NBA: Top 5 three point shooters
With the NBA trending towards a more wide open, analytics minded game, the three point shot is becoming more and more prevalent as teams are on pace to shoot the most threes ever in a season (1,938 threes per team, up from 1,838 threes per team last season).Teams are actively hunting for threes more than ever, even getting perceived bad shooters to beging chucking up the shot worth an extra point. The saying goes, “If you can make 33% of your threes, it’s just as good as shooting 50% from two.”While it is up to interpretation that having someone who shoots 33% from three taking multiple treys a game, there is no discussion that we are watching some of the top marksmen from three who have ever played the game this season.As teams get more creative with how to get their true good shooters open, these marksmen are upping their efficiency while mostly keeping their percentages in the low to mid 40s. With that, lets dive into who have been the best three point shooters this season.Must shoot over 3.5 threes per game to qualify.
#5 Kawhi Leonard
Just as Kawhi fends off three point attempts like few have in history while on defense, he has fended off a multitude of three point shooters who were gunning for this number five spot. Players like C. J. McCollum and Paul George, shooters who create for themselves and take over six treys a game, and snipers like Mirza Teletovic had a higher volume and close enough percentage to Leonard to merit a spot on this list, but I felt it impossible to leave off a guy who is making 48% on 3.9 threes a game.
Leonard came into the league as someone who needed work on his jumper, and after never making more than 38% of his threes, he has shown this season that his shot is all figured out now. Even though I am someone who really prides efficiency coupled with volume, I couldn’t deny Kawhi, who ranks second in the league currently, despite a slight downturn since the turn of the calendar. Some people want to knock him for not being a guy who creates his own threes, but until others start knocking down almost 50% of their spot up threes, I don’t think that is a discussion worth having.