Zipper Action
Guard cuts straight up off an elbow screen — a clean catch at the top.
Zipper action gets its name from the straight-line cut: the guard zips up the lane from block to the top of the key over an elbow screen. The catch happens with the offense already in motion, setting up whatever the next action calls for.
Most NBA offenses use zipper as an entry rather than a finishing action. The catch at the top leads directly into a ball screen with the elbow screener, a dribble hand-off to a wing, or a quick split to the weak side. The play call usually specifies what comes after the zipper — the cut itself is the setup.
Defenses respond to zipper in three ways: chase (defender fights over the elbow screen), top-lock (deny the catch entirely), and switch (the elbow screener’s defender takes the guard). Each response opens a different counter — chasing leaves the guard with separation, top-lock invites a back-cut, switching creates a mismatch the offense can attack.
Key principles
- Guard starts on the strong-side block, sprints straight up the lane
- Big sets a screen at the strong-side elbow
- Guard catches at the top — branches into pick-and-roll or DHO
- Forces the chasing defender to navigate around the elbow screen at speed