This chart shows the most common shot locations in 2001-2002 and 2017-18. You can see that amount of 3-pointers has drastically spiked in popularity.
The NBA introduced the 3-point line in 1979. In the 1970s, basketball teams were used to focusing on 2-point goals: layups, dunks, and some mid-range shots. Shooting far out was an unnecessary risk without much reward. 3-point shots were difficult; players weren’t used to making them.
According to Basketball-reference.com in the entire 1979-1980 season, all teams in the league attempted almost 7,433 total shots. Only 227 of those were 3-point attempts, and they only scored 64 of them. It wasn’t until the 1986-87 season that the league made over 100 successful 3-pointers in one season.
In the ’90s the NBA tinkered with the line, moving it closer to the net, in an attempt to make scoring more points easier. But it didn’t produce the intended effect. The league moved it back just a few years later.
This increase is because of one statistic. If you can make one-third of your shots from the 3-point line, it’s as good as making half your shots closer to the net. Darryl Morey, a longtime basketball executive who’s obsessed with statistics, is often credited for figuring this out.
In 2014, Morey instructed the D-league Rio Grande Valley Vipers to cut down long 2-point shots and shoot more 3-pointers. At the time NBA teams were averaging just over 20 3-point attempts per game. The Vipers started shooting almost 50. Morey’s strategy worked, they ranked first in the league in offense. Soon the NBA carried on, and 3-point shooting skyrocketed. This tool started out as a tough shot to make more points but is now standard practice.
The fear is that we lose the magic of, two teams approaching the game of basketball differently. Now, basketball is just about who is able to make more 3’s. We could get to the point where the game becomes boring.
The NBA introduced the 3-point line in 1979. In the 1970s, basketball teams were used to focusing on 2-point goals: layups, dunks, and some mid-range shots. Shooting far out was an unnecessary risk without much reward. 3-point shots were difficult; players weren’t used to making them.
According to Basketball-reference.com in the entire 1979-1980 season, all teams in the league attempted almost 7,433 total shots. Only 227 of those were 3-point attempts, and they only scored 64 of them. It wasn’t until the 1986-87 season that the league made over 100 successful 3-pointers in one season.
In the ’90s the NBA tinkered with the line, moving it closer to the net, in an attempt to make scoring more points easier. But it didn’t produce the intended effect. The league moved it back just a few years later.
This increase is because of one statistic. If you can make one-third of your shots from the 3-point line, it’s as good as making half your shots closer to the net. Darryl Morey, a longtime basketball executive who’s obsessed with statistics, is often credited for figuring this out.
In 2014, Morey instructed the D-league Rio Grande Valley Vipers to cut down long 2-point shots and shoot more 3-pointers. At the time NBA teams were averaging just over 20 3-point attempts per game. The Vipers started shooting almost 50. Morey’s strategy worked, they ranked first in the league in offense. Soon the NBA carried on, and 3-point shooting skyrocketed. This tool started out as a tough shot to make more points but is now standard practice.
The fear is that we lose the magic of, two teams approaching the game of basketball differently. Now, basketball is just about who is able to make more 3’s. We could get to the point where the game becomes boring.