Yes, you can screen the zone. An effective method is to swing the ball to one side and then, as the zone shifts, back-screen the weakside of the zone. Note that with any of these plays, if the play breaks down, O1 should recognize this and resume your usual zone offense. Below are several simple zone plays. "Zone-1" plays attack zones with two-guard front (2-3 zone). "Zone-2" plays are used against zones with a one-guard front (1-3-1 and 1-2-2 zones). For even more complicated zone plays, see Advanced Zone Plays
Zone-1 Plays
(for attacking the 2-3 zone)
Zone-2 Plays
(for attacking the 1-3-1 and 1-2-2 zones)
"Iowa"
This play can be run either to right ("Iowa-2") or the left ("Iowa-3"). Once again, we take advantage of the zone over-shifting and we screen the backside of the zone. In the diagrams below, we run it to the right ("Iowa-2").First, O1 passes to the opposite wing O3 to get the zone to shift. Notice that O5 starts on the side that we are running the play to and does not go to the ball-side short corner in this case (like we do in our normal zone offense where O5 runs the baseline).
Next O3 skip passes to O2. O4 screens the top defender while O5 screens the low defender and posts up on the low block. O2 has the option of shooting or passing to O5 or O4 posting up. If the pass goes to O4, O4 might be able to make a "hi-lo" play with O5 (passing to O5), especially if O5 is being fronted (like our play "High-2").
"21" and "31"
Run this simple play either right ("21") or left ("31"). In the diagrams below, we show "21".In diagram A, O1 dribbles at and tries to engage the top defender on the side the play is being run. Either O2 ("21") or O3 ("31") screens the outside top zone defender for O1 to dribble around and shoot the mid-range jumper. The opposite post (O4 in the diagrams below) slides up to the high post-opposite elbow area to occupy the middle defender in the zone.
O1 can shoot the short pull-up jumper (diagram B), or pass to O5 if the low defender comes up to defend (diagram C). The opposite wing (O3) should drop down inside to become a back-side rebounder. After screening, O2 pops out on top as our safety.
"Indiana"
These two plays try to exploit the outside weakness of the 2-3 zone. This is a simple pass to either wing ("Indiana-2" to the right, and "Indiana-3" to the left), followed by O1 setting a screen on the ball. The wing dribbles around the screen for the medium ranged jumper. If the opposite wing defender cheats over, the pass could be make to the weakside wing for the open shot (diagram C), but the first option is the shot off the dribble.
The other very important part of this play is that both of our posts setup very low, below the defense (diagram A). This keeps the down defenders down. More important, once our wing makes the move and takes the shot, O4 and O5 should be able to step inside the defense and box-out for perfect rebounding position. Half of the time the shot will be missed and our posts should look at this as a great opportunity for an offensive rebound and a easy put-back.
"UConn"
In recent years, we have been fortunate in having some very good shooting guards (O2). This simple play gets O2 a shot in the paint, and works well against teams that play the middle low defender (X3) fairly low in the paint. We start with a 1-3-1 set.O1 passes to O3 (to get the top defenders to move), while O2 drops down to the short corner. O3 passes back to O1. O4 sets a down-screen on the middle defender X3. O2 curls around the screen, gets the pass from O1 and the turn-around jump-shot in the paint. If not open for the pass, O2 moves out to the usual spot on the right wing, and could get the pass and shot there instead.
"4"
Using an inside screen. Refer to the diagrams below. O2 runs the baseline, always in the ball-side corner. The ball-side post (O4) is positioned halfway up the lane, near the elbow. We once again pass to the corner. O2 can shoot the 3-pointer or dribble-penetrate the baseline.
Meanwhile O4 screens the middle defender in the zone, resulting in a 2-on-1 situation with O2 driving to score, or dish off to O5 (Diagram B). The screener O4 must be aware of the three-second violation, but if the initial screen is set above the free-throw line, O4 could release up the middle as another option (Diagram C).
"24" & "34"
Against the 1-3-1 zone, we screen both the low X5 defender and the middle X4 defender, and cut O5 under the low screen. O5 gets the pass from O1. "24" is run with O2 and O4 as the screeners, and "34" is the same play but with O3 and O4 as the screeners.
"24-Wide" & "34-Wide"
Here, we start the same as "24" above. This time, O2 cuts out to the corner for the pass. O4 screens the middle defender. O2 could shoot (diagram B), or pass to O5 cutting inside (diagram C).
"45" & "54"
We can run these simple plays from the "zone-2" offense, and these will actually work against the 2-3 zone as well. The same rules apply as above. In "45", the pass goes to O2 in the right corner. O4 screens the X5 defender and this frees O5 for a cut to the ball-side low post and the lay-up.Against a 2-3 zone (diagram C), O4 screens the middle low defender. In "54", it's all the same, except on the opposite side with the pass going into the left corner, O5 setting the inside screen and O4 cutting to the ball-side low post for the pass and lay-up.
