What happens if all of the 91.0 shot attempts/game taken by Celtics players this season were all 2-point shots? The numbers I am going to throw at you may not tell the whole story - but they don't lie!
Out of those 91.0 attempts per game, 51.4 were 3-pointers and 39.6 were 2-pointers. The players hit on 37.0% of their treys and 57.1% on their 2-pointers.
Assume that the team members took ZERO long balls this season, so all 91.0 attempts were inside of the arc and were shot with 57.1% accuracy. That means that the 51.4 that were beyond the arc this season yielded 57.0 points per game (at 37.0% accuracy), but those same 51.4 attempts taken as 2-pointers - and shot with 57.1% accuracy) result in 58.6 points/game.
That is only 1.6 points/game more than actually occurred this season for Boston. The question here is - does that make a positive difference in the outcomes for The Green?
Of course, these calculations go down the drain if the shooting percentages from inside-and-outside the arc are altered. The Celtics lead the League in 3-point attempts (51.4 per game) but sit in 13th place for 3-point percentage (37.0%). Joe Mazzulla's love of the long ball has produced satisfactory results for his team thus far, but if that beyond-the-arc accuracy declines - even a bit - Celtics fans may see less of it.
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