SUMMARY
- Luka Doncic has attempted the most three-pointers off the dribble and pick-n-roll this season.
- LeBron James claims having great screen-setters can help one dominate from deep.
LeBron James has great knowledge about various eras of the NBA. Draft in 2003, James has now played in three different decades. He got to witness history be made in front of his eyes over the years with athletes like Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and now, Luka Doncic. The 4x NBA Champion has had to adjust to several changes, especially with the way the game is played.
On a recent episode of Mind the Game, JJ Reddick addressed the spike in three-pointers being attempted and made. One particular stat shows that Luka Doncic attempted 497 off the dribble this season. There were 22 other players who attempted at least 150 or more three-pointers off the dribble while nearly ten years ago, only four players did the same.
Additionally, Reddick added that 16 players attempted 150 or more three-pointers from the pick-and-roll, while Luka ranked No.1 on that list. This was in part of a question regarding what makes Doncic, Steph, and other guards so successful in such scenarios.
LeBron James accredits the Mavericks’ role players to Luka Doncic’s success from deep
Having played multiple regular season and playoff games against players like Curry or perhaps Damian Lillard, LeBron James claims that the secret behind their success rate in shooting off the pick-and-roll is having teammates who have high IQ and can screen well. He said, “You’re two on a ball [and] if you’ve got great screen-setters [like] Draymond, Capela… whoever Luka is going to have. If you have a great screen-setter and you have a laser like that, who shoots over 300 off the dribble pick and roll 3s? That’s the chain reaction.”
James believes the volume of three-pointers attempted has also increased due to the competitive nature. Players like Klay Thompson, Curry, and Doncic have all influenced the game, making it a fast-paced offensive-oriented league.
Luka Doncic is slowly entering Steph Curry’s territory
Despite not making the playoffs, Steph Curry had an incredible season averaging 26.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game. He led the league in three-pointers made once again averaging 4.8 made shots on 11.8 attempts per game. He made 357 three-point field goals on 876 attempts which is 40.8%.
Luka Doncic wasn’t too far behind Curry either as he finished second in the league in three-pointers made this season. He finished the regular season with 284 three-point field goals made on 744 attempts shooting 38.2%. Doncic can easily crack the top ten on the all-time three-pointers made list that’s led by Curry with 3,700+ made shots. Doncic has made 1,201 in six seasons so far.