Zone Offense Basketball: Small-Sided Games to Teach It

What Are Small-Sided Games for Zone Offense Basketball?

For the format of this blog, I have split small-sided game ideas into four categories (dribbling, passing, spacing and moving), with sub principles of play within each activity. The small-sided games are designed around the specific zone offense principle of play.

Dribbling

Principle of Play = Attacking and Exploiting Gaps

• SSG and Constraints = 3-on-2 with space constrained to playing only above the 1st hash mark. The player with the ball must force a help defender to commit to stopping the ball before kicking out to an open player with a numbers advantage. Bonus points for every offensive rebound and punishing one of the weaknesses of the zone. 

Principle of Play = Shift the Zone

• SSG and Constraints = 5-on-5 half court. Players can explore how to shift or distort the zone out of their preferred alignment. Scores after a reversal across the split line are worth double points. Bonus points for every offensive rebound.

Principle of Play = Engage Two defenders

• SSG and Constraints = 3-on-3 with space constrained to one side of the court. Players will use a dribble to draw two defenders and utilise the 2-on-1 advantage. Player must attack with the intent to get paint touch and if dribble does not engage a defender, then any subsequent score does not count. Bonus points for every offensive rebound.

PASSING

Principle of Play = Pin-Ins and Skip Passes

• SSG and Constraints = 5-on-5 live. Players explore how to give the receiver of a skip pass some time and space for the shot. A score on the skip pass does not count unless a defender is sealed / screened with a pin-in before the shot. Players to debrief where a seal was effective (e.g. dunker for corner shot, or elbow for wing shot). Bonus points for every offensive rebound. Note the slip from the player pinning in can also be an option.

Principle of Play = Misdirection

• SSG and Constraints = 4-on-4 half court. Players must explore how to use misdirection and force the defence to closeout. Players to debrief misdirection solutions (e.g. pass fakes, boomerang passes, ball reversals, quick reversals into a pick and roll, etc). 

Principle of Play = Inside-Outside

• SSG and Constraints = 5-on-5 half court. The ball must go inside-outside at least once on each possession for score to count. This can be done with a high post player playing through the middle of the zone. 

.

SPACING

Principle of Play = Overload the Zone

• SSG and Constraints = 5-on-5 full court with 3 trips. Must be a different player in the dunker each trip and players have to explore how many different overloads they can create. Players debrief solutions (e.g. triangle, box, cut through, etc). Only ROB shot counts. 

Principle of Play = Relocations

• SSG and Constraints = 3-on-3 with space constrained to one side of the court. Players to explore how to use dribble to attack gaps, kick out and relocate. Players to debrief relocate solutions (e.g. ghost screen, drift, lift, flare). 

MOVING

Principle of Play = Flash Cut

• SSG and Constraints = 4-on-4 with space constrained to one half of the court and players have to explore affordances from a flash cut behind the zone from weak side corner towards the middle. Players start point, wing, dunker and weakside corner. Players to debrief the attractive affordances (e.g. high-low or lob pass). Gold medals only or catch and shoot threes.

Principle of Play = Baseline Runner

• SSG and Constraints = 4-on-4 with space constrained below the block. Players have to explore how a baseline runner from behind the zone can create attractive affordances and/or numbers advantage. Player to debrief solutions found (e.g. exit screen on baseline for catch & shoot). Gold medals and 3s only. 

Principle of Play = Screening the Zone

• SSG and Constraints = 3-on-2 with space constrained above the first hash mark on the key. Players have to explore ways to use a screen to get an open shot. Players to debrief solutions found (e.g. wing to point screen). Plus 2 points for screener scoring.