Man-to-man defense

Man-to-man defense is a type of defensive tactic use in basketball in which each player is assigned to defend and guard a single player on offense. Typically a player guards his counterpart (center guarding center), although in some cases, a player may be assigned to guard a different position.

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The alternative to man-to-man defense is zone defense.

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Prior to the rule change in 2001, man-to-man was the only type of defense allowed in the NBA. During this period, illegal defense was called when a player is guarding an area instead of his designated player or is double teaming on a player away from the ball. With the rule change in 2001, players have more freedom with their defense but is still restricted from being away from their designated player for more than 3 seconds.

Related Topics:
NBA - 2001

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Man-to-man defense is still the main defensive scheme in the NBA. Some coaches use man-to-man defense exclusively instead of the zone defense.

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