One of the most important things for modern NBA teams to possess is shooters. It is imperative to find success on offense that you have guys who can space the floor successfully, opening things up for their teammates to operate in the middle of the court.
There are certainly ways that coaches can create spacing when they are lacking the shooters necessary to knock down 3-pointers. But, having snipers from long range is the easiest way to make an opponent pay that is giving too much attention to other players.
One of the teams that kind of shooting is imperative is the Phoenix Suns. The Suns went all-in during the 2023 NBA offseason, acquiring Bradley Beal from the Washington Wizards to round out their Big 3 alongside Devin Booker and Kevin Durant.
All three of those players are capable of carrying an offense on their own, but complementary pieces are needed to help the team reach its full potential. One of the players tasked with playing such as role has been Grayson Allen.
Allen has plenty of experience playing alongside stars in this 3-and-D role. He started his career alongside Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert with the Utah Jazz. After that, he played alongside Ja Morant with the Memphis Grizzlies and spent time on the Milwaukee Bucks as a shooter around Giannis Antetokounmpo.
It is a role in which Allen has thrived, as he has connected on 41.4 percent of his 3-point attempts in his career. This season, he leads the NBA in 3-point shooting, making 47.9 percent of his attempts.
Playing with a star-studded Suns group has provided Allen with open attempts that shooters dream of. But, you still need to make the most of those attempts and to this point, he is cashing in with regularity.
As shared by NBA University on X, Allen has been lights out on catch-and-shoot 3-pointers since the NBA All-Star Break. He is putting up video game numbers, possessing an effective field goal percentage of 75.7 percent on his 103 catch-and-shoot 3-pointers over that time span.
There are some very impressive names on that list, but none of them have been shooting the ball as well as Allen. Michael Porter Jr. of the defending NBA Champion Denver Nuggets was close with 70.4 percent. Seeing center Naz Reid on there shows just how much the landscape of the league has changed in recent years as big men are as comfortable as ever spotting up for jumpers.
High volume and efficiency are the perfect combo for a shooter. Allen is making the most of the opportunities presented to him, as he is doing his job at an elite level to try and help get the Suns as many wins as possible.
More must-reads: