In its most claustrophobic spot on a wooden field 22 feet from the rim is home to one of the most important shots in modern basketball.
The corner 3 is not only one of the most tactically important shots in the league, it has also become a symbol of the evolution of the data-driven game that has turned the sport inside out in the 21st century.
In 2023, corner threes are a staple of virtually every NBA offense. While corners represent only a small fraction of jump shots on the NBA court, they now account for a whopping 19.6% of total jump shot attempts in the league.
Outside of rim shots, the 3 corner is currently the most common field goal attempt in the best basketball league in the world, and the best teams in the league know how to determine the effectiveness of a shot and use it to open up. the rest of the court for the league’s biggest stars.
Michael Jordan’s final NBA championship marked the end of an era. In the 1997-98 season. corner triplets accounted for just 3% of all field goals in the league. The average game included only 4.7 corner shots. The 1997–98 Utah Jazz, who lost to the Jordan Bulls in the Finals, only took 105 corner 3s all season.
By last season, three corners accounted for 10% of shots in the league and averaged 17.6 per game. The same Jazz, who barely scored one try per game en route to the Finals, scored a whopping 852 points in the 2021-2022 season, third most in the NBA.
Times have changed. So there are strategies.
Source: www.espn.com
