The Boston Celtics won the 2023-2024 NBA championship by relying on the 3-point shot. The Celtics led the NBA in 3-point attempts and 3-points shots made while placing second in 3-point shooting percentage. As defending champions, the Celtics 3-point shooting has only increased. After 28 games the Celtics are averaging a staggering 51 3-point shots per game, while making 18.7.
The Celtics are one of five NBA teams taking at least 40 3-point shots per game while the league average has climbed to 37.6. Last season’s average was 35.1, led by Boston at 42.5 3-point attempts per game.
The rise in 3-point shooting, spearheaded by the Celtics and their coach Joe Mazzulla who preaches a philosophy of “efficient” offense, has drawn a backlash from the media and some fans who seem to believe that the increased 3-point volume is detracting from the sport, and may even be the cause of a drop in NBA TV ratings this season.
Critics Believe the 3-Pointer is Ruining the NBA
“I personally believe that the product is getting worse and I think it’s getting worse because the proliferation of the three-point shot is getting out of control,” said one typical critic, Sports Illustrated reporter Chris Mannix, earlier this week. “This year you’re going to have the Boston Celtics break the all-time record for most threes per game.”
Even NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has cautiously weighed in on the issue, admitting that league officials are “constantly having discussions about whether there are ways to improve stylistically the game on the floor.” Silver, however, was careful not to single out the 3-point shooting trend, or any one team.
“I watch as many games as all of you do, and to the extent that it’s not so much a 3-point issue, but that to some of the audience, some of the offenses start to look sort of cookie cutter and teams are copying each other,” Silver told ESPN. “I think that’s something we should pay attention to.”
Celtics Guard Pritchard Delivers Unfiltered Message
So what do the Boston Celtics themselves think of the 3-point controversy? Before Saturday night’s game in Chicago when the Celtics beat the Bulls 123-98 while connecting on 15 of 45 3-point shots, Boston guard Payton Pritchard was asked to respond to the critics, and he delivered an unfiltered message about the Celtics’ 3-point shooting.
The 26-year-old Pritchard stands as the current favorite to win the NBA’s “Sixth Man of the Year” award for play off the bench, largely on the strength of his 3-point shooting. The 2020 Celtics first-round draft pick, 26th overall, is averaging a career-high 8.9 3-point attempts per game in just 28.8 minutes, converting on 40.2 percent them.
âI feel like some teams should maybe not take as many threes,” Pritchard told NBC Sports Boston reporter Abby Chin. “But those teams should not be us. Weâre the best at doing it. Why would we change?â
Why would any team change? The rise in 3-point shooting has been going on since the shot was added to the NBA rulebook in 1979, and started to spike in the late 1990s. Starting in the 2014-2015 season, teams have taken more 3-point shots than mid-range 2-point jumpers.
The reason is simple: it’s a better shot, at least in terms of scoring points. According to a study by ShotTracker, the average NBA player will score 79 points for every 100 mid-range jump shots taken. But for every 100 3-pointers from above the break, the average player scores 105 points. Adding in the shorter 3-pointers from the corners, the average goes up even higher.
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