OKC Thunder: Five Stats to Explain Their .500 Record
By Tony Heim
5. 33.4% Three-Point Percentage on 25.8 Attempts per Game
We knew the Thunder were going to be pretty bad from deep this year. And THAN they traded Ersan Ilyasova.
It’s not the actual percentage that angers me with this team. It’s the number of attempts they take. Through 16 games, the Thunder have the 22nd best percentage in the league but take more than all but 11 teams.
The thing about the Thunder’s attempts are most of them are open:
Here's a quick look at the quality of 3PTAs generated by each team so far this season. (h/t @nbastats) pic.twitter.com/4RX8fxreaJ
— Nicholas Sciria (@Nick_Sciria) November 14, 2016
The problem is they just don’t have the talent to make them. Instead of jacking up over 25 attempts a night, the Thunder should start taking a few steps in. The mid-range jumper is becoming obsolete in this day and age, but two points is better than no points. Just look at Demar Derozan this year.
The reason why the Thunder get so many open attempts is because teams are packing the paint and allowing them to beat them from deep. Well if they start setting up 18-feet from the basket, teams will be less willing to give up those shots so more driving lanes will open up for Russ and Dipo.
As much as analytics say threes are better than mid-range jumpers, that simply isn’t the case with this team. Cut back on attempts from deep and good things will come.