3 Worst shooters so far in the NBA 2020-21 Season
Three-point shooting is the focal point of today's offensive systems in the NBA. A high volume of three-point shots is the calling card of most of the top teams. The league average of three-point field goals in the 2012-13 NBA season was just 20 per game. In today's NBA the fewest attempts made by a team per game is 27.
Despite the game's evolution and the three-point trend, some players just cannot join the party. In this article, we list the three worst shooters from deep in the 2020-21 NBA campaign.
3 Worst long-range shooters in today's NBA
To qualify for the three-point percentage ranking, a player must have the same number of three-point shot attempts made as games played.
For example, at the end of the year, a player with 72 appearances must have attempted at least 72 three-pointers to qualify for the three-point percentage ranking (regardless of the number of attempts).
Failing to make three-pointers with consistency is not necessarily a disaster for a player. Occasionally, it is in the team's best interests that players stop trying to become something they are not, and play a different role in the offense.
If a player's game is built around athleticism and attacking the rim, then shooting shouldn't be a concern, especially as most teams have a couple of shooting specialists.
Still, the reality of today's league in many teams is that three-pointers must be launched regardless of who is taking it. As a result, shooting three-pointers seems to be a box that every starter should fill, and a failure to do could hurt their teams.
In this list, we take a look at three players who have not been able to join the three-point party in the 2020-21 NBA campaign.
#3 Robert Covington - 27.8% from 3P range
Robert Covington is known as a '3&D' player since his days with the Philadelphia 76ers. Despite the expectations around him and his shooting abilities, he is the 3rd worst three-point shooter in the 2020-21 NBA season and has made just 27.8% of his three-point field goals.
Covington has made 35% of his three-pointers during his eight-year NBA career. While that number is not bad, it is certainly not spectacular for one of the more hyped '3&D' players.
He has made 950 three-point shots in time in the NBA, but Covington has never made over 40% of his shots from deep in a single season.
In his best shooting season, Covington made 38% of his 3P field goals, back in the 2018-19 campaign. However, he only played in 35 games that season for Philadelphia and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Today, Covington plays for the Portland Trail Blazers, a team that ranks third in 3P percentage in the NBA (38%), but he is currently one of the weak shooting links on the squad. Portland ranks second in 3P attempts in the league, and Covington is fourth on the team in three-pointers attempted (5.1).
Robert Covington has attempted 79 threes and converted only 22.
#2 Josh Jackson - 27.4% from 3P range
The Detroit Pistons rank 19th in three-point field-goal percentage during the 2020-21 NBA season, and Josh Jackson's struggles from deep have contributed to their poor rank.
Jackson has attempted 73 shots from the three-point arc and has made only 20 (27.4%). Though the 6' 8'' Jackson is listed as a shooting guard and a small forward, his long-range shooting has never been a strong aspect of his game.
Even though he took 217 and 225 three-point shots in his first two years in the NBA (2017-18 and 2018-19), Jackson did not even qualify for the statistic. He did not meet the requirement of having the same number of makes and games played.
Jackson has made 29.5% of his 3P attempts since he entered the NBA in 2017.
#1 Kelly Oubre Jr. - 22.8% from 3P range
With Stephen Curry leading their offense, the Golden State Warriors are expected to be a great three-point shooting team and one that will rank high in terms of attempts per night.
Without Klay Thompson, the offensive effectiveness was always going to be affected, but Kelly Oubre Jr.'s struggles from deep have hurt Steve Kerr's team.
Oubre has never been a great three-point shooter, as he has made 32% of his long-range field goals during his NBA career. Still, a league-worst 22.8% from deep has probably stunned the Golden State Warriors.
Oubre arrived in San Francisco coming off the best year of his career. He averaged 18.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game (both career highs) with the Phoenix Suns in the 2019-20 season. He was also 35% from 3P (career-high) last year with 5.5 attempts per game.
However, Oubre has only made 23 of his 101 shots from deep in the 2020-21 NBA season. Despite the noise about his 3P shooting, the real issue came in the first 10 games of the year, where he made 13% of his 3P field goals. In the last 10 games, he has improved slightly and has made 30% of his long-range tries.
Moreover, Oubre's struggles from deep do not mean he is a non-factor for Golden State, as his energy and commitment on defense make a difference every night.
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