How to Use 3 on 3 to Improve Your Basketball Team

• By Grant Young

Now that the 2024 NBA Finals have concluded, the basketball season is now officially in the rearview mirror. 

But that doesn’t mean there isn’t basketball still being played. Not only is the WNBA (which has never been hotter) in full swing right now, but the 2024 Paris Olympics is also underway.

And one of the most intriguing sports in this year’s Olympic games is 3 on 3 basketball. While this version of our beloved sport was first introduced to the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, the expectation is that it will receive a lot more attention — and popularity — this summer.

While watching 3 on 3 basketball is entertaining enough in and of itself, there are also ways that coaches can learn lessons from the style of play that having fewer players on the court demands. In fact, implementing 3 on-3 into a regular basketball team’s practice schedule can produce a plethora of benefits. 

Coach Kara Lawson is a major advocate of this. Coach Lawson is Duke University's Head Women's Basketball Coach, and before that was an assistant coach with the 2024 NBA Champion Boston Celtics. As a player, Coach Lawson spent 12 seasons in the WNBA, won a WNBA championship in 2005, and was selected to the WNBA All-Star Game in 2007. She also won a gold medal in the 2008 Olympic Games as a player. 

Coach Lawson’s ‘Maximizing Development Through 3 on 3’ course is a masterclass on how you can utilize this more barebones version of basketball to help your players tap into their true potential. Not to mention that it will make watching the Paris Olympics this summer even more exciting.  

Kara Lawson Introduction

One fascinating concept about 3 on 3 basketball during the Olympics that Coach Lawson noted was that there’s no in-game coaching. This means that coaches aren’t allowed to interact with their players while the actual game is underway. 

While this is interesting for you to note, it obviously doesn’t mean that you can’t be coaching your players if you decide to utilize 3 on 3 during your practice sessions. 

Yet, remaining quiet while 3 on 3 games are underway is also something for you to consider, because of how doing so will force your players to communicate with one another. 

Because 3 on 3 basketball only encompasses the half-court, the game is completely dependent on defensive concepts and cohesion among the players. There is no transition basketball, so the reliance on playcalling and adaptability — both of which are contingent on communication — is of paramount importance. Your players will have no choice but to be communicating about pick-and-roll defense, calling out shots, and making note of rotations constantly. 

Therefore, if you’re looking to find ways for your players to improve their in-game communication (and camaraderie) with one another, having them play 3 on 3 games and remaining quiet on the sidelines, in more of a passive analyst role than that of a head coach, 3 on 3 is a fantastic way to do so. 

How to Structure 3 on 3 in Practice

Coach Taylor notes that, when it comes to structuring your 3 on 3 practice segments, coaches should give themselves the freedom to be creative and try out new things. 

Coach Taylor believes this is important because every coach will be looking to get something different out of these 3 on 3 segments. While some coaches will want to improve their team’s communication of defense, other coaches will want to see how three specific players pair in the half-court offense or will want to test out some offensive packages that focus on three specific players. 

Therefore, coaches should test out multiple different structures with multiple different players in order to find out what works best for them.

Not to mention that 3 on 3 basketball is going to be a new and exciting experience for your players. This is another great example of why implementing 3 on 3 into normal basketball practice is a fantastic idea: it allows your players an opportunity to compete, which will get them interested and engaged in practice. And because it’s a unique new take on a sport that they already love, this will surely become one of their favorite parts of practice, as well. 

So don’t stress out about nailing down your 3 on 3 practice structure straightaway. A little experimentation will be beneficial for both you and your players. 

How 3 on 3 Can Help Your Team

In addition to all of these already mentioned benefits, Coach Lawson goes into detail about some other reasons how utilizing 3 on 3 can help your own 5 on 5 teams.

One undeniable aspect of the 3 on 3 game is that it plays much faster than typical basketball does. Therefore, Coach Taylor notes that players have less time to:

- React to change of possession

- Think about a play call and execute it

- Have to bounce back from a poor start or rough stretch

- Make adjustments during and in between games

All of which is to say that 3 on 3 basketball gets players out of their heads, and makes them play the game with more fluidity and instinct. This is perhaps the biggest reason why incorporating 3 on 3 basketball is such a massive asset for a traditional basketball team. 

Every player knows that they’re at their best when they’re “in the zone”, which is another way of operating off of instinct. And because players have no choice but to operate off that instinct during 3 on 3, this will give players crucial repetitions in playing instinctually — which leads to playing better basketball overall.