Ryoga Hibiki wrote:define 3&D
Exactly.
This exact discussion typically spirals into debates about the definition, and which players can be counted or not. Without the OP defining the parameters, we're stuck debating where the goal posts should be.
Some people in this thread want 3&D to be confined to role players, so chafe at a multi-time all-star like Klay being included. Klay took nearly half his shots from beyond the 3-point line, famously didn't dribble the ball much, and is one of the only guys in the top 30 all-time 3-point % rankings to have spent any time as a notable defender. Some people clearly want the 3-point shot to be of the standstill, catch and shoot variety, rather than the crazy all-around movement shooting game Klay provided. I think the implication here is that people want the 3s to be created by a star player, making the 3&D guy a pure complimentary role on offense. Klay's shooting was so good, you could build a ton of offense around it.
The concept of the 3&D player arose starting in the mid-2000s. In the playoffs, coaches increasingly exploited role players who couldn't defend, or couldn't shoot, successfully playing them off the floor and depriving their teams of whatever other advantages they brought to the table. So for non-stars to be solid playoff rotation guys, the ones who could credibly shoot and defend became super sought after. The best ones brought big time value on defense, while being able to provide spacing on offense by getting out of the way and being a shooting threat.
The NBA is more complicated nowadays, and teams exploit more than just shooting and man-to-man defense. Any hole in your game is getting exploited in the playoffs, so shooters dont matter if they can't attack a close out. Attacking a close out can be dealt with if you can do some basic playmaking. Every 3&D guy has evolved to have other skills. The role is basically extinct, and we should treat it more as a historical reference to a type of valuable player that existed mainly from 2005-2015. The Heatles (or maybe Cavs) were the last champ that employed real 3&D guys, and that had to do with Lebronball, and how you could give him the ball on every possession and weaponize shooters as kick out options, since Lebron is probably the strongest kick out passer ever. The Warriors, Spurs, Raptors, Bucks were all chalk full of playmakers and very few typical 3&D guys.
