What Success Should Jazz Expect As League’s Best Three-Point Shooting Team?
Jan 7, 2020, 2:19 PM | Updated: 4:15 pm
Utah Jazz’s Joe Ingles shoots the ball in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2019, in Minneapolis. Stacy Bengs, AP
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Utah Jazz are the best three-point shooting team in the NBA. It’s a somewhat shocking development for a team that has been traditionally unremarkable as a three-point threat. Over the last 10 seasons, the Jazz have an average three-point shooting percentage of .356, and an average rank of 14.5 in the NBA.
Essentially, the Jazz have been firmly middle-class as a three-point shooting team.
That’s taken a dramatic turn for a team that not only leads the league in three-point shooting at .391 but also leads the number two ranked team by a full 1.3 percent. It’s moved the Jazz from the 26th offensive rank at one point early in the season to the 17th ranked offense, a number that will continue to climb if the three-point shooting continues.
Jazz cookin' with Clarkson in the 1st half 🔥🔥🔥🔥 #TakeNote pic.twitter.com/FPjiKgMGuu
— Jeremiah Jensen (@JJSportsBeat) January 7, 2020
In the offseason, Dennis Lindsey and the organization’s front office made a point to add three-point shooting.
During the team’s season-opening media day, Lindsey said the Jazz were looking to add “snipers at any position.” That approach led to the Jazz signing Bojan Bogdanovic, the 17th best three-point shooting this season with an average .418.
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Bogdanovic, along with Georges Niang, Royce O’Neale, and Joe Ingles are top-25 three-point shooters in the NBA.
But, what does being a league-leading three-point shooting team mean for an NBA team?
Over the last decade, the worst three-point shooting to win the NBA Finals was the Dallas Mavericks in 2011, who finished 11th in the NBA. The second-worst team was the Miami Heat in 2012, who finished the season as the 9th worst three-point shooting team.
make a three, create a three ☔️☔️☔️#TakeNote pic.twitter.com/XR5zw8tMDM
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) January 5, 2020
Over the last eight seasons, only the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers (7th) and 2019 Toronto Raptors (6th) won a championship without a top-three three-point shooting average in the NBA. Three times in the past six seasons, the best three-point shooting team in the NBA won the Finals.
In the latest edition of the Jazz Notes Podcast, Ben Anderson looked at the Jazz three-point shooting hot streak and what it means for the team as they approach the playoffs.
