The 2-3 zone is one of the most fundamental defensive sets to
run in basketball because it is something most basketball players learn to play
when they are first starting out. First the point guard is referred to as the
1, the shooting guard is the 2, the small forward is the 3, the power forward
is the 4, and last but not least the center is the 5. The 2-3 defense is basically
a defensive set where the two quickest guards, which are usually the 1 and 2,
are placed on the elbows of the free-throw line because they are the ones who have
to do the most moving. The 3 guard often referred to as a small forward, will
be on the bottom of the zone with the 4 and five. The middle of the paint
should be occupied by the ‘5’ man, which is typically the biggest post player,
and the other low man would be the 4 man, often referred to as the
power-forward. There are different ways to defend in the 2-3 zones but most of
the time the coaches teach the same technique. The video link below shows the
most common way of how coaches use the 2-3 zone. The video demonstrates how
each player in the zone is suppose to move when the ball is in different
positions on the court. Also the video shows what the offense tries to do
against a 2-3 zone and what the weaknesses are of this particular zone defense.
This diagram below shows the set of the 2-3
zone and where each defender is when the
ball is at the top of the key.
This defense was one that my high school coach never liked to run. He believed it to be a lazy man's defense. But I do find some benefits in the 2-3 defense. Growing up I believe this is a good simple defense to start with younger kids. I do believe that this defense can have benefits to change up a game from the normal man defense you find most teams doing. This makes the opponent think more and may lead to a mistake. Overall I don't think this is the best defense in basketball, even though Syracuse fans may say different with their famous 2-3 defense they run all game long.
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