Teams are averaging 34.6 3-point attempts per game, breaking the previous record of 34.1 set last season. That's more than two per game! The most 3s ever attempted in a single game is 49, by the Chicago Bulls on December 10, 1995.
The modern 3-point line was introduced in 1979, so this mark will likely be broken soon. But even though 3-pointers are shot more often, they make up a small fraction of all shots taken in basketball. Last season, only 16% of shots taken were 3-pointers, which means that almost every time you watch a basketball game, there will be a shot taken from outside the arc.
This statistic comes from research done by my colleague Emily Waldron, who is a graduate student at American University working with IHS Markit. Her research focuses on how statistics are reported by sports newspapers.
This season, the national average for 3-point attempt % is 37.7 percent, down from 38.7 percent last season. Last year's leader in 3-point percentage was Arizona at 39.0 percent. This year's leader so far is North Carolina State at 40.4 percent.
The best 3-point shooting teams are generally in the 50s percent range, but some teams this year are hitting closer to 45 percent or even higher. Virginia, which has been one of the most accurate shooting teams in recent years, is currently sitting at 47.1 percent thus far this season.
In addition to being shot by players, 3s also play a role in determining final scores in college basketball. During timeouts and re-schedules, officials will often review video replay to determine if certain shots were inbounded out of bounds or missed completely. If it is determined that a shot would have gone in had not player interference prevented it, then it is awarded to the other team. This can impact how close some games are decided. For example, during Kentucky's game against Louisville on January 11th, 2014 they missed two free throws with less than 10 seconds left in the game that would have given them a third chance to win the game.
There are currently 15 clubs with 3-point percentages above 40%. Half of the league is currently doing something that no team in the league's history has ever done before. Twenty years ago, three-pointers accounted for 17% of all NBA shots. It was 22 percent ten years ago. This year, it will be 27%.
The number of 3s taken in the NBA has increased steadily since the 1980s, when only about 10% of shots were 3s. In 2008-09, there were 994 3s taken in the NBA; that's up from 756 in 2003-04. This season, there are expected to be around 1,000 3s taken.
Threes are more difficult to take than two-pointers because they require a higher degree of accuracy and usually come with less time to make your decision as you get closer to the basket. Also, defenders can block them! There have been few players who have been able to consistently shoot threes at a high level. Michael Jordan was one of the most famous examples in basketball history; he made 42% of his triples during his career.
Currently, Kevin Durant is the best shooter in the NBA from downtown. He's making nearly half of his attempts! Even though shooters like Stephen Curry and James Harden are also very good, their teams prefer not to play close-out games where they need every point they can get.
Total Offensive Rebounds/Number of Games Played During the season, the average amount of offensive rebounds per game is 3. Blocks/(Minutes Played/32) There were two blocks every 32 minutes of play on average. Total Rebounds/(Played Minutes/32) The average number of rebounds per 32 minutes of playing time was four.
A club with 70 possessions per game is more likely to score and give up more points than a team with 60 possessions per game.
The amount of points scored by a player for each shot taken. FGA * 100 equals FGM + (.5 * 3PM). The field goal percentage was changed to credit three-quarters of three-point attempts. The average amount of points scored every 32 minutes was four.
The current NBA scoring average each game is roughly 113 points. With a roster of 13, that equates to 113/13 = 8.7 points per game per player. In other words, an average NBA team will score about eight points per game when they have no lead at any point in the game.
This number has varied over time depending on how much the league has been played so regularly throughout the year. But now that there are only 30 days in the season, we can estimate that it takes around six hours and fifty minutes to play a game with no result at any point. This would mean that the scoring average today is about three-fourths of what it was in the early 1980s (when there were just 32 games on the schedule), but still less than half of what it was in the 1950s (57 games).
It's important to remember that this number represents the average for all players on a team. Some players may score more, while others may score less. However, it's possible to estimate how many points certain players will score based on their role on the team. Let's say that one player is responsible for scoring the majority of his team's points; we'll call him the "go-to guy".
When compared to the previous season, the proportion of 3-point attempts made decreased from 35.2 percent to 34.4 percent. By the 2017-18 season, the proportion of 3-point field goals made has slowly climbed back to 35.2 percent in Division I. This marks the third consecutive year that shots have gone up in college basketball.
The trend towards more 3-pointers being taken came as surprise many experts who predicted that shots would be taken out of game-play. However, more teams are choosing to take them rather than drive the ball into the basket every time down the floor. This allows their players more open looks at the basket and makes them more confident when taking them.
Overall, the average 3-point percentage in college basketball is now at 39.6 percent. This is up from 37.5 percent a year ago. The increase can be attributed to more made shots in general along with a decline in 2-point percentage.
There are still differences between conferences. In Division I, the Atlantic Coast Conference leads the way with an average 3-point percentage of 44.4 percent. Following close behind are the Big 12 (42.9 percent), Pac-12 (41.3 percent), and Southland (40.7 percent).
Women's college basketball has seen its overall shooting percentage rise over the past few years.
Copyright © 2020 - 2023 Sportsmanist Inc.
