Three defenders spread across the top of the floor, one in the middle and one on each wing, with two bigs on the blocks behind them. It is an odd front, which means one defender is lined up in the middle of the floor rather than two guards side by side.
Why coaches use it
It gets hands into the three highest-value shots on the floor: the two wings and the top of the key. Against a team whose offense is a ball screen and a kick-out, a 3-2 can take the whole first option away before it starts. It also invites a turnover, because three defenders across the top can deflect a careless swing pass and go the other way.
Be careful with the name. Plenty of teams say “3-2” and play a 1-2-2 — one man on the ball, two at the elbows, two on the blocks. Others mean a true 3-2 with the wings up at the arc. The two behave differently against a corner catch, so ask a scout which one they actually run before you build a plan around the name.
How to attack it
- Use a two-guard front. Against one defender at the top, two guards side by side means he has to pick one, and the second one is free.
- Dribble the seam. Drive at the gap between the top man and a wing until both of them have to commit. That is what frees the corner.
- Live in the short corner. With only two defenders on the back line, the short corner is the spot nobody in an odd front is responsible for.
- Flash the high post. The middle behind the front three belongs to nobody until a big steps up, and he is leaving the rim to do it.
- Corner, then reverse. Drag them to one corner and swing it. Three defenders across the top cover ground slowly when they have to change direction.