The three-point shot has become basketball’s secret weapon. NBA teams last season shot an even 35 percent on three-pointers, averaging 1.05 points per shot; conversely, they only shot 48.5 percent (0.97 points per shot) on two-pointers.
That gap has widened in recent years, and it’s partially thanks to Warriors guard and reigning MVP Stephen Curry, who has bent the court in ways we’ve never seen.
On the flip side, the Brooklyn Nets have hit a league-worst 22.7 percent clip from beyond the arc through the first six games. They opened the season with an 0-for-9 dud from three-point range, and haven’t gotten much better in the early part of the year.
We’ve noticed this as the year progressed:
Or, to put it another way: the Nets as a team have five threes through 2.5 games. Steph Curry has 7 through three quarters tonight
— devin kharpertian (@uuords) November 1, 2015
steph curry is making more threes per game than the jazz/grizzlies/nets/wolves are making per game
— shan-e (@shanmustafa_yo) November 5, 2015
Steph Curry has 28 3PM this season. That's more than five *teams* have made. Nets + Wolves have combined for 29.
— Ryan Hudson (@ry_hudson) November 5, 2015
#Nets vs. Steph Curry 3s: Nets 8-for-37 (season), Curry 8-for-14 (tonight) Most points in a Q tonight: Nets (26), Curry (28)
— Mike Mazzeo (@MazzESPN) November 1, 2015
So that begs the question: Could three-point wunderkind and singular man Stephen Curry outshoot the entire Brooklyn Nets roster from three-point range?
So far, he has. It hasn’t been particularly close, either. Introducing Curry/Nets Watch:
(The chart above live-updates throughout the season, so the words herein no longer reflect the current state of CurryWatch.)
Through six games, Curry has made 36 three-pointers in 70 attempts. That’s historically good! It says more about Stephen Curry’s incredible shooting ability as it does about anything else. It’s also 14 more than the entire Brooklyn Nets team combined in the same timeframe. Only one Nets player is shooting above 30 percent from three-point range: Andrea Bargnani, who has made one of three three-point attempts.
Of the teams that have played six games, Curry’s also ahead of the Memphis Grizzlies (31 three-pointers made). They’re also well ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves, who have only made 14 three-pointers through four games.
This probably won’t last all season. Curry is shooting into the stratosphere in never-before-seen ways, and Brooklyn’s best shooters are all performing under expectations. Chances are things will even out over time. But as long as this fight is interesting, we’ll keep you updated on the three-point battle brewing between Stephen Curry & the entire Brooklyn Nets team.
