3x3 Basketball Research

Working for the Manitoba Aboriginal Sports and Recreation Council (MASRC), I was tasked with finding valuable tactical or statistical insights related to 3x3 Basketball that could best help less-experienced teams create a 'gameplan' with intentional strategies based on logic. Having not heard of 3x3 Basketball until this assignment, I was eager to study the sport and I was quickly stunned by the fluidity of the game and the athleticism of the athletes. Here is what I found:

3x3 Basketball Study: Process

(1)

Research the FIBA 3x3 Rulebook to identify similarities and differences between 3x3 FIBA, 3x3 Big 3, and 5x5 NBA basketball games

3x3 Basketball

3x3 FIBA vs. 3x3 Big 3 vs. 5x5 Bball Explainer

(2)

Plan a tracking strategy involving unique filters for shot assists, shot locations, and more. Begin tracking all shooting events with these criteria.

Custom Shot Forms, Shot Assist Types, and Shot Locations

(3)

Track shooting events in Microsoft Excel. Variables include shot form, shot assists (1-3),

shot location (x & y, distance, area), etc.

Microsoft Excel raw inputting sheet (not all columns are shown -- 60 total column filters)

3x3 Basketball Study: Tracking Test Games (n = 2)

3x3 Basketball Study: Results

Using the 120 events and 60 column filters from the two games, I created reports for each game to look for significant statistics, trends between winning teams, trends between losing teams, and anything that could be of value for younger and less-experienced 3x3 Basketball teams. These reports are available below:

Game Report: Tokyo Olympics Men's Final

3x3 Bball G1 - Tokyo Men's Olympic Final.pdf

Game Report: 2023 FIBA World Cup Final

3x3 Bball G2 - FIBA World Cup Final.pdf

I also created a custom shot plotter with filters in Microsoft Excel to aid in the data analysis process.

Microsoft Excel 3x3 Basketball Shot Plotter with Custom Filters

3x3 Basketball Study: Tactical Suggestions and Key Statistics

Potential Tactical Suggestions and Key Statistics:

Play tight when defending outside the arc, even if you have to foul it's better to foul/be aggressive from out there and bank on opponents missing than fouling in the paint
Overall, 1-pointer shooting is more consistent and teams won games by choosing layups to score
Never shoot inside the arc if you aren't in the paint for a layup, look to kick it out for a 2-pointer or drive and take a foul for a better chance of scoring
- - Layups have to be clinical and in-tight to the rim, as jump shots in the paint that are slightly farther away from the rim are inconsistent and often result in turnovers
Winning teams (Latvia & Serbia) have a few trends:
- - Latvia rarely shot for 2 and rebounded well
  - Serbia shot well but also rebounded better than their opponent
  - Both victors: offensive and defensive rebounds are key for off-ball players since there are only around 60 FG attempts/game before both teams are practically at 21 points
Most FG attempts had only one pass beforehand
- - ROC/Latvia shot worse when passing more than twice before shooting
  - SER/USA only passed more than twice 3 times going 1/2 and 1/1 respectfully
  - 1-2 pass plays seem to be the move
  - Also, SER/USA shot a combined 6/8 without passes off of clears while ROC/LAT shot a combined 3/11 when not passing off of clears (this strategy likely depends on shooting talent)

All tactical suggestions and statistical figures come from my analysis of the game videos, the manually-tracked data in my statistical game reports, and my custom shot plotter.

If you have any comments or questions about this study, its outcomes, the analysis, or anything else, click the contact button below to reach me via email or Twitter / X. Discussion and feedback are encouraged.

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