23 Zone - Wing Players

The Wing Players are a critical part of a successful 23 Zone. In this post, we are going to take a look at their Responsibilities and Steal Opportunities in the zone.

Your Wing Players are arguably the most important people in your 23 Zone. They need to be quick enough to deter catch & shoot opportunities on the wings and tough enough to rebound the basketball in traffic. Putting the wrong players in these positions can be an easy way to give up easy three-point shots or get massacred on the offensive glass. If possible we want to get our two best athletes in these positions to help with coverage, rebounding, and capitalize on their chances to create turnovers.

The skill that is most useful for the Wing Players is their use of anticipation. Players who have a good sense of where the basketball is going with be better in both their coverage responsibilities and steal opportunities. As we will explore later in the post the responsibilities for Wing Players are fairly simple, but they do depend on timing and anticipation to execute. These players are crucial in taking away the wing three point shots and swing passes that zone offenses depend on.

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Responsibilities of the Wing Players -

The responsibilities for the Wing Players are fairly simple but are absolutely critical for the defense to succeed. Two of the weaknesses of the 23 Zone is the susceptibility to wing three point shots and the difficulty in preventing the offense from swinging the basketball. Our Wing Defenders are going to be the key people if we are going to mitigate those weaknesses.

Three Main Responsibilities -

Wing Responsibilities -

Wing Bumps:

The Wing Bump is the most important responsibility for the Wing Players.

As the basketball is being swung to the wing the Wing Player should be arriving at the same time. It is up to him to make sure that easy three point shots are taken away.

No Corner Swings:

This applies to the Wing Bump or any Dribble Entries on your side.

You need to be wide enough to make sure that quick swing passes can not be easily made. If you can not prevent the swing pass you need to at least make it as difficult as possible. Keep in mind that nothing beats Zone Defense as easy as quick swings around the perimeter.

Backside Coverage:

If you are on the backside of the zone your job is fairly simple. You should be positioning yourself on the lane line and talking through any cutters that are traveling towards the ball side.

Skip Pass Steals -

One of the best steal opportunities for the Wing Players is jumping a skip pass. As we discussed above, when the ball is on the opposite side of the floor we should position ourselves on the lane line and have one eye on the baseline and one eye on the skip pass. The defense is essentially putting four players on the ball side, baiting the offense to utilize the skip pass to the backside. With some anticipation this is the pass good Wing Players are looking for steal for a break away lay up.

Skip Passes Steals -

Positioning:

When the basketball is on the opposite side of the floor the Wing Players now have the responsibility for covering the entire backside of the defense.

They must position themselves along the lane line. This will allow them to cover the rim if the ball is entered to the Short Corner or Middle - but also put them in a great position to steal the Skip Pass if it is thrown.

Baiting the Offense:

Once you get into lane line position you need to get your body weight leaning towards the Skip Pass. If we are going to get the steal we need to be breaking on the skip passes as soon as it leaves the hands of the passer.

Middle Touch Steals -

Another great steal opportunity occurs when the ball is touched in the middle of the defense. Almost every zone offense makes getting the basketball to the player positioned at the free throw line a priority. Our response when this does take place is to immediately guard the ball with The Center and cover the blocks with our Wing Players. This moment can present a good opportunity to steal high/low passes.

Middle Touch Steals -

Positioning:

As the Wing Players have the responsibility of Wing Bumping they are typically above the blocks when a pass to the middle is completed.

Dive to the Blocks:

Because the Wing Players are positioned above the blocks they need to quickly dive to the block in order to prevent the high/low pass.

Good Wing Players will get their inside hand ready to deflect that pass made from the middle to the baseline.

Importance of Talking:

Knowing whether or not there is a player positioned behind you is an essential part of creating steals. The wing on the backside and the Center need to be actively talking to make sure every baseline player is accounted for.

Concluding Thoughts -

Getting the "right players" in these Wing Positions is important, but coaches must also instill an aggressive, risk-taking mindset in these defenders as well. These players must commit to their responsibilities on the wings and then anticipate where the steal opportunities will appear. Using their anticipation they need to react on the flight of the basketball. As coaches we can improve the recognition of this moments by designing these situations in practice and then getting our guys to really attack the ball in the air and be hunting for these steal opportunities.

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