It's old news by now that the three-point shot rules the game. Teams are shooting more and more of them as the years go by, up to 51.4 attempts per game by the Celtics this season, which is already almost nine attempts higher than 2022-23, where the Warriors led the league with 43.2 attempts per game. In this article, we will look at a selection of players that are keeping things hot from long range, considering some of the highest-volume and highest-percentage shooters. We will also take note of a few that are missing the mark more often than expected.
Hot
LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller lead the way for the Hornets as the team with the third-most made three-pointers per game. Ball leads the league in makes and attempts from long-range, with 4.7 made threes and 13.1 three-point attempts per game. Brandon Miller is not far behind with 4.0 made threes per game, which ranks fifth-best in the league.
Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard are leading the Celtics with the most three-point attempts per game. Tatum ranks seventh in the league in makes per game with 3.8, while Pritchard ranks ninth with 3.7, and White ranks 11th with 3.6. The most impressive aspect of their shooting is the efficiency, as Pritchard leads the group with a success rate of 43.0 percent from deep, while White is shooting 39.0 percent, and Tatum, 36.4 percent.
Anthony Edwards ranks second in the league with 4.5 made threes per game and is shooting a blistering 42.7 percent from deep, while averaging 26.4 points per game on the season. The Timberwolves rank fifth in the league in three-point attempts per game, but Edwards is the only Timberwolves' player that is top-50 in makes per game.
No discussion about three-pointers in the modern NBA can be had without mentioning Stephen Curry, who is still at the top of the pack with 4.2 makes per game, which ranks third-best in the league. He also continues to work at an elite clip, shooting 41.7 percent from downtown.
Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are one of the most dangerous backcourt duos, largely thanks to their ability to light it up from outside. Doncic ranks 12th in the league with 3.4 makes per game, while Irving averages 3.2 makes per game, which is good for 18th in the NBA. Doncic has been significantly less efficient than his counterpart, hitting 34.4 percent of his long-range attempts, compared to Irving, who is cooking with 47.4 percent three-point shooting, which ranks sixth-best in the league.
Tyler Herro has been the Heat's best player so far this season, averaging a team-high 24.2 points per game, including 4.2 made three-pointers, which is tied with Stephen Curry for third-most in the league. Herro is also shooting an impressive 42.2 percent from behind the arc.
Damian Lillard continues to make his way as one of the most prolific long-range shooters, averaging 3.4 makes per game, which ranks 12th in the league, while shooting 37.2 percent shooting from deep. However, AJ Green and Taurean Prince might be the Bucks' most impressive shooters at the moment, as Prince is hitting a league-best 53.6 percent from deep, with 1.9 makes per game, while Green is hitting 47.5 percent, with 2.4 makes per game.
Norman Powell has been a spectacle for the Clippers this season and his dominant play shines through in the numbers, as he ranks sixth in the league in three-pointers made per game (3.8) and third in the league in three-point shooting percentage (48.6).
The Cavaliers rank fourth in the league in three-pointers made per game, and their dominance in that regard is in large part thanks to the efficient shooting of Caris LeVert, who ranks fourth in the league in three-point percentage (48.5), Ty Jerome, who ranks eighth (47.1), and Isaac Okoro, who ranks ninth (46.3). Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland also do their part, as Mitchell ranks eighth in makes per game (3.8), and Garland averages 2.9 makes on 42.3 percent shooting from deep.
Malik Beasley is tied for ninth in made three-pointers per game (3.7), while shooting 41.3 percent from downtown. He is averaging 28.4 minutes per game mostly out of a bench role in his first season with the Pistons, but he is on pace for a career year from beyond the arc.
Finally, a nod to the big men who are splashing from outside, beginning with Nikola Jokic, who owns the league's second-best three-point shooting percentage (50.0) and is hitting an average of 2.2 threes per game. Nikola Vucevic owns the league's sixth best percentage (47.4) from deep, while Victor Wembanyama leads all big men with 3.1 makes per game, which ranks 20th in the league.
Not
Desmond Bane averaged 23.7 points per game last season, while shooting 38.1 percent from deep, with 3.3 made threes per game. He is off to a significantly slower start this year, averaging just 14.5 points per game, with 1.8 made threes on 32.3 percent shooting from deep.
Trae Young is playing well overall, especially with a career-high 12.2 assists per game, but his shooting is lagging, as he is hitting just 31.0 percent from deep with 2.6 made threes per game, down from 3.2 made threes on 37.3 percent shooting last season.
Tyrese Maxey has been dealing with the difficulty of playing among a roster riddled with injuries, and it may be in part to blame for his career-low 29.3 percent shooting from long range, down from 37.3 percent in 2023-24.
Keegan Murray defined himself as a knock-down shooter over his first couple of seasons but has hit a rut this year, shooting just 29.2 percent from deep, with 1.6 made three-pointers per game.
Alexandre Sarr is highly skilled for a player of his size, but he is having a lot of trouble finding his rhythm from deep, averaging 1.1 made threes on 25.0 percent shooting from long range. Likely, the rookie will eventually turn things around, but at this point, he is seeing many possessions go to waste due to his struggles from downtown.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope proved himself as one of the best three-and-D guards over the last few seasons, knocking down over 40.0 percent from deep in each of the last two campaigns. However, the veteran has yet to find his groove in Orlando, shooting just 29.8 percent from three-point range.
