#moreyball

"There’s a 3-point revolution happening in the NBA this season, with a record 30.9 percent of shot attempts being launched from behind the arc. [..] the Warriors, Rockets, and their ilk are transforming the league. Floor spacing and ball movement are keys to success in today’s NBA."

"Not all three-point attempts are created equally—or similarly. Memories of the Spurs offense whipping three or four passes around the perimeter for an eventual open three might make coaches swoon, and their percentages are quite good on such shots, but by and large it’s a less valuable attempt than those that come on a direct line from the painted area. Perhaps that’s because shooters are creatures of habit, honing their skills through hours of repetition, and receiving a pass from the perimeter disrupts that rhythm, requiring the shooter to turn his body to receive the pass. Or, maybe, it’s that a defense is most vulnerable in the moments after it first collapses. [..] Teams that derive large portions of their three-point attempts via drive and kicks—such as the dribble-drive attack of the Miami Heat—tend to fare a little better, with quite a few shooting above their norms. However, perhaps surprisingly, the best three-point looks still appear to be the ones created via post opportunities [..] Smart teams still go to the post, but use it as a means to create new angles for the defense to consider. With attention turned inward towards the paint, it becomes harder for defenders to track both ball and man. Passes from the post, for big men who are adept at it, can also be simpler—coming from a stationary player with a direct line of sight to their intended target."

"The NBA may be a copycat league, but it’s not uncommon for teams to buck the trend in pursuit of a competitive edge. The San Antonio Spurs are one example, deemphasizing three-point attempts at a time when the league average has continued to climb."

who didn want to stick a fork in the rockets this summer when they lost chandler parsons and replaced him with trevor ariza. chandler parsons could do a little bit of everything, but whoever said morey ball called for it? morey ball calls for shooters and the hiding of harden on defense, two things ariza does better than parsons. now we are looking at the top team in the nba, ariza is currently shooting better than almost everyone not named korver and he's taking the defense up another notch