How much better did the Wizards get at 3-point shooting? originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
The Wizards made a series of moves last summer to improve their 3-point shooting and, on paper, it appeared that they did. After they finished the 2020-21 season 28th in 3-pointers made (10.2/g) and 23rd in percentage (35.1), they added players like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope via trade and Corey Kispert through the draft. NBC Sports Washington did the math on what their newly compiled roster shot the year before and figured the Wizards had a chance to be league average from 3-point range.
They were far from that. In fact, they somehow got worse. The Wizards in 2021-22 made the fewest threes of any team (10.5.g) and ranked 26th in percentage (34.2). It was a cautionary tale of how not everything goes according to plan. Davis Bertans became a shell of himself, while Bradley Beal shot a career-low percentage from long range, combining with Spencer Dinwiddie to form one of the least efficient backcourts in the league.
In the modern NBA, 3-point shooting is king and the Wizards really struggled in that department. It was a prohibitive problem.
So, the Wizards set out this summer once again with 3-point shooting in mind. They brought in three players in particular who should help their cause; Monte Morris, Will Barton and Delon Wright. All three should play key roles in the rotation, with Morris projected to start at point guard and Barton possibly at the three.
There should also be a chance for improvement from within. Rui Hachimura made a significant leap with his 3-point shooting last season, but only for half of the year. If he plays a full season shooting a similar percentage, that should make a difference.
Kristaps Porzingis should also give the Wizards more 3-point shooting at the center position after only playing 17 games for them last year. Kispert could be more consistent and better than he was as a rookie. Deni Avdija could come back with a better outside shot after his first full and healthy offseason.
But setting aside those best-case scenarios, let’s first go strictly off of what these guys shot last year. Let’s look at the 11 veteran players most likely to be in the rotation and tally up the score. Here is what they shot last year:
Will Barton 157/430 (36.5%)
Kyle Kuzma 128/375 (34.1%)
Monte Morris 124/314 (39.5%)
Corey Kispert 112/320 (35%)
Deni Avdija 82/259 (31.7%)
Kristaps Porzingis 78/252 (31.0%)
Bradley Beal 63/210 (30%)
Rui Hachimura…