"Junk" Defenses Hold Star Players In Check
Box-and-One and Triangle-and-Two Defenses Stop Key Players
Feb 19, 2009
Many high school and some college teams know the situation. An opposing team comes into a game but only has one or two real scorers while the rest of the team is not much of a threat. The answer may be running a junk defense.
What is a Junk Defense?
A junk defense is one that combines both man-to-man and zone defenses into one defense. Created as a direct response to the above situation, these defenses look to the slow down a team’s top scorer by forcing them to face man pressure the entire game. The defense also provides the benefits of a zone for the defending team including keeping players fresh and better rebounding ability.
The defenses are usually geared toward stopping perimeter players as a regular 2-3 zone or 2-1-2 zone would stop a dominant inside player. So the main setup of junk defenses usually feature a single or pair of perimeter defenders with the remainder of the team in the lane.
The two more recognizable of these defenses are the box-and-one defense and the triangle-and-two defense, with both focusing on taking away guard play.
The Box-and-One Defense
As the name suggests, the box-and-one defense features one player in a man-to-man defense, while the remaining defenders make a box zone in the lane. This is accomplished by putting a player at each elbow and each block.
This defense is for teams with one main scoring guard and the defending team would put their best perimeter defender on him. A key to remember as a coach when playing the box-and-one is to rotate the lone defender to keep that player fresh, while wearing down the offensive player.
The other four players need to play a very active four-man zone in the lane. A typical zone is very good at taking away interior cutting lanes but the makeup of the box-and-one leaves the middle of the lane vulnerable to cuts. Players must be active on defense to take away cutting lanes.
Also zone players must be well coached on how to approach screens set on the man-to-man defender as offensive teams may look to get that player open.
Strong hedges (defenders stepping out on the back side of a screen to impede the dribble or cut of the player being screened for) are needed in this defense along with a quick return to the normal defensive position after the man-to-man defender has regained his role.
In addition, the zone players need to make a team effort at rebounding the basketball as the offense could get players to that vacant middle area.
Triangle-and-Two Defense
The triangle-and-two defense is used against teams with two good guards. With two guards playing man-to-man defense, the remaining players form a triangle zone in the lane with the three guard or small forward lining up just below the free-throw line and the post defenders again lining up on the blocks. The middle defender can sag down in the lane for more of a post defense if the offense also features a strong post player.
Like the box-and-one, it is a good idea to rotate the man-to-man defenders to keep them fresh and teams need to be aware their assignments on screens.
The advantage the triangle-and-two has over its partner defense is the presence of a defender in the middle of the lane. This helps prevent cuts through the lane and puts the defense in a better rebounding position. The middle defender, though, does need to be an athletic player due to the amount of space he needs to cover as his responsibility will be from the free-throw line, down to the middle of the lane.
When to Use Junk Defenses
Junk defenses are typically situational defenses and are not used by teams as the main defense they run. It does not make sense to run these defenses if you face a team that has three or four quality perimeter shooters as it would make the defense susceptible to giving up 3-point shots. Also if a team has a good cutting offense and personnel, a box-and-one would not be the way to go, nor would it be a good idea to run a triangle-and-two defense against a mid-range shooting team.
But in the circumstances that a team is playing an opponent with one or two guards and not much else in the way of offensive threats, these defenses can be very effective by providing defensive pressure on the opponents top scorers.
