2010s: The Stephen Curry effect Point guard
Stephen Curry and the
Golden State Warriors are largely credited as the pioneers of the three-point revolution. Drafted by the Golden State Warriors in the 2009 NBA Draft, 7th overall, Curry was considered the best three-point shooter in his draft class, and by the end of the 2012–13 season, was considered one of the best three point shooters in NBA history, when he broke the record for three-field goals made in a single season with 272. Curry's shooting efficiency from well-behind the three-point line, and his versatility shooting off-the-dribble or in-motion, made him a singular offensive talent in the history of the NBA. Golden State's personnel moves have all sought to leverage the shooting ability of Curry into team success. In 2011, Golden State reaffirmed their prioritization of the three-point shot by drafting shooting guard
Klay Thompson 11th overall in the 2011 NBA Draft. Like Curry, Thompson was also regarded as the best three-point shooter in his draft class. His shooting ability created space for offense from Curry and others, as opposing defenses were forced to stay attached to both Thompson and Curry, to avoid giving up an open three-point shot from either of the guards. Thompson also excelled as a perimeter defender, preventing opposing players from creating open three-point shots for themselves and others. A year later, the Golden State Warriors drafted another complementary player in the 2012 NBA Draft in forward
Draymond Green. Drafted 35th overall, Green was not considered a three-point shooter, but added immense value on both sides of the court. Offensively, Green's basketball intelligence meant he was responsible for passing the ball in the Warriors' halfcourt offense, misdirecting defenses to create open three-point opportunities for Curry and Thompson. At 6'6, 230 lbs, Green was strong enough to guard larger forwards and centers, but still quick enough to guard faster forwards and guards who relied on the three-point shot. Green's basketball intelligence was valuable defense too, as he could often be seen reading offensive plays early, and directing teammates on defense to stop opposing players from generating open three-point shots. The chemistry between Curry, Thompson and Green was good enough to produce playoff berths in the 2012–13 and 2013–14 NBA seasons, however, the Warriors did not excel in 3PA or 3P% either of those years, finishing in the middle of the league in both categories. After early playoff losses in both of those seasons, Warriors leadership opted to replace head coach
Mark Jackson with
Steve Kerr. Kerr implemented a motion offense similar to that in Phoenix, built around shooting, ball movement, cutting and finding the open man. In his first season with the team, Kerr coached the Warriors to a 67–15 regular season record, a then-franchise record, and Stephen Curry would win his first NBA MVP award. The Warriors' 27.0 3PA per game ranked only fifth in the 2014–15 regular season, but their efficiency, 39.8%, was the best in the league during the regular season. In the playoffs, the Warriors would win their first championship in 40 years with a 4–2 victory over
LeBron James and the
Cleveland Cavaliers. The Warriors' dominance carried over into the 2015–16 season, during which they would record a regular season record of 73–9 the most regular season wins by any team in NBA history. Again, Curry would win NBA MVP honors, this time in a unanimous vote. During their record-setting season the Warriors attempted the most three point shots per game with 31.6, and again lead the league in 3P% with a near-record 41.6%. During this season, the Warriors routinely beat opposing teams by double digits, averaging a point differential of 10.76, the 7th highest in NBA history. Opposing teams had yet to figure out how to defend all of Golden State's shooters, and the defensive tandem of Green and Thompson often proved suffocating for opposing teams. The Warriors' 2015–16 season was punctuated with Game 7 loss to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, after losing a 3 games to 1 lead in the 2016 NBA Finals. By this point, opposing teams like the Cavaliers had identified three-point shooting as the only way to compete with the Warriors, and signed three-point specialists to their roster such as
J.R. Smith and
Kevin Love. After a Game 7 loss in the NBA finals, the Warriors further improved the shooting versatility on their roster by signing former MVP
Kevin Durant, who averaged 4.9 three point attempts per game on 38.5% efficiency for his career. Kevin Durant was considered one of the best players and three point shooters in the NBA, and the Warriors would surpass their previous point differential of 10.76 in the 2015–16 regular season, improving to 11.63 for the 2016–17 NBA season. on their way to another NBA championship at the expense of Lebron and the Cavaliers, despite the Cavaliers posting higher 3PA per game on better 3P%. In the 2017–18 season, the Warriors recorded 28.9 3PA on 39.1% efficiency, winning another championship at the expense of the Cavaliers. In the 2018–19 season, the Warriors recorded 34.4 3PA per game on 38.5% shooting, but injuries to Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson in the
2019 NBA Finals would mean a 4–2 loss to the
Toronto Raptors. Durant left the Warriors in the offseason, signing with the
Brooklyn Nets.
2020s: League-wide response The emergence of the Golden State Warriors as the most dominant team in the NBA would prompt teams in both the Eastern and Western Conferences to search for and cultivate three-point shooting talent in an effort to compete with the Warriors. While none of these teams ever saw the success of the Warriors, their adoption of the three-point offense did improve overall pace and efficiency of NBA basketball, and became a fixture of the league. A number of teams surpassed the Warriors' three-point shooting statistics during their championship runs – most notably the
Houston Rockets, led by general manager
Daryl Morey, recorded an NBA record 45.4 3PA per game on 35.6% efficiency in the 2018–19 NBA season, and 45.3 3PA per game on 34.5% efficiency in the 2019–20 NBA season. == References ==