The NBA’s 3-point shot has enemies.
Too many 3s, they say. The shot is ruining the game, they say.
And those critics of the 3-point shot found ammunition in the Eastern Conference semifinals of this season’s playoffs when the Boston Celtics attempted 60 3-pointers and missed 45 against the New York Knicks. The guffawing ignored the fact that Boston’s 3-point shooting was instrumental in its 2023-24 championship season and in its 61-21 record this season.
Regardless of your aesthetic view of how basketball should be played and what it should look like, the 3-point shot has turned divisive but remains vital to winning championships.
Of the past 15 champions, 13 were either top 10 in 3s made per game or top 10 in 3-point percentage. Nine were in the top 10 in both categories during the regular season, including last season’s Celtics. They were No. 1 in makes per game and No. 2 in percentage and outscored Dallas 210-144 on 3-pointers in a five-game Finals series.
How important has the 3-point shot become? Two decades ago, teams averaged 15.8 3-point attempts and 5.6 makes per game and shot 35.6% on 3s. This season, teams attempted 37.6 3s and made 13.5 per game and shot 36%. Five players including Golden State’s Steph Curry and Boston’s Jayson Tatum shot at least 10 3s per game in 2024-25.
“The fact now that you can’t play in this league unless you can shoot, that even 7-footers have to be able to shoot these days and have to be able to shoot at long range, I actually think that’s a beautiful thing,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said at All-Star Weekend in February.
Live by the 3-pointer, die by the 3-pointer
How important has the 3-point shot become?
In 2010, the Los Angeles Lakers were 13th in 3s made per game at 6.5 during the regular season. During their run to the championship, they were fourth in 3s made per game at 6.8 and 11th in percentage at 33%.
The 3-point shot will play a significant role in the outcome of the Finals. If you can’t make enough 3s, you can’t win today.
“I’ll say this about the 3-point line and the volume, the plus has been, and I think you’ve seen a lot of that this season in particular, it lets and allows teams to always think they’re never out of big deficits,” Basketball Hall of Famer Reggie Miller said when asked by USA TODAY Sports. “We saw some incredible comebacks this year, teams being down 20, 24, 28 points and teams being able to get back in the ballgame strictly enforced by that 3-point line.”
Look at the moments the 3-point shot has provided in the past six weeks:
Golden State’s Buddy Hield made 9-of-11 3s in a Game 7 victory against Houston in the first round.
The Pacers’ comeback from 17 down in the fourth quarter against New York included 7-of-8 on 3s in the final 4:45 of regulation in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Indiana star Tyrese Haliburton’s 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds left in the fourth quarter led to a 120-119 victory against Cleveland in Game 2 of the East semifinals.
Minnesota set a franchise record for made 3s in a playoff game with 21 against the Lakers in Game 1 of the first round.
Aaron Gordon made a 3-pointer with 3.6 seconds left, giving Denver a 121-119 victory over Oklahoma City in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.
Why has the shot become divisive? Critics complain it has taken a lopsided influence on games, rendered low-post play unfashionable, led to stagnant offense with too many players hovering at the 3-point line and created too many bad shots from players who shouldn’t be taking 3s.
In a paper presented at the influential MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, two Syracuse University professors posited that a ‘dispremium’ has been placed on 3-point shots and that the value of a 2-point shot is greater than the value of a 3-pointer when taking into account foul shots and some players should be taking fewer 3s.
Kirk Goldsberry, the author of “Sprawlball,” a former executive with San Antonio and now a professor, has analyzed shot selection and location and recently posted a suggestion on social media: Eliminate corner 3s.
Others have suggested giving defenders leeway to play more physical behind the 3-point line.
The topic has reached the highest level of the league office. Silver and key participants in the league’s basketball operations staff, including president of league operations Byron Spruell and executive vice president of strategy and analytics Evan Wasch, are monitoring.
Silver and his staff give thoughtful consideration to how the game is played, how it is viewed and the entertainment value, but there are not signs major changes are coming.
“I’ve also learned, having been around this game for a long time, not to overreact,” Silver said. “I do think it’s a beautiful game. … I’m never going to say there isn’t room for improvement. We’ll continue to look at it and study it, but I am happy with the state of the game right now.”
Steph Curry and his 3-pointer revolutionized the NBA
The shot’s influence is undeniable.
Curry’s 3-point shooting has revolutionized basketball. The Warriors have won four titles since 2015, Curry is the game’s all-time leader in made 3-pointers, has demonstrated that a 38-foot shot is a good shot – for some players – and has delivered some of the game’s biggest and best highlights.
If fans are so put off by the shot, tell that to the thousands who show up early to watch Curry go through his pregame shooting routine.
“Steph Curry without the 3, he’s not Steph Curry,” TV analyst and former NBA coach Stan Van Gundy said. “I think it’s been great.”
Curry gets a kick out of the debate. During the 2015 Finals between Golden State and Cleveland, then-ABC analyst and former Warriors coach Mark Jackson said Curry was hurting the game at large with not just his 3-point shooting but the distance from which he attempted shots. Jackson said he saw too many young kids in the gym trying to shoot 3s without proper form and from too far away.
“That impact is pretty surreal to me just because that’s the way that I’ve seen the game since I was a kid,” Curry said. “I love expanding my range, but even more, I love the work that goes into earning and deserving that confidence.
“That’s the message that I preach all the time is I want everybody to be inspired, if you love basketball, to be able to shoot and get better and stretch your range and shoot 5-, 10 feet outside the 3-point line, I would love you to be inspired to do that, but you’ve also got to work at it, too.’
Follow NBA reporter Jeff Zillgitt on social media @JeffZillgitt