Rockets Guard Cited as One of League's Best Shooters

This might be surprising for some.

Mar 23, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; (from L-to-R) Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks (9), Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) and Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (5) sit on the bench against the Utah Jazz during the second quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports / Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA, as we know it today, is all about spacing, which, in large part, is aided by having capable shooters on the floor. 

Having shooters oftentimes forces defenders to over-extend their defensive pressure and coverage. 

Last year’s Houston Rockets were lacking in the shooting department, ranking 23rd in 3-point shooting despite taking the 12th-most attempts. 

So what exactly is a shooter? And who are the league's best shooters?

It all depends on who you ask and how they define the skill.

The highly talented Mike Shearer, who runs the Basketball Poetry substack, quantified the data and compiled a list of the league's ten best shooters.

"When grading shooters, volume matters at least as much as accuracy. If a player shoots 50% on threes but only attempts two per game, they aren’t putting up enough to make a meaningful difference. 

And even if they’re trying a huge number of long balls per possession or per minute, there’s no guarantee they could scale up without losing precision. It’s hard to launch a large number of shots accurately!

Only 10 players shot at least eight three-pointers per game last season; after establishing that baseline level of attempts, I sorted by 3PA per 100 possessions to normalize."

Shearer's list is below.

1. Stephen Curry
2. Donte DiVincenzo
3. Klay Thompson
4. Luka Doncic
5. Bogdan Bogdanovic
6. CJ McCollum
7. Damian Lillard
8. Jayson Tatum
9. Tyrese Maxey
10. Fred VanVleet

Rockets guard Fred VanVleet came in 10th on Shearer's list, making 38.7 percent of his long-range attempts on eight attempts per game and 10.6 attempts per 100 possessions.

The Rockets' floor general ranked ninth in total 3-pointers last season, while also ranking sixth in total assists. 

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