In
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
, a double team (also double-team, double teaming, or double-teaming) is a defensive alignment in which two defensive players are assigned to guard a single offensive player.
Among basketball strategies in which defenders are assigned to specific players (as opposed to "
zone defenses" in which they are assigned to specific regions of the court), each defender is assigned to one offensive player (a "man-to-man" alignment). However, when an offensive player is overwhelming his or her defender, another defender may help out and create a double team. A successful double teaming can greatly impede that offensive player's movement and passing, such that passing him or her the ball frequently results in a
turnover. However, because devoting two defenders to a single offensive player leaves another offensive player unguarded, if the offensive player succeeds in both receiving the ball and passing it to that teammate, the teammate's likelihood of making a shot becomes much higher than usual.
Double teaming is employed more frequently near the basket than away from it because ''a'') offensive players' likelihood of making any given shot is greater and ''b'') because players tend to congregate near the basket when the ball is in play there, a double-teaming defender can more easily break away if necessary (''e.g.'', to recover a
rebound or to block a shot from another player). One common offensive strategy is to have a tall, physically imposing player (usually a
center) "
post up
Basketball moves are generally individual actions used by players in basketball to pass by defenders to gain access to the basket or to get a clean pass to a teammate to score.
Dribble
Dribbling is bouncing the ball continuously with one ha ...
" to force a double team, such that he can then either shoot or pass to the unguarded player (often a strong long-distance
outside"shooter attempting to make a
three-point shot). A defending team may also double-team a good offensive player away from the basket simply to interfere with the offensive team's preferred tactics. In the NBA players like
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the g ...
and more recently
Stephen Curry
Wardell Stephen Curry II ( ; born March 14, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, ...
have been double teamed and triple teamed on a regular basis due to their offensive prowess and scoring ability.
Basketball terminology
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