This is probably the number one reason the zone doesn't work as well as it should. By design we don't guard out much beyond 20 feet, preferring to dare opponents to take a deep three versus trying to find a seam in the zone. Players at all positions today are able to hit a three and it hurts us badly. That being said it hurts any defense even man to man, as they also don't pick up their man right away. Running a pressure defense wears your players down, and most teams don't run deep enough to sustain it forty minutes, yet this is one of the only ways to stop a barrage from deep. Bottom line is it doesn't matter which defense you play, if you aren't picking up the players at 25 feet you are allowing them open deep looks.
- The cat is out of the bag.
The zone is not new, it has been around for a long time. The cat has been out of the bag for a long time. Increased coverage has made it more visible, and perhaps even more scout-able making it seem as if this perception may be true.
Every defense is essentially one dimensional. When your on offense you look for the weakest link and exploit it. The zone does take more experience, even when it has m2m principals, so it is to be expected that defensive efficiency drops when a new player is inserted into the rotation.
- Best recruits aren't interested
When you turn on TV and you constantly hear about how bad the zone is for baskeball, and how the NBA hates players because those players don't know how to play m2m, many recruits may indeed buy into it and we lose our fair share of recruits. But the smarter ones know this isn't true, but then are turned off by things such as the weather in NY in the wintertime. I don't personally believe the zone deters recruits, but I could obviously be wrong.
