The NBA has a 3-point problem

Welcome to Layup Lines, For nan Win’s hoops newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox each Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Have feedback for nan Layup Lines Crew? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this little scholar survey. Now, here’s Prince J. Grimes.

What’s up hoops fans. The NBA play is simply a week old, and it feels truthful bully to beryllium back. To get a rematch of nan Western Conference Finals connected a random Tuesday nighttime successful October was conscionable an absolute treat. We should ne'er kick astir getting to spot immoderate bully bump.

However, 1 point that stood retired to maine from nan Dallas Mavericks’ triumph complete nan Minnesota Timberwolves was nan mixed 78 three-pointers nan teams attempted successful nan game. It wasn’t needfully an issue, arsenic they made astir 45% of them, but it did travel a inclination that whitethorn beryllium of interest depending really you for illustration your hoops and who you guidelines for.

Teams are shooting much threes this play than they ever person successful NBA history.

On average, NBA teams are taking 37 3-pointers per crippled this season, which is 2 much than past season’s mean — nan largest year-to-year jump since 2019-20 if it holds. It’s an summation of 10 from conscionable 8 years agone and 15 much threes than teams were taking 10 years agone erstwhile nan Splash Brothers won their first title together.

https://twitter.com/LevAkabas/status/1851255165539537121

The summation makes sense. Threes are worthy much than twos. Of people teams are taking more. Especially aft seeing really it benefited nan Warriors. The Celtics rode nan league’s astir attempts to a title past year. The runner-up Mavericks attempted nan second-most.

But smart hoops isn’t needfully bully basketball. And erstwhile it’s bad teams trying to cosplay arsenic bully teams, it’s not smart aliases good. Which gets to nan bosom of my issue.

There is much than 1 measurement to tegument a cat. The Denver Nuggets won nan 2023 title attempting less threes than nan convention average. Same pinch nan Los Angeles Lakers successful 2020. Those teams leaned into their strengths. Similarly, nan Celtics sprout a bunch of threes because they’re really bully astatine it. Yet, it seems much and much teams are simply leaning into 3-point shooting because nan mathematics makes sense. Doing truthful without nan unit to execute it, though, is fruitless, and yet conscionable makes for immoderate unentertaining basketball.

Unless you person a lineup afloat of All-Stars and legitimately bully shooters — which astir teams don’t — you can’t beryllium nan Celtics. And unless you person players who consistently break defenses down and get them retired of rotation, galore of those threes are contested and coming disconnected small to nary shot movement. In nan words of Paul George, that’s a bad shot.

It’s a bad watch, too. Even erstwhile nan shots are dropping for illustration they were for nan Washington Wizards and Chicago Bulls Monday erstwhile each tied franchise records for threes made successful a game. Minus nan shot movement, it’s not nan astir nosy to watch erstwhile nan bully teams are letting it alert either. The games go excessively homogenous, robbing america of each nan intricacies and accomplishment that comes from bully station play, a mid-range crippled aliases simply attacking personification astatine nan rim and daring them to extremity you.

I’m not nan first personification to make this point. Fox Sports’ Nick Wright went truthful acold arsenic to reason nan NBA should alteration its rules aft nan Boston Celtics tied their franchise grounds for threes made connected Opening Night.

https://twitter.com/WhatsWrightShow/status/1849527096709685604

Bomani Jones besides said nan convention needs changes successful consequence to a tweet astir really galore threes 1 of nan NBA’s champion athletes, Anthony Edwards, is averaging done 4 games (13.3!). “When nan crippled incentivizes Anthony Edwards to play for illustration Klay Thompson, thing needs to alteration immediately,” Jones tweeted.

I’m not judge nan champion measurement for nan NBA to move forward, aliases if it’s moreover thing nan convention needs to address. As it is today, I’ll still watch it. It’s besides imaginable younger fans that grew up watching Steph Curry and Klay Thompson for illustration this style of play. I afloat admit I could beryllium aged man yelling astatine clouds here. But I can’t ideate it doesn’t go a problem successful nan adjacent early if nan 3-point shooting continues to increase.

It’s besides imaginable nan imaginable problem corrects itself.

https://twitter.com/LevAkabas/status/1848771132503302606

According to Sportico information newsman Lev Akabas, teams person yet adjusted their changeable profiles truthful that threes and twos make astir nan aforesaid magnitude of points per attempt. Hopefully that intends we’ll spot a plateau successful threes soon. If so, enjoying nan NBA whitethorn beryllium a matter of your tolerance for astir 74 threes per crippled — 37 each team.

Personally, I’m little invested successful nan number and much concerned astir really teams are creating those shots, and what they’re doing erstwhile nan 3 isn’t open. What I’m seeing from a batch of teams coming isn’t my perfect marque of basketball.

Chet Holmgren vs. Victor Wembanyama

Speaking of players taking excessively galore 3 per game, 7-foot-3 phenom Victor Wembanyama is taking astir six per crippled this play contempt shooting conscionable 22% connected them. But if there’s 1 point that mightiness get Wembanyama to put nan shot connected nan level and onslaught nan rim, it mightiness beryllium tonight’s crippled betwixt his San Antonio Spurs and nan Oklahoma City Thunder.

Or much specifically, his matchup pinch Chet Holmgren.

Wembanyama and Holmgren person somewhat of a rivalry brewing, Mike Sykes wrote, and it’s very competitive.

“COMPETITIVE. In each caps. The games are nosy to watch. They some do things we’ve ne'er seen anyone for illustration them do connected an NBA court. …

Chet and nan Thunder walked distant pinch 2 wins successful their 3 matchups. But Wembanyama would usually locomotion distant pinch a item aliases 2 that made you go, “Wow. Can’t hold to watch much of this for nan adjacent 10 years.”

So, look. Maybe this isn’t a rivalry now. But nan much these guys spot each other, nan person this matchup becomes nan existent deal.”

Read much from Sykes connected why Wembanyama and Holmgren have each nan makings of a awesome rivalry.

Shootaround

— Nick Nurse is already sick of questions astir Paul George’s and Joel Embiid’s health

— Netflix’s Starting 5 Season 2 cast is present and NBA fans will emotion it

— Rudy Gay officially retired from nan NBA

— The sculptor of Dwyane Wade’s statue said cipher could’ve done better

That’s each for today. Enjoy tonight’s NBA action, including an Eastern Conference Finals rematch betwixt nan Celtics and Pacers.