How To Beat The Box And One

How To Beat The Box & One

(and The Triangle & Two)
Kevin Gallagher
Head Basketball Coach
LaSalle University, Retired

During the course of a season we are bound to see "junk" defenses. If we have one or two players who are more talented than the rest of the team we will surely see a box and one or a triangle and two. They can be, at best, annoying, and at worst, a reason for a game to be lost. As a coach, you must be aware that this can happen, decide on a course of action, and prepare your team accordingly.

Basically, one can choose one of three courses of action in dealing with a junk defense. First, a team can ignore the situation and run its normal perimeter offense. Secondly, a team can go out of its normal pattern and run a play designed to get the ball to your star player. Lastly, a team can let the "other" 3 or 4 players take up the slack in scoring. The first method will not be covered here. (Since you are already familiar with your standard or favorite offenses, there is no need to discuss them here.) What will be covered is the idea that you will be going to your key player in spite of the defense or you are going to let your supporting players do most of the scoring.

The decision on whether to get the ball to your key players or to your peripheral players can be determined by certain things in your general coaching philosophy. With which do you feel more comfortable, going to your star, or to your "other" players? How good is your star? Can he rise above this situation or would he have the tendency to let this situation control him? How good are your other players? Can they pick up the slack? What position does your key player play? Is he a guard? Does he usually handle the ball or does someone else perform this chore and let him do most of the scoring? Is he capable of getting himself open, or does he need screens set for him? Is he a forward? Does he play on the perimeter or on the inside? Or does he play both? Is your star a center? These are rhetorical questions that the coach must answer. After doing so, you will probably be able to decide what course of action is best for you and your team when faced with the inevitable combination defense (i.e. defenders playing man to man on your star, and the rest of the team playing zone).

First, we will assume that you intend to let the whole team pick up the slack. If you want to run your normal offense, that may be the best for now, but it could not hurt you to read this article. In the future you may find that this material is something that you wish to incorporate. Then we will take the other approach (i.e. you intend to get the ball to your star at all costs). In either situation, you will have two opposite concepts to consider. First, you must prepare your team for all situations in a game (or you will surely lose all games in which you are unprepared), and secondly, you must spend a proportionate amount of time on all situations that you will face. In other words, you will see a combination defense but you will not see it often. Therefore, you cannot afford to spend too much time on this and neglect the other phases of your game preparation.

We will keep both points in mind as we attach the combination defense. We must be able to beat the defense and exploit its weaknesses but we cannot spend too much time on it in practice. If we spend too much time on it we will neglect the normal situations. That is to say, we will see 'junk' defenses maybe 10% of the time. We cannot afford to spend too much time preparing for this eventuality.

Let us first get the ball to our 'other' players as we face a box and one. (Diagram #1)
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O3, the star, is guarded by X3. The weak spots of any zone are the seams, or dead spots. Put more simply, the areas where the defense is vulnerable is where they are not. Any box and one is vulnerable: 1) between the front two defenders (X1 and X2), 2) the sides (where O2 and O4 are) and 3) the weakest area - the middle of the zone. If you have an inside player with any decent skills (not even good or great - just average), you will force the opposition out of it's junk defense very quickly indeed. Your star, O3, can run the baseline, trying to tire out X3 and run him off of his own men, X4 and X5, as if they were setting screens for him. We want to get the ball to O3 unless he is not open. But we will not go out of our way to get him the ball and disrupt the flow of the team offense.

O1, O2 and O4 will pass the ball around the perimeter of the defense, looking for the 15 footer. All three of these players must penetrate without the ball. By this is meant that they must get to the spot from which they would normally shoot the ball BEFORE the ball is passed to them. Inexperienced players will get impatient and drift back from the 15 foot range back to the 25 foot range to get the ball more easily. Once they get it, they will then expect to dribble into their normal range and take their shot. It is too late by now as even the slowest defense would have drifted back into position. If all perimeter players hold their position, the defense will be out-manned. They will not be able to cover all the perimeter offensive players. Next, all perimeter offensive players must get into position to shoot before the ball gets into their hands. In other words, as the pass is on it's way, the receiver must get his feet set to shoot. Less experienced players will wait until they have the ball in their hands before they begin to prepare for a shot. Why waste this time? Why not be ready before the ball arrives?

When O1, O2 or O4 have the ball, O5 must be in a position to receive the ball (e.g. if O2 gets the ball, notice where O5 is). If O5 drops lower and O2 and O4 drop lower, (Diagram #2) X4 must make a decision. X4 must decide to defend O2's jump shot and give up a shore layup to O5 (O2 will pass inside if X4 comes out even a little bit) or stay tight on O5, thus giving up a short, uncontested jumper to O2. This opportunity could present itself on the other side of the floor but only if O5 goes to the low post on the other side of the floor. (Diagram #3)

Please note that O3 and X3 are being kept out of the diagrams to eliminate any confusion. O5 can also be helpful by staying on the side of the lane halfway up to the foul line, not down low. A player in the post controls the structure of the zone, forces it to stay compact, therefore making the perimeter players better. The emphasis here is that O5 is a passer when he is in a medium post. As the ball is passed into O5, the defense will sag on him. O5 can pass back to O2, O1, or O4, who all will step in closer to get a higher percentage shot. The keys to the success of this are, being patient, pass the ball quickly, no unnecessary dribbling, taking what the offense gives you, and being where they are not. It must be stressed that whenever a pass is thrown, a receiver must know where his teammates are. He can just redirect the ball rather than catching, looking and then throwing the ball.

The very worst that should happen would be a 15 foot jump shot. The best would be a layup by the center. If your team cannot take advantage of another team under these circumstances, you are in for a very long night. (The problem would not be the structure of this attack, but rather the fundamental abilities of your players.)

What if we are faced with a diamond and one? (Diagram #4 - O3, the star, and X3, his defender, are omitted from the diagrams once again.). The answer is to go opposite. Pick one side and overload. O1 and O4 step in without the ball. O5 plays low or medium post. O2 waits to take the jumper if X1 drifts too far away. O2 can also easily crash the boards on a shot. The same principals apply as in the box and one. Get in between the seams of the zone, pass quickly, take what the defense gives you, and be where they are not.

What if we have two great players and see a triangle and two? (See Diagrams #5 and #6) (O2 and O3 are the best players and are being played by X2 and X3. They are omitted from the diagrams.) See how wide open O1, O4 and O5 are? The same principals apply, O5 must stay over top of X4 and X5. O1 and O4 must pass over and around X1 all the while looking to get the ball to O5 if the opportunity presents itself. Once again, the short jumper will be the worst shot, a layup will be the best shot.

Thus far we have discussed how to get the 'other' players to beat the box and one. What if we want to go in the other direction? What if we want to get the ball to our star player? To answer that we must first answer the questions asked in the beginning. Just to repeat, here they are again. How good is your star? Can he rise above this situation or would he have the tendency to let this situation control him? What position does your key player play? Is he a guard? Does he usually handle the ball or does someone else perform this chore and let him do most of the scoring? Is he capable of getting himself open, or does he need screens set for him? Is he a forward? Does he play on the perimeter or on the inside? Or does he play both? Is your star a center?

If the player that draws the man coverage is your main ball handler and no one else can fill that role, do not expect him to score. Now if the player who is being covered is a perimeter player, run him along the baseline and have teammates set screens for him (Diagram #7). As he comes off the screen get him the ball for a jumper.

If your star can play inside, keep the ball on one side of the court and have the two players who are on the ball side with him work the ball back and forth. (Diagram #8). The post, O5 (who is guarded by X5), must hold X5 on one side and keep him there to get an open pass.

As was stated in the beginning, you can try to force the ball to your star or you can bypass him and have your other players take up the slack. Lastly you can run your normal offense and ignore the box and one. Regardless of what choice you make, think about what is best for your team and then practice it to death!