The NBA is becoming a league dominated by three-pointers more than ever. While we had players like Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson usher in the three-point revolution, now we have teams like the Boston Celtics averaging over 50 three-point attempts every game.
Celtics fan and legendary NBA writer Bill Simmons suggested an idea where the NBA removes the corner three and imposes limits on overall attempts to add variety to shot selection.
“This is the first time I’ve seriously started thinking ‘Do we have to fix the corner three?’ Do you change the arch a little bit so that when it goes right to the corner, maybe the line goes so that a corner three doesn’t exist, and you have to be 3-4 feet from the corner for it to be a corner three?”
“Maybe there’s a limit for threes. Once you make 20, you can only make two-pointers from that point on. You basically used up your 20, maybe that’s where it goes.”
This is a very interesting idea, with even Simmons recognizing that adjusting the three-point line now could lead to a greater degree of misses which hurts the overall product. But it would be interesting to see implemented, especially with how three-happy teams have become, especially when it comes to shooting from the corner.
Kirk Goldsberry put the evolution of shots in the NBA over the last 20 years into a chart, showing how the NBA went from being paint-heavy with consistent shot attempts across the baseline, mid-range, and three-point line in 1999-2000.
As of last season, shot diets have become extremely uniform with teams only attempting volume shots from three-point range or within the paint. Shots in the mid-range and across the baseline have become scarce as the analytics-heavy NBA has settled into maximizing threes and paint buckets.
This season’s Boston Celtics are attempting 51.1 threes a game and making 19.0, putting them well on the path to setting a new NBA team record, one which was set by the Houston Rockets in 2018-19 with 45.4 attempts and 16.1 makes per game. Boston has eight players attempting over five three-point attempts per game, maximizing the amount of points they’re getting from beyond the arc.
We have seen two all-time three-point game records be broken. First, the Charlotte Hornets and Chicago Bulls combined for 75 missed threes in a game, the most in NBA history. Last night, the Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks set a new NBA record for most threes made in a game with 48 makes across the two teams.
If the league decides to extend the three-point line or eliminate corner three-pointers, the game will eventually adapt to that as well. While it might take a new generation of players to be fully comfortable with a new line, it could be better for the game in the long run as it will force teams to find new offensive strategies in a league where everyone is designing corner three-point plays.
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