Warriors need to continue shooting 3s
Thanks to the Warriors, the NBA has become a 3-point shooting league.
With Stephen Curry and Thompson starting together, they began launching and making 3s at a historic rate. Then, when Steve Kerr took over, the Warriors really started a revolution on Curry’s back.
In the 2015-16 season, the Warriors led the league in 3-point attempts per game at 31.6. In 2016-17, they were fifth at 31.2 attempts. In 2017-18 and 2018-19, as the league-wide 3-point revolution has exploded, the Warriors have attempted the 16th (28.9 3PA) and 12th (32.4 3PA), respectively.
Golden State can outplay an opponent in nearly every facet of the game, but if the other team is attempting and making a high volume of threes then it doesn’t matter. Even at lower efficiency, enough volume can have an impact.
Against the Knicks, the Warriors attempted 45 shots from beyond the arc. Eight different Warriors attempted 3s and five different players shot at least three times from deep. Thompson took 16, Curry took 12, and Kevin Durant took seven of his own.
The Warriors shouldn’t turn into the Houston Rockets. The midrange shot is a valuable asset that they should use. But Golden State shouldn’t go against the grain on this one either.
They created this NBA and, at times, it’s looked like the league has passed them up. The Warriors should aim to increase their 3-point attempts, especially from their Big 3.