The 3 point line has become way more important in the nba nowadays rather than 20 years ago. People go for 3 pointers now instead of driving in so much because it has become easier if you practice enough and a 3 is always better and more important than a 2 unless you get and 1 or something. And everyone has been shooting more and more 3s rather than driving in now days.
Lets look at Curry how much he impacted the 3 he is the best 3 point shooter we have seen in NBA history so far other than Klay Thompson but he is the robin of curry who is batman. Curry was shooting 45% in 2011-2012 in his rookie years if you dont know how good that is Klay Thompson best 3 point % is 41 throughout a year and he is know for being the second best shooter to touch a basketball and Curry was shooting 45% in his rookie year. Then he went on to get a unanimous MVP in 2015. Then he went to shoot 45% again in 2016 then people started to realize how important the 3 lines were and now almost every game more 3s are shot than mid ranges or dunks/layups. The biggest change came with the Golden State Warriors especially during their championship runs in 2015 and 2016. With stars like Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson the Warriors changed how teams viewed the three-point shot. Curry in particular could make shots from far away which led to a dramatic increase in three point attempts across the league.By the 2018-19 season teams were averaging nearly 34 three-point attempts per game, up from just over 20 in 2012-13. This change influenced how teams played and how defenses had to adapt.
Big mans were known for dunking and being dominant in the paint.They still are but now big man shoot more 3s than drive in because 3 is worth more than a 2. For example we can see in the earlier years dominant big man like Shaq, hakeem, Karl Malone, Ben Wallace,Dwight haword, Kareem. I can keep going but what im trying to say is all those big men were known for being dominant in the paint like for blocking YAMMING it on other big men in the paint. But now days we still have amazing dominant big men in the paint like Ad,Giannis,Embid,The Joker. Yet they still all shoot they might not be that good at it but they can all shoot 3s. All the big men i named earlier were all known for dunking but none of them could shoot to save their career all those big men probably made less than 50 3s in their whole career combined. This just shows how even big men started shooting as the NBA progressed.
The evolution of the three-point shot in the NBA has transformed the game. From its early days as a rare tactic to its current status the three point shot has changed how basketball is played and enjoyed. As teams keep adapting it’s clear that shooting from beyond the arc will remain a big part of the NBA for years to come.
