NBA Zipper Playbook by Wes Kosel

Written by Coach Peterman

I have coached at the NCAA Division 2 (Southwestern Oklahoma State University), NAIA (USAO), and JUCO Levels (Blinn College and Carl Albert State College) as well as high school. I just felt that fellow coaches especially young coaches need to constantly work on their “game”. Just like the basketball players that we coach. We as coaches need to improve ourselves. That is my story and why I do this blog.

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Basketball Coaching | Basketball Plays | Basketball Set Plays

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March 5, 2014

NBA Zipper Playbook by Wes Kosel

Here are 5 plays used by former NBA coaches that feature the zipper cut. The zipper cut is a great way to initiate your offense. The defense is already at a disadvantage with a wing player cutting up the floor off of a post player. If the defense doesn’t guard correctly, an easy shot by the wing or an easy pass to the post will result. In the attached playbook, you will find several ways to use a zipper cut to get an open shot on offense.

NBA Zipper Playbook: Zipper Post

Pat Riley – New York Knicks. The play was used to get Patrick Ewing an open look in the post. The play starts with 2 making a zipper cut and receiving a pass from 1. 3 then cuts to the wing and receives a pass from 2. 3 then looks for 5 (Ewing) posting up down low.

NBA Zipper Playbook: Zipper Iso

Don Chaney – Detroit Pistons. The idea was to get guard Joe Dumars the ball in open space for a 1 on 1 situation. 3 makes a zipper cut off of 4 and receives a pass from 1. 2 cuts to the wing off of 5. 3 passes to 1, then 5 clears out. 2 is now looking to drive 1 on 1.

NBA Zipper Playbook: Zipper Pick & Roll

Mike Dunleavy – Milwaukee Buck: This play opens up one side of the floor for a pick & roll situation. 2 makes a zipper cut off of 4, and 3 moves to the ball-side corner. 5 then steps over to set a ball screen for 2. 2 and 5 now have pick & roll action on the left side of the floor.

NBA Zipper Playbook: Zipper Drive

Rudy Tomjanovich – Houston Rockets: This play was used to get guard Vernon Maxwell the ball in the middle of the floor. 2 (Maxwell) makes a zipper cut off of 5, then receives a pass from 1. 4 clears to the corner, and 2 drives middle. As 2 drives middle, he can pass to 5 ducking in to the basket or to 3 for a shot on the wing.

NBA Zipper Playbook: Zipper Flare

Larry Brown – Indiana Pacers: This play was used to get Reggie Miller an open shot. 2 (Miller) makes a zipper cut off of 5 and then flares off of 4. 3 moves to the ball-side corner. 1 dribbles to the wing, then makes a skip pass to 2 for an open shot.

Wes Kosel is an assistant coach for men’s basketball under Head Coach Tommy Jones at Texas Lutheran University in Seguin, TX. 2013-2014 marks the second year for Kosel at TLU. Prior to arriving at TLU, Kosel served as a student assistant coach under Head Coach Chad Killscrow at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, KS. Kosel has an undergraduate degree in Exercise Science from the University of Kansas, and is pursuing a Master’s degree in Physical Education from the University of Houston. The Bartlesville, OK native is also a NSCA Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), and teaches weight training and aerobic fitness courses at Texas Lutheran. He has coached AAU programs, volunteered with elementary and middle school basketball teams, and has worked basketball camps for various programs including the Houston Rockets, University of Houston, Texas State, and Texas A&M Corpus Christi

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Click on the pdf link to download the basketball plays: