Q: After looking at the zone offense section, I was curious to see if other offenses used some of the R&R layers. While searching the web, I came across the ”Clock Offense”. Any thoughts on how this could be evaluated it in terms of R&R principles?

A: What are the advantages of the Clock Offense?

1. Spacing
2. Player Movement
3. Ball Movement (reversal of the sides of the court)

What are the disadvantages of the Clock Offense?

The same problems with all set offenses: The 3 advantages listed above are all derived from “planned” or “scripted” actions of the offensive players. Eventually, the offense is scouted and countered by the defense. What happens if an opening occurs in the defense and the offensive player decides to dribble penetrate to the goal? What do the other four players without the ball do? 5 player coordination is lost. What if the drive is stopped and a pass is made back out to the perimeter? Can the players resume the planned actions of the Clock Offense? I’m not being critical of the just the Clock Offense, this happens with ANY set offense.

Besides the 3 general advantages that I mentioned, there’s one major attack plan of the Clock that’s a great principle: Send a cutter to the basket, force the center of the zone to guard it, and then slide a post player (or any player) into the “hole” created by the cutter. The center cannot guard two players at the same time. The Clock sends the basket cutter with two actions: A wing to corner pass-and-cut and a wing-dribble-chase to the corner (what we call a Speed Dribble in the R&R).

In terms of the Read & React, the Clock action can be accomplished by formation and emphasis. Put the offense in a 4 OUT 1 IN formation with the 1 IN at the high post. The post instructions (or emphasis) are to be a DELAYED HUNTER:

Here are two examples:

1. Wait on basket cutters and fill the holes in the zone (HUNT the open area) after they cut the lane (right off the tail of cutters).

2. If the ball is swung or skipped to the opposite side of the floor, DELAY following the pass until the zone has shifted; then HUNT the open area created by close-outs, slides, and rotations of the zone defenders.

For the perimeter players, they will EMPHASIZE layers 3 and 5 of the Read & React: that is, Pass & Cut and occasionally Speed Dribble. With formation and emphasis, I’ve created 90% of the Clock Offense’s open looks. But I’ve done it without a set offense. Also, with the R&R, ANYONE can basket cut after they pass and ANYONE can Speed Dribble ANYONE at ANYTIME in ANY POSITION. Example: the corner might decide to Speed Dribble the wing instead of passing to the wing. This creates the same “basket-cutter, post-fill-after-the-cut, double attack” on the center of the zone. So, we can get the same “attack-action” TWICE on the same side of the floor before reversing sides.

And of course, with the R&R, if someone decides to drive a gap created by the passing and cutting, the team stays coordinated and if the drive fails, the pass and cut action can return without missing a beat. This makes it doubly difficult for the zone defense. Against the Clock Offense, the zone must learn to defend Passing and Cutting. But against the R&R, the zone must constantly switch between defending Passing & Cutting and Dribble Drives and back to Passing & Cutting, etc. The defense must do more than learn how to defend one type of action and that’s where I think most zone defenses (regardless of their formation) break down.