Zipper Cut
A baseline-to-top cutting action where a player sprints up the lane line off a screen near the free-throw line, springing a designated shooter for a catch-and-shoot look.
Motion OffenseAges 13–15, Ages 16+
The breakdown
Reads & options
- 1.If the cutter's defender trails, hit him immediately coming off the screen for a catch-and-shoot look.
- 2.If the defense switches the screen, the cutter can slip inside for a quick post-up on the smaller defender.
- 3.This action is often used to get a shooter the ball on the move right out of a dead-ball situation or after an out-of-bounds play.
Coaching points
- The screener should set the zipper screen with good width so the cutter has room to come off it either way.
- Cutters should sprint the full length of the cut — a slow zipper cut gives the defense time to recover.
- This is a great way to get a designated shooter a rhythm three right off an inbounds or after a timeout.
Running Zipper Cut?
Trade adjustments and counters with coaches running this set in the free community, or build sets like Zipper Cut yourself in the interactive Play Designer — drag players, chart cuts, screens and passes, then watch the play run.
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Keep going
More motion offense
Pass and Screen Away — Motion Offense Rule
A continuity motion rule, not a fixed set: the passer screens for a teammate on the opposite side of the floor, repeated from any two spots until it creates an opening.
Flex Offense
A continuity offense built on a baseline screen (the 'flex cut') paired with a down screen for the screener, designed to spring one of the two post players open on every possession.
Princeton Backdoor Cut
A high-post entry pass paired with a backdoor cut — the signature read of the Princeton offense, punishing a defender who denies or overplays the wing pass.