Don't blame the Warriors for the NBA's three-point problem

When the Hornets and Bulls combined to brick a record 75 three-pointers last Friday, analysts and fans alike were quick to blame the Warriors for the volume of three-pointers in the modern NBA.

With all due respect, those people don't know what they're talking about. The Warriors have led the league in three-point attempts in only one of the last 10 seasons — the 2015-16 campaign when they shot 31.6 per game to the Rockets' 30.9. 

During their title-winning seasons, they ranked fourth in 2014-15, fifth in 2016-17, 17th in 2017-18 and third in 2021-22.  

Furthermore, the Warriors never "chucked" threes during their golden years. Instead, they created quality looks with their read-and-react principles through creative pin downs, down screens, backdoor cuts and high IQ passing. Sure, Stephen Curry had the green light to launch from deep the second he crossed half court, but those shots were few and far between compared to the quality looks he got running around screens.

Blame the analytics nerds

If anything, one should blame Daryl Morey for asking his players to shoot threes without conscience just because his fellow "analytic nerds" advised him to. That's why the Rockets didn't alter strategy despite missing 27 straight threes during Game 7 of the 2018 Western Conference Finals. For context, the Rockets led the league in three-point attempts in five of the six seasons between 2013-14 and 2019-20 and pivoted away from that strategy only after Morey departed for the Sixers and James Harden was traded to the Nets. 

On Monday's episode of "NBA Today" on ESPN, Brian Windhorst echoed the sentiments of fans tired of watching teams bombarding threes.

"I've felt this way for a while and I'm not alone. The NBA is out of balance," Windhorst said. "There's a better balance when the three-point shot is part of the game, not the entire game."

Elsewhere, Los Angeles Sparks guard Lexie Brown explained why analytics were to blame for the sorry state of the modern NBA game.

"The nerds — the computer people — they did this," Brown said on "Gil's Arena" podcast. "The best scorers in the league still shoot midrange shots — a lot. Whoever started doing that computer [expletive] with the analytics, taking about threes and layups, I blame them. Don't blame the players."

To Brown's point, none of the NBA's three leading scorers this season — Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic and Shai-Gilgeous Alexander — are marksmen from deep. While Antetokounmpo rarely shoots threes, Jokic and SGA attempt only 2.1 per game. Furthermore, some of the NBA's other gifted scorers such as Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Paolo Banchero continue to feast from midrange. 

The NBA's three-point problem has more to do with a career 32% shooter like Josh Giddey attempting eight threes (like he did last Friday) and random role players launching from deep "just because" analytics. If the league doesn't find a solution for this problem, the ratings will continue to plummet, an issue Shaquille O'Neal highlighted recently.