2-3 Dribble-Over Double Screen to Rim

2-3 Dribble-Over Double Screen to Rim

This is a 2-3 zone attack that starts with a dribble-over to shift the top of the zone, then immediately flows into a double interior screen that frees a baseline cutter for a direct rim finish. The play is designed to make the top-right defender (Red2) chase the ball, pull the top-left defender (Red4) toward the nail, and then use two bodies inside to pin the middle and bottom defenders long enough for a clean dive window.

Objective

Create a one-pass rim finish by (1) dribbling the ball from the right side to the left slot to move the top line, (2) setting a double screen on the middle/bottom line, and (3) hitting the cutter (Blue5) at the front/left of the rim on time.

Setup and Spacing (as shown)

Blue1 starts on the right wing with the ball. Blue2 is high near the top/slot area as the dribble-over screen presence. On the left side, Blue4 is positioned near the left wing/high-post area, Blue3 is around the left block/low lane line area, and Blue5 begins low on the left side (short corner/baseline area). Red is aligned as a 2-3: Red4 (top-left), Red2 (top-right), Red5 (middle paint), with Red3 and Red1 as the low defenders.

Sequence (Dribble-Over → Double Screen → Dive and Finish)

Step 1: Blue1 dribbles over the top from the right wing toward the left slot (solid dribble path shown). As Blue1 comes across, Blue2 steps into the path of Red2 and sets a brush/dribble-over screen (screen indicator on Red2), delaying the top-right defender and letting Blue1 turn the corner with space.

Step 2: As the ball arrives on the left slot, the defense reacts—Red4 shifts upward toward Blue1 (defensive movement shown), which is exactly what you want: the top-left defender’s attention goes to the ball, and the middle/bottom line is about to be stressed by the cut.

Step 3: With the ball now left, Blue3 and Blue4 become the “double screen.” Blue4 pins/occupies Red5 (middle defender) in the paint area (screen indicator shown), while Blue3 pins/occupies Red3 (bottom-left defender) (screen indicator shown). These two contacts are the window-maker: they prevent the zone from cleanly “bumping” the cutter and keep Red5 from sitting under the rim.

Step 4: Blue5 dives hard up the lane line to the rim (solid cut shown). Blue1 delivers the pass to the cutter (dashed pass shown) into the left side of the restricted area.

Step 5: Blue5 catches near the left side of the rim and finishes immediately (final frame shows Blue5 with the ball at the rim). The key is no extra gather steps—catch ready, finish through contact if needed.

Defensive Stress Points

The dribble-over forces Red2 to chase and pulls Red4 toward the ball, which narrows the zone’s ability to see both the ball and the baseline cutter at the same time. The double interior screen then temporarily “freezes” Red5 (middle) and the bottom-left defender (Red3), creating the exact moment where a rim dive can be hit before the zone collapses.

Reads (without inventing extra passes)

Primary read: if Blue5 clears the double screen cleanly and you can see the cutter’s numbers/target hands, Blue1 throws the pass immediately (the pass is shown on the diagram—this is the intended payoff).
Secondary read: if the middle (Red5) sits on the rim early and the dive window isn’t clean, Blue1 should keep the dribble alive and stay patient at the slot to force a second defensive commitment, then look for the next best option (no other completed pass is shown here, so treat this as a “look” rather than a guaranteed next action).

Coaching Points

Blue1: make the dribble-over tight and on-balance—don’t float wide, or Red2 recovers and Red4 can stunt without consequence. Your pass to the rim has to be early; late passes get swallowed by the collapsing low line.
Blue2: the screen is a “touch” screen—arrive with a stable base, make Red2 go around you, then hold your spacing on the right side so you don’t bring extra defenders into the lane.
Blue3 + Blue4: screen space, not people—get in the defender’s path and stay still. The goal is to delay the bump/rotation for half a second, not to chase.
Blue5: sprint the cut and show hands early at the rim. If you jog the dive, Red5 and the bottom line recover and the window disappears.

Success Criteria

Blue1 gets across the top cleanly off Blue2’s dribble-over screen. Blue3 and Blue4 establish the double screen early enough that Blue5 can dive with separation. The pass from Blue1 arrives on time (dashed arrow action), and Blue5 finishes at the rim in one motion.