Nick Nurse Embraced 76ers Turning Up 3-Point Volume vs. Wizards

The Sixers made the Wizards pay from beyond the arc on Monday night.

One of the Philadelphia 76ers’ common talking points throughout the first stretch of the 2023-2024 NBA season is their desire to take advantage of more opportunities from beyond the arc. However, they want to do so without forcing the matter.

So far, the Sixers have struggled to find that total balance.

“It’s low,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said after Monday’s game against the Washington Wizards. “I think we were down near 29th at one point.”

When it comes to three-point shooting frequency, the Sixers rank 24th in the league, according to Cleaning the Glass. Yet, when they are shooting threes, the Sixers have established themselves as an efficient bunch, averaging 39 percent from deep, placing just outside of the top five in accuracy.

“We’re climbing fast up that ladder,” Nurse stressed on Monday night. “But I think that you have to take what’s there.”

Why force the issue? If the Sixers are finding success in other areas of the floor and collecting wins even on low-frequency three-point shooting nights, Nurse doesn’t see a need to hammer down the idea of turning up the three-point shooting volume.

“I would have been more concerned about it if our offensive [points per possession] numbers [were low], they’re in like the top three usually,” he added. “So that’s a good sign. Your overall numbers really high, your efficiency is really high, our rim attack rate, and our free throw rate are really high. I think it just comes and goes with how to see the game and what the game presents.”

On Monday, the Wizards left the Sixers open from beyond the arc. Philadelphia made them pay — and charged them early. Taking 15 threes within the first 12 minutes of action, the Sixers found success on 60 percent of their deep balls in the first quarter. That resulted in a 43-point quarter, which set the tone for the remainder of the outing.

“They were trying to pack the paint,” Nurse said of the Wizards, who wanted to avoid another Embiid masterclass, as he’s scored 48 and 50 points in the previous two outings against the Wizards. “You have to do what’s available.”

Not only did Embiid get his numbers, leading the way with 34 points in 29 minutes of action, but Tyrese Maxey’s high-volume night from three set the tone for Philadelphia, as he went 5-9 from deep on the night.

Overall, the Sixers attempted 15 more threes than the Wizards. They hit on 43 percent of their attempts. Unsurprisingly, Nurse was pleased with his squad turning up the volume for the night, which played a critical part in the Sixers’ dominant 146-101 win.