The shape
Three players, one basket, 12 seconds. The guard starts behind the arc, either from the check-ball exchange after a dead ball or by clearing the ball behind the arc after a defensive rebound or steal. The forward sits on one wing behind the arc and the centre takes the opposite low block or short corner. The first action is immediate: a ball screen from the centre, a give-and-go, or a post entry.
Roles
- Guard. Handles after the check-ball and makes the first decision within four seconds: uses the centre's screen to drive, or pulls up from the arc where a shot counts two.
- Forward. Spaces to the wing behind the arc ready to shoot a two or drive a closeout, cuts backdoor when denied, and sets flare screens when the centre is posting.
- Centre. Screens for the guard and rolls hard, or posts up on the block and seals, and lives on the glass because the offence keeps the ball if it gets the rebound.
Strengths
- Every player touches the ball and makes decisions on every possession.
- Ball screens with no help defenders are very hard to guard at junior level.
- A shot from the arc is worth double, so good spacing is rewarded directly.
- An offensive rebound is another possession without the ball changing hands.
Weaknesses
- The 12-second clock punishes indecision and over-dribbling.
- One turnover after the check-ball and the defence scores in two passes.
- Fitness fades quickly, because there is no transition to rest in.
- A guard who dominates the ball leaves two players standing still.
When to use it
Use 3x3 as a development format for every age group, because it strips the game down to spacing, screening and finishing with nowhere to hide. For junior clubs it is the best way to get perimeter players making quick reads before 5-on-5, and for a club short of numbers it is a competitive format in its own right. Against bigger opponents use the arc: a two-point shot per possession beats their layups.
What to coach in training
- Check-ball starts: every possession begins with the defender handing the ball to the guard behind the arc, and the guard must pass or drive within three seconds.
- Pick and roll 2v2 on the half court with no help, with the guard reading over or under and the centre rolling or sealing, then the forward added as the kick-out.
- Live 3v3 to 21 with a 12-second clock and the ball cleared behind the arc after every defensive rebound, because the clearing pass is where most junior turnovers happen.
Works well against
It works against a defence that switches every screen, because the roll after a switch leaves a small defender on the centre at the rim, and against a sagging defence that gives up the two-point shot. It struggles against a defence that denies the first pass after the check-ball, and against a team that boxes out well.
