National Basketball Association

Comparing the Nets' Three-Point Shooting to the Rest of the NBA

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 3:32 p.m. ET

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Nov 12, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Sean Kilpatrick (6) shoots the ball over Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe (2) during the first half at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

It’s a known fact that the Brooklyn Nets are making three-point shooting a focus this season. But how does their three-point shooting compare to the rest of the NBA?

The Brooklyn Nets have become a three-point shooting team, for better or for worse. They may not be shooting the ball like the Golden State Warriors, but it’s not unusual to see Brooklyn hoist 30 shots from long distance in a game. Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson has given even Brook Lopez the green light to shoot from 22 feet away from the basket.

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Already, just nine games into the season, Brooklyn has taken 309 three-pointers, which ranks second in the NBA. Last season, the Nets attempted a total of 222 treys in their first nine games. This is a drastic difference of nearly 100 three-point shots, which only shows how much of a trend shooting from behind the arc has become.

Three-point shooting can be a lethal weapon if teams have players who can shoot well and consistently. Most notably, the Warriors, with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, use three-point shooting along with small ball as their greatest powers, and few teams have been able to contain Golden State.

Other teams, including the Nets, have tried adapting to this new style of NBA play. We’ve seen players like Josh Smith, Anthony Davis, and Blake Griffin try to develop a touch from long range. On the Nets, just about everyone has thrown up at least one shot from behind the arc. Except Caris LeVert, who everyone is still waiting patiently for to hit the hardwood (we miss you, Caris).

Let’s take a closer look at how the Nets’ three-point shooting compares to the rest of the NBA.

Nov 12, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Jeremy Lin (center) reacts against the Phoenix Suns during the first half at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Where do the Nets rank in three-point shooting?

The Nets are among the teams that attempt the most threes per game. Brooklyn ranks third behind the Houston Rockets (36.2) and the Cleveland Cavaliers (35.4) in three-pointers attempted per game, with 34.3.

The biggest difference between the Nets and the two teams mentioned above is that the Rockets and Cavaliers have superstars, while the Nets do not. It’s fine for a team to attempt that many threes as long as they can make a substantial amount of them, which brings me to my next point.

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Another major difference between the Nets and Houston and Cleveland is the three-point clip. Cleveland (5th) and Houston (6th) rank among the top 10 teams in the NBA in three-point percentage, while Brooklyn isn’t even close. The Nets’ clip of 33 percent marks them at No. 23.

Surprised? I’m not. The Nets may be among the leaders in three-pointers attempted, but we’ve seen them miss more shots from long range than they’ve made. Brooklyn is averaging 11.3 made threes per game while attempting 34.4 per game.

The Nets’ bench alone accounts for over half of the team’s treys. Brooklyn’s bench leads all other NBA teams’ benches in both three-pointers made (6.4 per game) and attempted (17.7 per game). This is not too surprising, as the Nets have some solid shooters in their second and third units (Joe Harris and Justin Hamilton).

Nov 9, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) shoots against New York Knicks center Joakim Noah (13) and New York Knicks power forward Kristaps Porzingis (6) during the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Are the Nets taking too many threes?

The Nets live and die by the three-point shot, which is a double-edged sword. On some nights, they have the hot hand, and on others, they simply do not. Last night, hoisting shots from long range was what saved Brooklyn, as they shot 43.2 percent from long range, compared to the Suns’ 24.2 percent. The Nets closed the game on a 20-4 run, which included three made shots from behind the arc.

Brooklyn’s three-point clip of 33 percent may be 23rd in the NBA, but three-point percentage only tells part of the story. It doesn’t tell you how many threes a team makes, how many the team attempts, and if how many threes the team attempts is normal.

To answer whether Brooklyn is taking too many threes, we should look at how the relationship between three-pointers each NBA team attempts and three-pointers each team makes. “Taking too many threes” is always debatable, but looking at how the Nets compare to the rest of the NBA will provide some perspective.

A common trend is that the more threes a team attempts, the more threes the team makes. However, that’s not always the case, as evident in the graph below.

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Teams that lie above the trendline are not knocking down enough threes based on how many they attempt (relative to the rest of the league). Some of these teams are the New Orleans Pelicans, Houston Rockets, and unfortunately, the Brooklyn Nets. Conclusion: These teams are taking too many threes. There is also a significant gap between the Nets’ point and the trendline (3.63 three-point attempts, if you do the math).

Teams that are below the trendline are making more threes based on how many they attempt (relative to the rest of the league). Some of these teams are the Chicago Bulls and Boston Celtics. Conclusion: These teams are not taking too many threes.

The Golden State Warriors, the NBA’s most popular three-point shooting team, lie right on the trendline, which means that they are making just about the amount of threes they should be based on how many they attempt. The Washington Wizards and Cleveland Cavaliers (not labeled, but the dot right next to the Rockets), are like that as well.

One more thing to note about the Warriors is that they average 11.1 made threes per game. This is nearly the same as Brooklyn’s mark (11.3). So yes, the Nets are making as many threes as Golden State! Brooklyn just takes 3.6 more attempts than the Warriors do per game. This 3.6 makes a big difference. It doesn’t look like the Nets will discontinue taking over 30 three-pointers per game anytime soon, so they just have to start hitting more of them, and more consistently.

Of course, this graph shows how NBA teams’ three-point shooting compare to each other. It is by no means the only way to measure whether a team is taking too many threes, but offers a picture of how three-point shooting fares for teams compared to the entire NBA.

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