It would be just about impossible to go through an entire basketball season without facing some kind of zone defense.

And if you don't have a few good options in your zone offense playbook, your team could be in for a world of trouble.

Just like with any other offense, you'll want to move your personnel into the best spots, teach your players the different reads so the defense is always wrong, and keep the defense on the move.

You can install 1 of these 3 plays to enhance your zone offense attack:

Play #1 - ZONE LOOP

In this play, 2 is your best shooter and 3 is a capable decision maker with the ball in their hands.

Since your opponent is playing zone, you might start the play with the ball in hands of 3 and let 1 be your cutter/driver.

Play Instructions:

• 1 dribbles at 3 - 1 has to make sure x1 is engaged and defending him
• 3 loop cuts up the middle of the lane through the nail

• 1 passes to 3
• On the pass, 5 is coming to set a ball screen on x2
• While this is happening, 2 is spacing out to the corner

• 3 uses the ball screen
• 5 rolls to the rim and seals x5 to open up the lane
• 3 drives to the rim and now reads x4
• If x4 helps, 3 kicks it out to the best shooter on the floor (2)
• If x4 doesn't help, 3 (your best driver) has a lot of space to get to the basket

Play #2 - ZONE ELBOW

This play starts with a 1-3-1 alignment. 1 and 3 should be capable shooters and 5 should be a good screener.

Play Instructions:

• 1 passes to 2
• On 1's pass, 3 cuts to the corner and 1 replaces 3

• 5 then sets a ball screen on 2
• 2's only job is to get x1 to commit to them; this is where the reads are made

• If x1 commits to 2, the defense is now in trouble
• If 2 kicks it out to 1, x3 must make a decision
• If x3 stays low, 1 takes the shot
• If x3 comes out to close out on 1 (remember, x1 just helped on 2's drive so he can't recover), 1 throws a "one more" pass to 3 for the open look
• If 1 reverses it to 3 and x3 somehow recovers to the corner, that leaves 4 open inside

Play #3 - ZONE STACK

This play isn't something that you can run all game long, but it's a good way to try and steal an open look out of a timeout, start of a quarter, or similar situations.

2 is your best shooter and 4 should be a respectable shooter as well.

Play Instructions:

• 1 passes to 5; 5 passes it right back to 1
• The purpose here is to at least get the defense shifting a little bit out of their standard 2-3 alignment

• When the ball comes back to 1, 4 pops out
• 1 passes to 4 only after he engages x1 on the drive
• If x1 never stops 1, 1 just continues to drive

• On 4's catch, 2 pops out
• Now, x3 must choose between guarding 4 (a capable shooter) and 2 (your best shooter)

Resources for Zone Offense:

Continuity Zone Offense & Concepts To Beat Any Zone Defense with Don Kelbick

Beating the Zone - Set Plays To Score Against Zone Defenses

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