To this point we’ve covered a lot about the red zone, defending the athlete with the ball, denying passes, and the concept of how to play helpside defense. One of the challenges with basketball is that the game isn’t static, really good offensive teams are going to move and they are going to move the ball. This means that defense cannot be static.
The image below shows the situation. Offensive player #1 has the ball. Defender #1 is in between the ball and the basket and is aggressively trying to get the offensive player into a push point. Defender #4 is in the passing lane to deny a potential pass. The other defenders are in helpside I.
However, offensive player #1 beats the defender and is dribbling towards the red zone. At this point a number of things happen. First, defender #1 is attempting to reestablish a good defensive position against the ball handler. Second, defender #5 moves across to block the ball and prepares to take a charge. Defender #3 comes down and replaces #5 as support and for a potential rebound. Defender #4 will shift to continue denying the passing lane, as will defender #2.
The point behind this scenario is that defense is never static. We don’t want our athletes to be trees on the court!
