Zoom and Handoffs play
Zoom: Pin-Down into Handoff
- Court
- Half court
- Length
- 13 steps
About this play
The base action of the family and the one to install first: a pin-down straight into a dribble handoff, from five-out with the post as the hub. The post takes a dribble or two toward a slot, the strong-side slot pins down for the corner, the corner sprints over the screen and takes the handoff at the wing, the post rolls, and the screener lifts to the vacated slot. Why it is hard to guard: for one beat the post, the screener, and the receiver are all within a few feet of each other, which pulls three defenders into the same spot and empties the rest of the floor, and the receiver arrives at full speed because a handoff is a pass and a screen at once. The handler's reads, which are the same on every play in this family: attack the rim or pull up if the defender trails the handoff, shoot the three if he goes under, hit the roller if the roller's defender helps, kick to the lifting screener if his man tags the roll. The counter is for the defense that switches the pin-down: the screener slips the screen to the rim before it is set, because the defender stepping up to switch has left the block, and the post pitches to him from the slot. Common mistakes: the corner drifting up to the wing before the screen arrives, which shortens his cut and brings his defender into the handoff with him, the screener setting a bad angle, and the post handing off standing still instead of dribbling at the receiver. I learned the zoom from Breakthrough Basketball's simplified zoom offense and Coach's Clipboard's zoom action page; give them a look if you want the full install.
