The three-point shot is becoming the most prevalent shot in the NBA, with teams looking to zone in on their three-point shooting to perfect their offense. This has given a lot of players the green light to take a lot of shots from three, even if they’re having a hard time making it. Many notable players have had some really bad shooting starts to the season, with the names becoming interesting once you dig into the stats of who are the worst three-point shooters in the NBA right now.
- 10. Austin Reaves – 27.8% (1.3 – 4.5 3PM – 3PA)
- 9. Kyrie Irving – 27.8% (1.7 – 6.0 3PM – 3PA)
- 8. Jordan Clarkson – 27.7% (1.4 – 5.2 3PM – 3PA)
- 7. Trae Young – 27.3% (1.7 – 6.3 3PM – 3PA)
- 6. Georges Niang – 27.0% (1.3 – 4.6 3PM – 3PA)
- 5. Julius Randle – 25.9% (1.8 – 6.8 3PM – 3PA)
- 4. Zach Collins – 25.8% (1.0 – 3.9 3PM – 3PA)
- 3. Terry Rozier – 25.8% (1.6 – 6.2 3PM – 3PA)
- 2. Jalen Suggs – 25.0% (1.0 – 4.0 3PM – 3PA)
- 1. Keegan Murray – 25.0% (2.0 – 8.0 3PM – 3PA)
There are plenty of bad or non-shooters in the NBA, but none of them attempts shots at a high volume. For the sake of our list, we are not looking to include any players who shoot under 3.5 three-pointers per game. So if you’re taking threes at a decent volume and are still unable to make it, your stat sheet will tell the whole story.
Without further ado, here are the 10 worst three-point shooters in the NBA according to efficiency.
10. Austin Reaves – 27.8% (1.3 – 4.5 3PM – 3PA)
The man who was crucial in saving the Lakers’ 2022-23 season and became a household name in the process, Austin Reaves is not having a good start to this year. After a summer where he played for Team USA, many expected Reaves to come into the season and solidify himself as the Lakers’ third star. That hasn’t happened yet, as Reaves has been very unremarkable to start the season, averaging 13.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.0 assists as the Lakers sit 3-5.
His three-point shooting was one of the reasons he went from being undrafted to a starter as a sophomore. The Lakers have needed floor-spacers separately, with Reaves filling that role last year. This season, he cannot convert his shots from deep and has been benched various times due to poor shooting performances. It’s a long season and Reaves will find his jumper back, but the Lakers’ 3-5 start can be attributed to Reaves just not being the scorer everyone thought he was.
9. Kyrie Irving – 27.8% (1.7 – 6.0 3PM – 3PA)
Kyrie Irving and Reaves are shooting the same percentage from three, but Irving stands ahead of him on this list because of his higher attempts. The Dallas Mavericks have been one of the best three-point shooting teams in the NBA so far this season, but Irving just hasn’t had the success his teammates have been having. He’s averaging 20.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 7.3 assists, a number that was lower than expected by all.
Irving alluded to a tough summer where he didn’t practice much basketball as one of the reasons for his slow start this year. Thankfully, the Mavs shooting form has covered up for Kyrie on the offensive end. He’s contributing the best he can on the defensive end, with Irving’s perimeter activity and hustle being prominent and effective. If he can’t rediscover his shooting touch, the Mavericks may be in trouble, as that’s what they traded for Kyrie to be good at.
8. Jordan Clarkson – 27.7% (1.4 – 5.2 3PM – 3PA)
Jordan Clarkson has managed to survive the Utah Jazz rebuild from last season, even getting a contract extension to remain a veteran on this team. However, his on-court play is noticeably declining in front of everyone’s eyes. Clarkson is averaging 15.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 5.0 assists this season with his jump shot looking nonfunctional right now.
He can be a microwave scorer, but the former Sixth Man of the Year is one of the reasons behind the Jazz’s tough start to the season. There isn’t much to play for, so Clarkson playing well helps the Jazz by boosting his trade value. Otherwise, he can continue being a valuable veteran for the young roster while hoping his shot comes back to him as the season progresses.
7. Trae Young – 27.3% (1.7 – 6.3 3PM – 3PA)
Trae Young is supposed to be one of the best scorers in the NBA, but that hasn’t been the case this season. After a rough end to the 2023-24 regular season that saw Young’s efficiency numbers gradually trail off, Young has started the new season with multiple stinkers. Even his field goal percentage is just at 24.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 10.1 assists this season, which is primarily due to him missing most of the threes he’s attempting so far.
Due to the strong play of the Hawks and especially Dejounte Murray, Young’s poor play hasn’t hurt their chances of playoff contention. Their percentages should regress to the norm for Young, but even that is not the best thing because he’s a 35.0% career three-point shooter on 7.1 attempts per game. His playmaking has been solid this season, but the Hawks will be one of the toughest outs in the East when Trae is firing again.
6. Georges Niang – 27.0% (1.3 – 4.6 3PM – 3PA)
An under-the-radar addition for the Cleveland Cavaliers this summer was Georges Niang from the Philadelphia 76ers. The Cavs have been looking for a forward option along with their four starters Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarret Allen. Niang was supposed to be in the running but his season averages of 6.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.0 assists likely mean he will not sniffing the starting lineup any time soon.
Niang has been very streaky while shooting the ball, still getting a hang of the Cavaliers’ offense. It’s a more movement-heavy style of basketball, which has generated a lot of open looks for Niang that he hasn’t been able to convert. He’s already been comfortably outplayed by players further ahead in the rotation, so don’t accept Niang to be getting minutes deeper into the season.
5. Julius Randle – 25.9% (1.8 – 6.8 3PM – 3PA)
Why is Julius Randle attempting more three-pointers than Kyrie Irving? Randle has always been a serviceable big-man shooter, but he hasn’t ever been such an elite shooter that he needs to average nearly seven attempts per game, especially when he is shooting 25.9% from behind the arc. He’s a dominant inside presence, but he tries way too hard to be a floor-spacer for the Knicks and is averaging 16.5 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 4.9 assists.
If Randle took more shots within the flow of an offense or had a three-point play drawn up for him, his numbers would likely improve. But his pull-up habits will be hard to break, though they can be toned down. He doesn’t have a genuine point guard creating easier opportunities for him, so maybe even that could help given Brunson’s capabilities as a score-first guard.
4. Zach Collins – 25.8% (1.0 – 3.9 3PM – 3PA)
Zach Collins has an admirable story, as the former Blazers’ center has worked very hard to get to where he is right now. This includes potential career-ending injuries, so his success should be appreciated. He’s tried to become a floor-spacing option, but he hasn’t been successful in that regard, especially with teammate Victor Wembanyama looking to change what we’ve come to expect from a sweet-shooting big man.
Collins is a capable shooter but hasn’t been taking many buckets within the flow of the offense due to the lack of a point guard on the Spurs. Jeremy Sochan has playmaking chops but he shouldn’t be their primary guard. Collins has played his role as the enforcer next to Wembanyama well, but he can dial back the three-pointers until his shot becomes a little more consistent. Collins is averaging 13.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.1 assists this season.
3. Terry Rozier – 25.8% (1.6 – 6.2 3PM – 3PA)
Terry Rozier has the ultimate green light as a member of the Hornets, but that hasn’t led to much success for him this season. Even though he’s currently out with an injury, Rozier started the season out with pretty poor three-point splits. He makes it onto the podium of this list, edging out Collins by having a greater volume of misses.
He’s averaging 22.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists to show his offense is still solid, but the jump-shooting percentages need to reconcile themselves for him to be their starting shooting guard. Rozier is a Hornets veteran, entering his fifth season with the franchise. As they look to transition into being more competitive, his shooting needs to improve. He hasn’t even had that many bad attempts, generating open looks for himself next to LaMelo Ball but failing to convert them.
2. Jalen Suggs – 25.0% (1.0 – 4.0 3PM – 3PA)
Jalen Suggs has probably had the most famous three-point miss from the start of the season when he missed a game-winner against the Lakers in the first week. That miss wasn’t an accident, as Suggs has continued to be a poor shooter for yet another season. This is his third season in the league and the valuable shooting he showed while playing for Gonzaga in college just hasn’t transferred over to the NBA just yet.
He’s averaging 11.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.9 assists, and is a very solid guard defender, but his shot doesn’t allow him to get the 3-and-D tag. He’s also a decent playmaker, but the Magic will not be able to trust him as one of their future guards until he can show floor-spacing ability next to a frontcourt duo like Paolo Bancher and Franz Wagner. If Suggs wants to prove his value before the end of his rookie contract, improving his shooting number as this season goes on is imperative.
1. Keegan Murray – 25.0% (2.0 – 8.0 3PM – 3PA)
The worst shooter of the season so far has been Keegan Murray. Not only does he have the worst percentage on this list, tied with Suggs, but he’s also doing it with the most attempts out of anyone on this list. He’s double Suggs in attempts and makes, which isn’t a great sign when you’re only making two out of eight three-point attempts a game. The Kings have had a shaky start to the season and Murray going through a sophomore slump could be a big reason behind that.
Murray is averaging 12.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists this season, with the Kings needing him to play a big role to continue their playoff success from last season. Many sophomores in the NBA go through slumps, as we saw with Jayson Tatum in 2018-19 and Scottie Barnes last season. It’s too early in the season to say Murray has set a bad tone for the season ahead but he does need to see some shots going through the hoop ASAP. At least he’s still letting it fly, showing his confidence isn’t affected.
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