on how the 2-3 zone rotates, the defense could have only one defender on the backside of the play after the backside cut by the point(1). The left top defender will have on the ball defense. The ballside block and middle defender will be shaded to the big(4). This leaves the backside block defender and right top defender on the backside where the 3 offensive players are at. If the right top defender rotates across to the ballside high post, then there is only one defender on the backside of the defense.
Either way the 2-3 zone defense is going to be at least one defender short on the backside of the court. And now the offense can start to attack the defense knowing the backside is going to be where the shot is going to come unless the defense completely breaks down.
Once the point(1) clears on the away cut, the big(4) is coming up to set a ball screen. This ball screen needs to be set so the forward(3) is coming off the screen towards the middle of the court. By coming to the middle of the court, the left elbow and left block defenders are guarding nobody. This leaves 3 defenders to guard 4 offensive players.
The first read is the right elbow defender. If they step over to stop the ball then it is a pass straight out to the guard(2) for an open 3. If the right block defender rushes up then it is one extra pass to the point(1) for an open corner 3.
If the right elbow defender stays out then the forward(3) continues into the lane on the dribble. Now the forward(3) is reading the right block defender and middle defender. If neither stop the dribble then the forward(3) has a layup. More than likely the middle defender will step up and stop the dribble preventing the forward(3) from getting a layup.
Once the middle defender steps up to stop the ball, the forward(3) is reading the right block defender. If they are engaged with the center(5) then it is a kickout to the point(1) for a 3. If the block defender is staying out of the lane then it is a bounce pass to the center(5) for a layup.
A 2-3 Zone Defense can not stop this play if they keep the basic fundamentals of a 2-3 zone. The backside elbow will have to leave their assignment of the high post open. And the back row will have to slide out away from the ball. A 2-3 Matchup Zone might slide with the backside overload but a traditional 2-3 Zone will not slide to the backside leaving the frontside more open.
It is a simple play but makes the rotations of a 2-3 Zone advantageous to the offense. The offense is using the rules of a 2-3 Zone against the defense. This will work even better if the forward(3) attacking off the ball screen is a scorer. The defense will collapse on the forward(3) even more leaving the other players that much more open.
Overloads work great against zone defenses. A ball screen with an overload works even better because the offense can overload the defensive assignments first and then remove the on the ball defender making the zone defense rotate to spots they are not usually rotating too. This puts too much stress on the zone defense. The stress causes the zone to break and the offense to get open shots.
