Why have 3PT attempts spiked massively league wide this season?

[RRR3]

From 2020 to 2024, the league average for 3PT attempts per game were relatively stagnant: 34.1, 34.6, 35.2, 34.2, 35.1. This year? 37.5 The Boston Celtics were the league leader taking 42.5 3s per game last season. This year they're at 50.6, the Hornets are at 44.4, and the Bulls at 42.5.

Some individual stars 3PT attempts have spiked massively as well:

Jayson Tatum has gone from 8.2 attempts to 10.7
Wemby has gone from 5.5 to 9.3
Anthony Edwards has gone from 6.7 to 11.1
LaMelo Ball has gone from 9.0 to 13.1
Tyrese Maxey has gone from 8.1 to 9.7
Devin Booker has gone from 6.1 to 7.6



What is causing this after just one offseason?

[Carbine]

It's a copy cat league. When teams see the Celtics winning a title jacking up 42.5 and the average team is taking 7-8 less 3s per game they probably said in the off season we need to focus on taking even more 3s because that's where the league is going.... To 50 3pt attempts a game

[Indian guy]

^ What he said. Usually when a team is super successful employing a strategy, the rest of the league follows suit. We saw a similar spike in 3pters in 2017 after GS' 73-win season in 2016.

It's the optimal way of playing the game, of course, but certainly doesn't lead to a better on-court product. People, incorrectly IMO, keep crying about free throws, officiating, lack of physicality etc but by far the biggest reason for a less satisfying viewing experience has been excessive 3's and how homogenized the product has become. And that conversation has finally entered the mainstream with a lot outlets of now talking about the issue with 3pt attempts. A conversation that should've started a good half decade ago.

[3ba11]

Nick Wright provided the reason:

https://m.youtube.com/shorts/UCRa8xH-LnA

[Phoenix]

Yeah it's as Indian Guy said, the league tries to adapt their roster and strategy to beat whoever the champion is. Everyone had to take more 3s to keep up with the Warriors, now it's the Celtics. A team can lose all the X's and O's like rebounding, assists and turnovers, but get hot from 3 and still win. It broke the conventional wisdom of outplaying your opponent to win.

[Im Still Ballin]

2024-25: 113.4 ORtg
2023-24: 115.3 ORtg
2022-23: 114.8 ORtg
2021-22: 112.0 ORtg
2020-21: 112.3 ORtg

ORB% is the highest (25.0%) it has been since 2014-15. Turnover percentage is up as well; highest since 2017-18. We'll see how these numbers change as the season progresses.

[90sgoat]

2024-25: 113.4 ORtg
2023-24: 115.3 ORtg
2022-23: 114.8 ORtg
2021-22: 112.0 ORtg
2020-21: 112.3 ORtg

ORB% is the highest (25.0%) it has been since 2014-15. Turnover percentage is up as well; highest since 2017-18. We'll see how these numbers change as the season progresses.

Focusing on defensive rebounding seems like a good countermeasure against the spamming of 3s.

[Im Still Ballin]

Push the above-the-break three-point line back several feet. Devalue the off-the-dribble, pullup, step-back, pick-and-pop three. Create even more space for two-point shot creation via the mid-range and post-up.

Look at this graph. Just move it back so the line starts where the purple begins.

https://blog.schochastics.net/posts/2019-06-29_mapping-nba-shot-locations/pps2013-18.png

The corner three is less of a concern because you can't self-create those shots.