It's no secret that the NBA has turned into a three-point shooting league. Teams are shooting exponentially more three-pointers every season, while the demand for spot-up shooters has also been having a similar uptrend. The three-point shot, of course, is now seen as the most efficient shot in basketball, after being viewed as the opposite in times past. It provides valuable spacing for the offense to operate, as well as an additional point per possession.
What, then, of the league's best players who couldn't shoot the three? They adapt, as the greats often do.
For this piece, we ranked the best players in the league who have improved their three-point shooting significantly over the years. These NBA players were below-average outside shooters who have since improved in that regard. To clarify, we will not be including average to above-average shooters who have improved to become elite, so no Steph Curry or Damian Lillard here. We will be ranking them based on their level of improvement throughout the years, spanning each player's whole career thus far. Pertinent statistics include three-point attempts and makes, three-point percentage, and other three-point statistics.
With that, let's get into the most improved three-point shooters in the NBA today.
5) LaMarcus Aldridge
LA is known for his soft shooting touch, but he dealt most of his damage from the midrange area. He is recognized as one of the deadliest midrange players of recent years, with the post fadeaway being a trademark of his. That said, he rarely went behind the arc for that extra one point in his NBA career, until recently.
The last two seasons saw Aldridge shoot more than three treys a game, making them at an impressive 38% clip. The San Antonio Spurs have needed this type of play from Aldridge; their core group of players (with the likes of DeMar DeRozan, Derrick White, and Dejounte Murray) is at best inconsistent from three-point land. Aldridge would need a bit more volume to make up for the losses of three-point threats Dāvis Bertāns, Bryn Forbes, and others.
Taking that step behind the arc is a step in the right direction for the 35-year old veteran. Not only will he be producing at least one point more every time he takes a three instead of a middy; he will also potentially prolong his NBA career and enhance his offensive versatility for the seasons to come.
4) Al Horford
In his prime with the Atlanta Hawks, Al Horford formed a formidable partnership with Paul Millsap down low. The second-generation player has a plethora of moves to score in the paint and from midrange, but he rarely ventured outside 23 feet from the basket. In fact, for the first half of his NBA career, he only shot a total of 29 threes, which is less than 0.1 a game. Not that this was a massive hindrance to himself; Horford was still a 3-time All-Star in the same time span.
However, the succeeding seasons saw Horford become a much, much more versatile big man as he expanded his game towards the three-point line. Horford shot a then-career-high 256 threes in his last year in Atlanta, at an ok 34.4% clip. He followed this up two seasons later with the Boston Celtics, shooting a sensational 42.9% from three on 3.1 attempts a game. This led to another All-Star appearance and a max contract with the Philadelphia 76ers two years later.
Unfortunately, his Sixers career never panned out like how their front office expected; he could not be the full-time stretch big that they wanted him to be. He is currently with the Oklahoma City Thunder, where he has improved his three-point shooting once again. The Dominican-American is currently shooting about 5-and-a-half treys on a 37% clip, from 4.2 on 35% last NBA season.
3) Chris Paul
CP3's improvement from three-point land spans his entire NBA career, so it's not as noticeable as the other entries on this list. Nevertheless, his continuous progression to being an elite three-point shooter has to be lauded.
The outside shot was seen as one of Paul's weaknesses earlier in his career with the New Orleans Hornets. Even as his percentages were good, he only shot around two threes a game. That all changed after he got to the Los Angeles Clippers, wherein he shot around 3-4 threes a game at around a 38% clip. He then went on to average career-highs in three-point attempts at around 6 a game with the Houston Rockets, at a 37% efficiency. His efficiency stayed consistent thereafter, as he went to the Oklahoma City Thunder and his current team, the Phoenix Suns, although at a slightly lesser volume.
Chris Paul’s stats continue to amaze. It is great to see how much Chris Paul progressed as an outside threat after just shooting at a 28.2% rate in his rookie year. With his playmaking, lockdown perimeter defense, leadership, and now-elite three-point shooting, the Point God continues to be valuable for every NBA team he joins.
2) LeBron James
One cannot talk about athletes adapting their game without mentioning King James.
LeBron James is one of the most complete players in the history of basketball: he can score, rebound, playmake, and even coach. However, his outside shooting has always been in question. One can look back at his numbers from his first stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers, wherein he shot as low as 31.5% from downtown on 4.8 attempts. However, things would start to pick up after he went to the Miami Heat.
He averaged a career-high 40.6% from downtown in his last NBA MVP season while playing in South Beach, albeit from a lesser 3.3 attempts a contest. In addition, Bron also tweaked his shooting form for more consistency. As he got older, he began to shoot more from three, while maintaining and even improving his efficiency. He is currently shooting a career-high 6.5 threes this season, at an above-average 37% rate.
We will get to see just how well The King adapts his game as his career goes deeper into the three-point era. He will find a way to get his 27 a night, and the three-ball just might have to become his bread-and-butter.
1) Lonzo Ball
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJkEgtOT4Jk
The media is finally giving some love back to the eldest Ball brother after years of severe criticism from NBA fans, media and the like.
Lonzo has been significantly improving his offensive game ever since getting traded to the New Orleans Pelicans, and this improvement is absolutely evident in his three-point shooting. Since he got to the Big Easy, Ball has been shooting lights out from three; he has been shooting at about 38% on an unprecedented 7 attempts a game.
Compare Lonzo Ball’s stats to his two years with the Los Angeles Lakers, wherein he shot only 31.5% on 5.3 attempts: the difference is night and day. Zo went from shooting a lot of threes on low efficiency to even more attempts at an above-average efficiency, which is all a coach could want. The improvement can be seen in his shooting form as well, as he fixed his jump shot to be more central to his body as supposed to the funky left-sided shot that he used prior.
With teammate Zion Williamson's gravity inside, as well as a much more consistent jumper, expect Lonzo to continue being at least a decent outside threat.
Follow Us
Subscribe