The 3 Best Three-Point Shooters in the 2016 NBA Draft
20,953.
That is exactly how many three-pointers were made during the 2016 NBA regular season. So, if you're telling me that three-point shooting isn't among the most important skills in today's NBA, you've either been living under a rock for the past five years, or you're Charles Barkley.
| League Averages | 3-Point Makes | 3-Point Attempts | 3-Point Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 698 | 1,975 | 35.3% |
| 2014-15 | 643 | 1,838 | 35.0% |
| 2013-14 | 635 | 1,766 | 36.0% |
| 2012-13 | 587 | 1,636 | 35.9% |
| 2011-12 | 423 | 1,213 | 34.9% |
Not only are three-point makes and attempts at an all-time high, but three-point accuracy is still as important as ever: the league average remains above 35%.
And if that doesn't stress the significance of three-point shooting enough, each of the top eight teams, in terms of three-pointers made, took part this year's playoffs. As for the top two, Golden State and Cleveland, well -- you know how much that didn't matter for them, right?
So, for NBA front offices, if you want to contend for an NBA Championship, you need to have three-point shooters on your squad. It's that simple.
If you don't, you're more than likely going to be sitting on the outside looking in come playoff time. As a matter of fact, 10 of the bottom 15 teams in three-point makes failed to make the playoffs this season.
General managers all around the Association are almost certainly aware of that, so I'm sure they are and will be looking to add three-point shooting depth to fill the void. The best bang for their buck can be found in the NBA Draft, where three-point shooters abound.
It would take forever to discuss all the elite shooters in this draft, so I'm here to touch on the crème de la crème of this year's long-range snipers.
