Duke's Defense

The Duke Blue Devils. Arguably the flagship program in college basketball with the history, talent, and brand drawing the praise or ire of fans everywhere. It is this very fame that throws a shadow over one of the best defensive schemes in college basketball.

Following in the footsteps of Tony Bennett’s packline defense, Jon Scheyer has created a defense designed for modern offenses and it is poised to dominate the ACC for years to come. The Blue Devils play a read and react style of defense that morphs based on the offense. This article dives into the complicated process behind Duke’s defense and details why it is so effective.

Pick and Roll Defense

Due to its universal usage for offenses, pick and roll defense is one of the defining pillars for a defensive scheme. There are many options from which teams choose from, each with a different goals and requirements from the players. Here is a list of the most common coverages with a short explanation.

Drop - The big stays back to take away the rim while the on-ball defender pushes the ball into the mid range area.

Hard Hedge - The guard forces the ball handler to use the screen and the big jumps out to shock the ball handler back while a third defender tags the roller.

Ice/Weak - The on-ball defender forces the ball to either the sideline or to the ball handler weak hand and the screen defender can drop or hedge.

Switch - Both defenders perform a switch to prevent two defenders guarding one offensive players. This is the most basic in definition but contextually will grow in complexity.

This list lays the needed framework for understanding Duke’s pick and roll defense because they use the whole list. Their default and most common coverage is drop when the action involves the x5 (defensive five). Screens between 1-4s are an automatic switch.

What is more interesting is how the coaching staff used the variation in response to scouting and timeouts. Rarely did Duke deploy the same coverage after a timeout as they did before.

Furthermore, they used different coverages to force their opponent into what they wanted. Against Houston, a team whose offense was led by shot-making guards, Duke hard hedged ball screens to keep them out of the paint and force them to give up the ball to lesser perimeter threats.

This same coverage was used in their matchup with Arizona to get the ball out of Caleb Love's hands. Duke would hard hedge/ soft trap ball screens involving Love and use their default drop coverage otherwise.

They would also trap ball screens to bust opponents sets coming out of a timeout or after free throws. If the trap works, they may repeat it the following possession but the aggression is selective.

My favorite usage from Duke was selectively switching their x5 onto the opponents guard to bait the offense into isolating. The trick comes after the switch with Duke heavily "loading" to the ball with their gap defenders. Effectively closing any driving advantages despite the mismatch.

This switch and load concept is also useful for end of period situations where teams often use a high ball screen.

Against a team with great scoring bigs, Duke played Drop coverage but didn't commit the big to the ball. Meaning, instead of the big guarding two, they showed Drop early but never truly stopped the ball to limit the bigs scoring chances. This strategy is relies on the on-ball defender to navigate the screen effectively while depending on the ball handler not attacking the big downhill.

This is far from the default coverage but it is just another interesting wrinkle Duke's coaching staff have shown as they adjust their defense to attack offensive weak points.

Gap Defense

Another key pillar and perhaps defining characteristic to this Duke defense is their gap defense. The most recent clips showed just a hint of what makes Duke's scheme so interesting. Where some schemes make gap responsibilities a fixed thing, the Blue Devils have more of a fluid understanding of gaps that is built around empowering the players to make decisions.

Against effective drivers or dangerous driving situations (closeouts, run-ways, size-ups), the gaps can constrict to present help before the drive is even attempted. At other times, Duke is heavy in the passing lanes and daring a player to create an advantage off the dribble (big catch, east-west dribbles, dead dribble).

The above clip shows how Duke recognizing and loading towards a mismatch. This takes advanced communication and connectivity for the gap defenders to quickly make the decision to help the on-ball defender.

Same situation with Duke conceding a mismatch by switching a ball screen. Alabama goes to boomerang the ball back to the mismatch with Duke's x5 closing out hard to take away the three. The ball handler blows by his matchup but the loaded gap defender sees and executes a peel switch to minimize the advantage.

This time, the offense isn't attacking a mismatch but rather sizing up the defender and moving towards the rim. Either of these tells shows the offense is gearing up for a drive. In response, Duke tightens in the gaps to disrupt the offense's flow.

A key component of loading is preventing straight-line passes for the ball handler. When the gap defender tightens, they need to keep their outside hand in the passing lane. This forces the offense to change the passing lines by moving horizontally outside the gap, penetrating through the gap, or the offensive player changing their position.

The first two offensive options are what the defense wants to see. Either the ball handler breaks off their drive early, giving time for the gap defender to recover. Or, the ball handler drives into the gap, risking a turnover to make the pass.

The last option is hard for the loaded defender to guard, which moves much of the responsibility to the two-gap defender or the weakside. A backcut triggers a switch if there are two defenders on a side. If the floor is unbalanced, the weak side is shifted to help on the cut and give the loaded defender time to recover.

This two gap defender ("twos") has to be active in driving situations to help the loading defender, even if there is not cut. The reason is to protect closeouts and forcing pauses into the offensive flow. By loading to the ball, the one gap defender has a longer closeout back to their matchup, these long closeouts can be an offensive advantage if the defender is on an island.

That's where the twos factor into the equation. As the one gap defender is closing out to the inside shoulder (preventing a middle drive), the twos are shocking the ball handler out of a catch and shoot three before recovering back to their matchup through the passing lane.

The basic rule for when the two should shock the ball is this: If the one gap stunts, so does the two.

The idea of loading is not new; the aggression from which defenses show the need for help is trending higher, but the concept has been used by many. What drew my attention is how they react to non-driving situations.

For example, teams using bigs as a passing hub depend on their guards creating advantages by moving without the ball. Knowing this, Duke drops their big and denies passes to stick the ball with the big or non-shooter (“lock and drop”).

The other common usage of one pass away denials is when teams are initiating their offense. Rarely do teams want to start a possession with a no-pass drive. The data supports this idea, offensive efficiency goes up with more reversals/passes. So, Duke's defense is built to make those reversals/passes more difficult in set situations (ref touches, ATOs, late game, etc).

Weakside Defense

With Duke crowding the ball with multiple defenders, the weakside defense is of equal importance to the other defensive pillars. This segment will focus on Duke's zone principles on the weakside and how they use it to guard baseline drives, maximize positioning in different situations, and defensive rebounding.

Below is a detailed explanation of zoning the weakside, a defensive scheme dominating the NBA, the same concepts apply directly to Duke's weakside defense.

Applying zone principles within a traditional man to man can counter the offense's expectation and maintain the defense's shell through movement and provide further options for defensive game planning. Using zone principles reduces the time spent reacting for defenders, leading to defenders playing faster.

Implementing zone principles, especially on the weak side, benefits the defense because it creates a higher time allowance and clarifies responsibilities by guarding space. This allowance provides defenders the ability to compress the space and recover back to shooters.

The main idea of zoning the weak side is to change the defender's focus from guarding their matchup to guarding space. A space focused defense can take advantage of poor shooters, passers, or team spacing. Furthermore, it allows for the defense to dictate positioning, making it harder for opposing coaches to predict and manipulate the weakside help.

Like every team's defensive concept, it starts with positioning. Zoning the weak side involves pulling a defender closer to a potential weakness while having the outnumbered defender(s) cover valuable court space.

In the clip above, notice the bottom defender pulled over to help with a post mismatch while the top defender stays near the perimeter to erase any chance for a skip pass. Now, when the ball is driven to the baseline, the bottom defender stops the ball outside the lane line while the other weakside defenders zone the weakside, guarding their space rather than their matchup.

This style creates quick, simple decisions for the defense that are hard for offenses to predict. It adds a level of dissuasion as well. With the help defense pulled over, it makes players hesitant to even attempt drives because they will be driving into a second defender.

Let’s go through the weak side rotations to properly understand defensive assignments.

The Helper ("X")

The helper is either the lowest or most capable weakside defender. Their responsibility is to show aggressive help towards the ball or an expected breakdown (mismatched post-up). They are showing help but not giving it until the ball is driven towards them.

When the ball handler engages the help, the helper can either peel switch with the on-ball defender (a topic discussed later) or stop the ball and recover on the pass or retreat dribble. To recover, the helper is sprinting to the offensive player that remains uncovered.

The Helper’s Help ("Y")

The Helper’s help comes from the lowest defender besides the helper. With three players occupying the weakside, this defender has the responsibility of protecting the rim and closing out to the perimeter player that does not receive the pass. With two offensive players on the weakside, this defender has to guard both players until the ball is passed to the weakside. This means closing out to wherever the ball goes while the original helper is closing out to the other offensive player.

The Freelancer

This position only exists when the offense has three players on the weakside. In that scenario, the Freelancer has the responsibility of guarding any player on the perimeter. Meanwhile, the Helper’s help has rim and corner responsibility. There is an overlap of responsibility in regards to the corner, meaning these two defenders have to work together to find the best solution.

Situational Rotations

Commonly, the offense will have a player occupying the weak side corner and wing areas. In this situation, the second helper plays between these players and reads the ball handler. The second defender has to guard the three point line from the corner to the wing. Wherever the ball is passed, that is where the defender goes. As the pass is in the air, the bottom defender is turning to close out to the unguarded offensive player.

In the event that an offensive player cuts in response to a baseline drive, the second defender playing the two weak side offensive players has the difficult task of jamming/passing the cutter to the low defender and still being on time to close out to the perimeter.

For advanced defenses. If the bottom defender is a rim protector who can be exposed on the perimeter. They can orchestrate a peel switch . This switch has the original on-ball defender (who got beat baseline), to continue their momentum to the weak side to take the bottom defenders recovering responsibility and leaving the bottom defender in the paint.

Another situation where guarding space instead of matchups is beneficial is the option to dictate who guards what space. Unless a special circumstance dictates otherwise (matchups, foul trouble, etc), the rule of thumb is for the bigger (usually better at protecting the rim) player to play the bottom of the zone. The smaller (usually faster, more perimeter oriented) player takes the higher zone.

The reasoning is to put defenders in the space that they will be the most effective in. Bigger players offer stouter defense at the rim. While smaller players can guard better on the perimeter.

With Oklahoma City mismatched against the Pacers, the defensive five man is guarding a smaller player on the perimeter. As the ball is passed to the corner. Hartenstein rotates to the bottom defender's position. Bumping Alex Caruso and Aaron Wiggins over to cover for Hartenstein’s rotation.

The result is Oklahoma City zoning the weakside to dissuade any Pacer drive while also nullifying the transition mismatches. This is just one of the many situations where zoning the weak side provides a modern solution to modern offenses.

Rebounding

Rebounding is fascinating in its simplicity and maddening in its difficulty. While rebounding is remarkable easy to do once, it requires incredible discipline to do every time. Duke does just that and it has led to them being good to great in defensive rebounding under Jon Scheyer.

The secret sauce is not so secret. They have four guys crash into the paint on every possession. The only person exempt from getting on the defensive glass is the person contesting a perimeter shot.

Conclusion

After my excessive ramblings, I am going to keep this short (LOL). Duke's defensive is masterful and I don't see it slowing down with Scheyer at the helm. The level of flexibility gives them so many options to thwart offenses with their gameplan while keeping a level of discipline that grinds unprepared offenses to dust.

For coaches or fans, if you would like more clips or videos on anything I covered please reach out. I love talking basketball and can be reached through Twitter @sambourne04 or through email sbourne2020@gmail.com. Thank you for reading this article and I hope it provided helpful insight into one of the best defensive schemes in college basketball.