Pickleball Positioning – Return of Serve

There is a local pro (who will go unnamed) who tells students that the way to set up for a return of serve in doubles is as shown below.

This makes no sense to me. I am always going to return (assuming I can) down the line.

A good player on the other side, seeing the middle open, is going to return it as shown below.

Yes, the receiver’s partner can get to the middle, but that person will be on the move, and that is not ideal.

Anytime I play doubles, the receiver’s partner is positioned as shown below.

The middle is covered automatically.

I have attended quite a few tennis camps, and never have I heard it suggested that the positioning is anything but what I show. In fact, at and Engage camp, the instructor said that having the receiver’s partner toward the middle gives the advantage to the receiving team.

Am I missing something? Is there any reason for the receiver’s partner to be off the court?

If the receiver, for whatever reason, returns cross-court, it is a simple matter for his partner to shuffle over and cover the line.

Here are a couple of images from games on YouTube.

Note where the receiver’s partner is.

I am interested in hearing why any pro would suggest having the receiver’s partner stand off the court.