That strategy is already prevalent and is essentially what a number of teams try to do, whether by zone or by man. Take away the three and bait the offense into long 2's. Obviously no defense is designed to give up lay-ups.
If I recall correctly that's allegedly what Loyola's man defense does well (didn't watch them much after our game). That's what Syracuse's plan was last night and for a lot of the season (depending on opponent). They didn't really guard the catch at the free throw line extended last night.
Of course the reason for AL's setup is that the analytics suggest that not enough players can hit jumpshots in the 10-18 ft range to make it worthwhile to take them. It's pretty simple to chart. You simply take the value of the shot and multiply it by the percentage of makes. That gives you a nice chart of your best shot probabilities and you build your offense around your best shots. FBOW not very many players are good mid-range shooters these days, so it makes those mid range shots pretty low value.
The easiest way to attack any zone is not to take 3's, but to get the zone moving and then attack the holes. in Syracuse' 2-3 zone that 15 ft middle is always open to begin with. You then want to offensively put someone in there that is good at 2 things - making a 15 ft jumpshot, and making good passes. Because then you force the zone to make a choice. Either someone has to step up from the baseline to cover the 15 ft shooter or someone has to drop down from the 3-pt line, or everyone stays put. At that point you simply wait for the zone to commit to its decision and then make your move based on that commitment. If they leave it open you take the 15 ft shot (that's why you need someone who can hit that with a high percentage), if they dig down from the 3-pt line you make a pass to an open 3-pt shooter for a 3-pt shot. If they move someone up from the baseline you run a player to the basket and make the pass for a close in shot.
As someone else mentioned, it's not just about the bigs getting close in shots. You can get close in shots with guards as well. You just have to move the defense around. Every defense has strengths and weaknesses. No defense is perfect just like no offense is perfect.
And of course you need to build in particular your offense, and to a lesser extent your defense, based on the strengths and weaknesses of your team. As a coaching staff your goal is always to try to maximize your strengths and minimize your weaknesses, and in reverse you want to try to force your opponents to play in a way they are uncomfortable.
