Are there too many three pointers in today’s NBA?
The average NBA game saw 75.2 3-pointer attempts this season, up from 70.2 a game a season ago, which is an all-time high. Over the past decade, the average game saw 44.8 3s a game. The NBA champion Boston Celtics led the league in 3-point attempts a season ago and Joe Mazzulla had his team double that streak averaging 51.3 3-point attempts a game. This comes off a very vocal part of fans who want to tie the volume of 3-pointers into the complex stew that is a decrease in NBA television prices (which is more about a change for how the country receives sports and media in general than just the NBA 3s launched).
Count LeBron James on the team involved. Asked about changes to the All-Star Game format, LeBron said at the end of his speech that there needs to be a general conversation about the state of the game.
LeBron James, when asked about the changes to the NBA All-Star Game format, touched on more issues with the league: “Our game, there are a lot of f-ing 3s shot. So it’s a bigger conversation than just the All-Star Game.” pic.twitter.com/weKJVSyXfB
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) December 19, 2024
“There’s a game, there’s a lot of f***3s in the shot. So it’s a bigger conversation than just the All-Star Game.”
While LeBron’s comments drew “amen” from some quarters, one was not his coach, JJ Redick, who, in his pregame comments, put on his old podcast hat once again and offered a much more thoughtful, little insight. more on the situation.
“I don’t think the league is as unified as a lot of people make it out to be,” Redick said. by Jawan Gonzalez. “There are some accounts and some players that, because of their skill set, it makes sense to shoot a lot of 3s. What I think is missing a little bit in the number of 3-point attempts is what we have taken away, which is left behind in the long 2s What, I checked this last year, so don’t tell me about this, but what is increased along with the 3-point scale is the point in the paint to actually score in the rim and score in full So that’s the process too.”
That is true. The Shaq/Kobe Lakers are the kings of scoring points in the paint, just like that time, right? Not so fast. In the 2000-01 season, the average in the NBA was teams that scored 39.4% of their points in full (the Lakers had 44.1% of their points there in that season). This season, the midfield is a team that takes 43% of their points in full, and the Lakers – who want to trade for a company to help their presence in – score 45% of their buckets from full. Teams get more buckets in the paint.
Considering the same theme, a common complaint about the NBA game today is the lack of defense, but since the middle of last season, when the NBA adjusted how the games were called to get more physical on the floor, the defense came up , and the rating is lower. Like NBA writer Jared Dubin has been noted in several places, including the Real GM Radio podcastScoring is down about two points per 100 possessions this season because defenses are allowed to be more physical, especially on drives to the paint. Defenses are always a step behind offenses (in almost every sport) and adjust, but they do.
All of which is to say, it’s not as simple as “making too many 3s,” especially if LeBron is the one saying it.
