One of the biggest points of struggle for the San Antonio Spurs during their 22-win campaign last season, it was from behind the arc.
The Spurs finished second in the league in three-point shooting percentage (34.6), behind only the Portland Trail Blazers (34.4). Players who shot above average from three-point range were rare, and two of them, Doug McDermott and Cedi Osman, are no longer with the organization.
McDermott was by far the most efficient three-point shooter last year, shooting 43.9 percent on 3.8 attempts per game. Osman, the other guy, shot 38.9 percent on 3.1 attempts per game. And on a team that already had poor shooting, losing both of those players in that department leaves a void to fill.
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Fortunately, the additions of Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes in San Antonio both bring ample 3-point shooting production to the roster.
Paul may not be the leading scorer he once was, but the future Hall of Famer was still able to shoot 37.1 percent from three-point range on 3.6 attempts per game. The Spurs were sorely lacking in shooting at the point guard position last season, so the addition of Paul will help balance things out.
However, Barnes’ latest acquisition will likely be the most impactful player behind the arc. The forward shot 38.7 percent on 4.7 attempts per game last season, serving as a solid 3&D player for the Sacramento Kings. It’s not quite McDermott’s level of specialty, but Barnes can also impact games in more ways than he has.
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Barnes will fit right in in San Antonio, and getting catch-and-shoot opportunities from Paul or a corner kick from rookie Victor Wembanyama will help him get easy looks from deep, setting him up for what could be an even more efficient year.
It would be wrong to leave Devin Vassell out of the conversation, who is on pace to have an even better campaign in his fifth year with the Spurs. He is shooting 37.2 percent from three-point range, but what makes him even more impressive is his 6.6 attempts per game.
Vassell is a high-level shooter who averaged nearly 20 points per game last season, so having the ability to finish with a good percentage on top of that instantly makes him one of the most important players on the roster. He’ll be a prime target for Paul and Wembanyama, so we should expect similar production, if not a higher percentage.
Between Paul, Barnes and Vassell, San Antonio has a solid trio of elite shooters on their roster. Ideally, that will help them improve as a collective from three-point range, and if they want to take a step forward in the play-in tournament, 34.6 percent simply won’t be acceptable.
