Oklahoma City Thunder Have Been Solid Shooting 3-Pointers But Aren’t Shooting Them Often

Oklahoma City Thunder teams of the past were known for being extremely poor 3-point shooting teams, but still took many of them. In the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons, Oklahoma City shot 35.4 percent and 34.8 percent respectively from deep.

In the 2019-20 season, the Thunder are off to a hot start. As a team, they are ninth in the NBA in 3-point percentage at 36.8 percent. However, they are tied for 25th in the league in 3-point attempts with 29.7 per game. They have built the identity of being a low-volume, highly efficient 3-point shooting team.

This makes Oklahoma City’s 3-point approach the exact opposite of some of the most explosive offenses in the NBA that shoot a high volume of shots from deep.

• Houston Rockets: 33.3 percent (20th) on 46.3 attempts (1st)
• Milwaukee Bucks: 33.8 percent (T-17th) on 41.2 attempts (2nd)
• Dallas Mavericks: 33.8 percent (T-17th) on 39.5 attempts (T-3rd)
• Minnesota Timberwolves: 30.8 percent (28th) on 39.5 attempts (T-3rd)

While all of these teams lead the league in 3-point attempts and take them at a much higher volume than the Thunder, they do not shoot a good percentage. This goes to show how Oklahoma City’s approach to shooting the 3 might be a good idea. The Thunder shoot a much better percentage than all four of these teams who lead the NBA in attempts, further showing how efficient they are.

The Thunder’s still new roster is clearly comprised of better 3-point shooters than in past seasons. In fact, at this point in the season they have six players who are shooting 40 percent or better from beyond the arc.

• Deonte Burton: 50.0 percent (2.0 attempts/game)
• Terrance Ferguson: 46.4 percent (2.5 attempts/game)
• Danilo Gallinari: 43.0 percent (6.6 attempts/game)
• Chris Paul: 42.0 percent (4.2 attempts/game)
• Darius Bazley: 40.7 percent (2.3 attempts/game)
• Shai Gilgeous Alexander: 40.0 percent (4.2 attempts/game)

Among these six, four are brand new to Oklahoma City this season. Although only 12 games into the season, this many solid 3-point shooters is a promising sign for any team.

While Chris Paul and Danilo Gallinari are viewed by many as short-term pieces with a high potential to be traded, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Terrance Ferguson, and Darius Bazley are all 21 years old or younger and part of the future. These three young pieces will be part of the core going forward as Oklahoma City transitions into a the new era of Thunder basketball. In the modern NBA, 3-point shooting is crucial so having young guys who can shoot is encouraging for the Thunder front office.

With many games remaining in the 2019-20 season, it will be interesting to see how the Oklahoma City Thunder approach 3-point shooting going forward. Will they continue to be efficient on minimal attempts, or will they start to shoot at a higher volume due to the early success? In a high-scoring league, Oklahoma City may struggle keep up with teams without attempting more 3-pointers.