Newsletter #344

Today's Theme... Defending a Star Shooter/ Wing Player

Our "Triangle Defense" is used mainly to stop a team with a dominant, star perimeter player.  Our last email discussed containing a point guard.  In this email we'll discuss stopping a great wing player or shooter. 

Again, if you have a great 1-on-1 defender, instead of using the triangle,  you could just put him on the star everywhere on the court, denying him the pass, and hounding and controlling him.  This 1-on-1 defender would not be concerned with giving help, just stay with the star.

Our use the triangle...

To refresh, the triangle is X4, X5 and X3, and X3 is the "point defender".  Put your best defender on the star, and have him stay with him, deny and contain, without giving help to anyone else.

Here the star is a wing player, and not the primary ball-handler.  The star does not dribble across half-court, but instead gets the pass to the wing.  In diagram G, X2 is assigned to the star and tries to deny that pass.  We do not double O1 as the ball comes across half-court.

If the ball is passed to the star, X1 goes to double team (diagram H).  The point defender X3 takes the next pass, and X1 drops to the point.  X2 continues to deny the star.  X1 and X3 move in and out of the point position as the ball moves.

The star player may try to post up inside.  In diagram K, after the star down-screens for O4, O4 pops out to the wing, and the star tries to post up X2.  X2 full-fronts the star to deny the pass into the post.  Notice that X5 is in helpside, to help against any lob pass.

If the star does receive the ball in the post, X5 double-teams, and X1 quickly drops to deny the pass to the opposite post player.

In diagram M, the star has the ball in the corner.  We won't necessarily try to trap here, but contain and apply pressure.  If he/she dribbles baseline, X4 cuts off the baseline and traps with X2.  X5 rotates to O4 and our point defender X3 drops to O5.

We could trap the star in the corner (with X3), or at least have X3 slide over and clog the top seam to prevent dribble-penetration.  X1 straddles the other two perimeter players and takes the next pass to either O1 or O3.

Denying basket cuts...  if the star makes a cut through the paint, not only does X2 bump and deny the star, but our point defender also helps to deny or intercept that pass.

Ball-screens... we jump-switch ball screens, whether set for the star, or by the star. 

Rebounding... A true star player can beat you in many ways.  Don't forget to box-out and rebound.  I have seen the star get half of his points on offensive rebounds and put-backs.

See these pages:

    Triangle Defense for Defending a Star Player — detailed options and diagrams.
    Junk Defenses and defending a star player — box-and-1, 1-3 and a chaser, 3-1 and a chaser, diamond and 1, etc.