How many 3s does Larry Bird average in today's game?

[giordunk]

What do you guys think? Bird was WAY ahead of his time when it came to 3-point shooting, making about one a game when the league average for TEAMS on made 3s was something like 3 or 4.

NBA team averages for 3-pointers shot a game (1984-1985) - 3.1

NBA team averages for 3-pointers shot a game (2014-2015 so far) - 22.4

Ryan Anderson levels? Dirk Levels?

I'd see him making around 2.4 on something close to 46% on his best year.

[Swagalicious]

Wtf

why would he randomly make 2.4 threes per game on 46%? I'd say right around 4-5 attempts at 37-40%. There isn't any evidence to suggest that Bird suddenly becomes Ray Allen or Steph Curry.

[giordunk]

Of course there is no evidence, which is why everything is a guess, and I'm saying 46% would be his peak season. He can definitely shoot in the low 40s (Dirk and Love's best seasons) and Bird definitely has more potential of a 3-point perimeter game than someone like DIrk. A guy like Kevin Love averaged 2.5 makes last season.

And the closest evidence is the fact that Bird was lightyears ahead of everyone when the 3-point game was just emerging.

1985 - 4th in makes, 2nd in percentage
1986 - 1st in makes, 4th in percentage
1987 - 1st in makes, 7th in percentage
1988 - 4th in makes, 7th in percentage

So I think that definitely translates to today's game. Bird would definitely be a stretch 4 and could probably do some serious damage.

[nate33]

He'd definitely take at least 6 a game. At the very least, he'd do what Kevin Love does offensively with a lot of high screen pick-and-pops to the tune of 6.6 3PA's a game. Bird would probably find ways to get even more 3's up. One thing about Bird is that he had a high release point and a quick release and could manage to shoot even if a player was right on him.

[Quotatious]

I'd say about 40% on 5.5 attempts per game. He'd be deadly as a midrange shooter, in a similar role as Dirk, though, and I can also see him being similar to Melo, in triple-threat position, but obviously more efficient and a vastly superior playmaker.

[cpower]

so a 38% three point shooter in Bird just sudden shoot almost 10% better than his career average in today's game? I say highly unlikely.

[GYK]

Of course there is no evidence, which is why everything is a guess, and I'm saying 46% would be his peak season. He can definitely shoot in the low 40s (Dirk and Love's best seasons) and Bird definitely has more potential of a 3-point perimeter game than someone like DIrk. A guy like Kevin Love averaged 2.5 makes last season.

And the closest evidence is the fact that Bird was lightyears ahead of everyone when the 3-point game was just emerging.

1985 - 4th in makes, 2nd in percentage
1986 - 1st in makes, 4th in percentage
1987 - 1st in makes, 7th in percentage
1988 - 4th in makes, 7th in percentage

So I think that definitely translates to today's game. Bird would definitely be a stretch 4 and could probably do some serious damage.

Yes relative to the league he was an extraordinary 3pt shooter.
I agree he would be an extreme three point shooter. An more athletic Dirk willing to fire like Curry/Korver

[CaliBullsFan]

Unless its in transition Bird shooting more 3s is a waste.

[Warspite]

so a 38% three point shooter in Bird just sudden shoot almost 10% better than his career average in today's game? I say highly unlikely.

Why not? Todays players have 20 more yrs to practice than Bird did. Bird made the very 1st 3pt shot ever made and he was already 24 yrs old. Let Bird shoot 3s in high school, AAU and college and his avgs will increase.

3pt shooting is about repetition and giving Bird or any great shooter from the 70s or 80s the opportunity to play today and grow up in the current era would allow them to shoot as well as anyone today.

[giordunk]

so a 38% three point shooter in Bird just sudden shoot almost 10% better than his career average in today's game? I say highly unlikely.

Why not? Todays players have 20 more yrs to practice than Bird did. Bird made the very 1st 3pt shot ever made and he was already 24 yrs old. Let Bird shoot 3s in high school, AAU and college and his avgs will increase.

3pt shooting is about repetition and giving Bird or any great shooter from the 70s or 80s the opportunity to play today and grow up in the current era would allow them to shoot as well as anyone today.

Yep, and there's definitely evidence that supports this.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/lea ... stats.html

League average on 3-point shooting went from high 20s to the mid 30s that it is today. If you look at some game tape from the 80s, the plays that end up with 3-point shots are pretty awful compared to today. We don't have that Spurs offense, we don't have corner specialists like Novak, Battier, Ariza, etc., we don't have a series of screens that run guys like Klay or Ryan Anderson for a perfect wide open 3.

[NO-KG-AI]

Bird didn't shoot a lot of open or designed 3's in comparison to guys today. He'd have a lot more plays designed to get him open from behind the arc these days, and I'd have to think that would naturally lift his %.

[Dubeta]

bird was a poor mans kevin love. He could definitely shoot it when it came time to be. I would say 4-5 3s on 34% would be realistic.

[Clyde Frazier]

on 34% would be realistic

Sincerely hope that's a typo...

[Clyde Frazier]

Bird’s best stretch of volume and efficiency from 3 came from 86-92 where he shot 39.4% on 2.8 attempts per game. I don’t think he’d become a curry / love type volume 3 pt shooter, but 4-5 attempts per game doesn’t seem out of the question on similar efficiency.

[TaylorMonkey]

Of course there is no evidence, which is why everything is a guess, and I'm saying 46% would be his peak season. He can definitely shoot in the low 40s (Dirk and Love's best seasons) and Bird definitely has more potential of a 3-point perimeter game than someone like DIrk. A guy like Kevin Love averaged 2.5 makes last season.

And the closest evidence is the fact that Bird was lightyears ahead of everyone when the 3-point game was just emerging.

1985 - 4th in makes, 2nd in percentage
1986 - 1st in makes, 4th in percentage
1987 - 1st in makes, 7th in percentage
1988 - 4th in makes, 7th in percentage

So I think that definitely translates to today's game. Bird would definitely be a stretch 4 and could probably do some serious damage.

Yes relative to the league he was an extraordinary 3pt shooter.
I agree he would be an extreme three point shooter. An more athletic Dirk willing to fire like Curry/Korver

That doesn't make any sense. Just because he was better than others at the time doesn't mean he scales to players today, unless you're assuming he ends up focusing on the 3-ball even more. But given that there are only so many hours in a day and so many games, some other part of Bird's game might suffer.

Or else you'd have to assume Oscar Robertson would average 50/30/20, Cousy would get 25 assists a game, and Wilt average 100 points and 40 rebounds in today's league. It doesn't work that way.

And lol, no. Bird would not fire like Curry. No one fires like Curry. Nothing about Bird's mechanic and approach to the game remotely suggests he would fire like Curry. He might fire like Ryan Anderson though.

[TaylorMonkey]

Bird didn't shoot a lot of open or designed 3's in comparison to guys today. He'd have a lot more plays designed to get him open from behind the arc these days, and I'd have to think that would naturally lift his %.

Teams didn't gameplay against the three either. So that would even out.

[NO-KG-AI]

Bird didn't shoot a lot of open or designed 3's in comparison to guys today. He'd have a lot more plays designed to get him open from behind the arc these days, and I'd have to think that would naturally lift his %.

Teams didn't gameplay against the three either. So that would even out.

No, no it really wouldn't, because most 3's were desperation heaves or bail out shots with the shot clock winding down in the 80's.

Bird had an amazing shooting stroke, a high arcing release, a 6'10 frame, and the ability to get himself open, or shoot over guys. He'd be among the top shooters in any era.

[GYK]

Of course there is no evidence, which is why everything is a guess, and I'm saying 46% would be his peak season. He can definitely shoot in the low 40s (Dirk and Love's best seasons) and Bird definitely has more potential of a 3-point perimeter game than someone like DIrk. A guy like Kevin Love averaged 2.5 makes last season.

And the closest evidence is the fact that Bird was lightyears ahead of everyone when the 3-point game was just emerging.

1985 - 4th in makes, 2nd in percentage
1986 - 1st in makes, 4th in percentage
1987 - 1st in makes, 7th in percentage
1988 - 4th in makes, 7th in percentage

So I think that definitely translates to today's game. Bird would definitely be a stretch 4 and could probably do some serious damage.

Yes relative to the league he was an extraordinary 3pt shooter.
I agree he would be an extreme three point shooter. An more athletic Dirk willing to fire like Curry/Korver

That doesn't make any sense. Just because he was better than others at the time doesn't mean he scales to players today, unless you're assuming he ends up focusing on the 3-ball even more. But given that there are only so many hours in a day and so many games, some other part of Bird's game might suffer.

Or else you'd have to assume Oscar Robertson would average 50/30/20, Cousy would get 25 assists a game, and Wilt average 100 points and 40 rebounds in today's league. It doesn't work that way.

And lol, no. Bird would not fire like Curry. No one fires like Curry. Nothing about Bird's mechanic and approach to the game remotely suggests he would fire like Curry. He might fire like Ryan Anderson though.

I don't understand why Oscar, Bob or Wilt averages more. I have stat lines for Oscar and Wilt at last years pace if you like. Nothing about what I said implied increases in stats. It's simply that despite new to the three point line he dominated the league. If pulling him from the 80's all likely hood is that he shoots far less then the rest but if he grew in this time frame relative to league he would be a premiere sniper.
Bird played in era pace that was relatively the same as today. The difference in leagues the further explosion of the three point line.
I don't know what would suffer. A few long two's turned to three's.

[giordunk]

Of course there is no evidence, which is why everything is a guess, and I'm saying 46% would be his peak season. He can definitely shoot in the low 40s (Dirk and Love's best seasons) and Bird definitely has more potential of a 3-point perimeter game than someone like DIrk. A guy like Kevin Love averaged 2.5 makes last season.

And the closest evidence is the fact that Bird was lightyears ahead of everyone when the 3-point game was just emerging.

1985 - 4th in makes, 2nd in percentage
1986 - 1st in makes, 4th in percentage
1987 - 1st in makes, 7th in percentage
1988 - 4th in makes, 7th in percentage

So I think that definitely translates to today's game. Bird would definitely be a stretch 4 and could probably do some serious damage.

Yes relative to the league he was an extraordinary 3pt shooter.
I agree he would be an extreme three point shooter. An more athletic Dirk willing to fire like Curry/Korver

That doesn't make any sense. Just because he was better than others at the time doesn't mean he scales to players today, unless you're assuming he ends up focusing on the 3-ball even more. But given that there are only so many hours in a day and so many games, some other part of Bird's game might suffer.

Or else you'd have to assume Oscar Robertson would average 50/30/20, Cousy would get 25 assists a game, and Wilt average 100 points and 40 rebounds in today's league. It doesn't work that way.

And lol, no. Bird would not fire like Curry. No one fires like Curry. Nothing about Bird's mechanic and approach to the game remotely suggests he would fire like Curry. He might fire like Ryan Anderson though.

No,it definitely works that way. Eras affect stats. Some inflate and some deflate. Oscar and WIlt would have lower stat lines today, because of competition and pace. On the contrary, Bird's 3 point shooting would be inflated, because the game has changed to have a lot more three point shooting.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AtciQPrPnA[/youtube]

You see that the 3-pointers he made in this game rank are attempts that rank anywhere from below average to average in today's game.

We've only been comparing Bird to white players, but Bird can at least get three pointers off as well as LeBron James, who averages anywhere from 3-5 a game. Bird is a much better shooter than LeBron so it's definitely not a stretch to think he can put up at least 6 attempts a game, with today's designed plays that take advantage of his stretch four ability.

[Warspite]

Of course there is no evidence, which is why everything is a guess, and I'm saying 46% would be his peak season. He can definitely shoot in the low 40s (Dirk and Love's best seasons) and Bird definitely has more potential of a 3-point perimeter game than someone like DIrk. A guy like Kevin Love averaged 2.5 makes last season.

And the closest evidence is the fact that Bird was lightyears ahead of everyone when the 3-point game was just emerging.

1985 - 4th in makes, 2nd in percentage
1986 - 1st in makes, 4th in percentage
1987 - 1st in makes, 7th in percentage
1988 - 4th in makes, 7th in percentage

So I think that definitely translates to today's game. Bird would definitely be a stretch 4 and could probably do some serious damage.

Yes relative to the league he was an extraordinary 3pt shooter.
I agree he would be an extreme three point shooter. An more athletic Dirk willing to fire like Curry/Korver

That doesn't make any sense. Just because he was better than others at the time doesn't mean he scales to players today, unless you're assuming he ends up focusing on the 3-ball even more. But given that there are only so many hours in a day and so many games, some other part of Bird's game might suffer.

Or else you'd have to assume Oscar Robertson would average 50/30/20, Cousy would get 25 assists a game, and Wilt average 100 points and 40 rebounds in today's league. It doesn't work that way.

And lol, no. Bird would not fire like Curry. No one fires like Curry. Nothing about Bird's mechanic and approach to the game remotely suggests he would fire like Curry. He might fire like Ryan Anderson though.

The 2 easiest things in basketball are FT shooting and 3pt shooting. They require the least amount of ability and skill. One can much more easily improve with repetition. I watch every yr the best NCAA women beat the best man in 3pt shooting.

The simple fact is that todays players have less skill and work ethic and so gravitate to the 3pt shot as it is the great equalizer vs superior talent/skill/work ethic. Coaches realise that they dont have the talent to score 100 pts so must rely on people shooting 3pt shots. The change in the game is not because of coaches thinking that the game has evolved but more so trying to adapt with inferior/less skilled talent.