Top 24, under 24 in 24 - Sam Vecenie Game Theory Podcast - Scottie #10

[Scase]

Of 15 players who made all NBA, None of which are RJ Barrett.

Ru expecting all NBA #s from RJ, if so why? He's not in the ball park of all NBA money

I don't know, I have no idea why you were talking about all-nba in that context in the first place. So I just followed suit and stated some random facts.

I used all star and all-nba as an example that demonstrate what a difference of 6% can be in terms of levels. 4-6% at 5 attempts a game might not look like much in the grand scheme of things, but it was clearly FELT when Scottie was hitting 38% early in the season. He felt like a complete player, top 5 even.

The whole line of discussion came from when I said that RJ as a 38% 3p shooter I could see as part of the long term plans of the team, and his current 34% makes him trade fodder at some point. Then the absurd arguments that the difference between 34% and 38% is negligible and doesn't matter

[DreamTeam09]

Of 15 players who made all NBA, None of which are RJ Barrett.

Ru expecting all NBA #s from RJ, if so why? He's not in the ball park of all NBA money

I don't know, I have no idea why you were talking about all-nba in that context in the first place. So I just followed suit and stated some random facts.

I used all star and all-nba as an example that demonstrate what a difference of 6% can be in terms of levels. 4-6% at 5 attempts a game might not look like much in the grand scheme of things, but it was clearly FELT when Scottie was hitting 38% early in the season. He felt like a complete player, top 5 even.

My mistake, I wasn't following accordingly here

[ForeverTFC]

Scottie with 38% in 3pt shooting is all-NBA 1st or 2nd team. Scottie with 32% is fringe all star, That's along with everything else superb that he provides. (something that RJ doesnt)

I don't know what's the argument about. The convention is that 38% from three makes a pretty good shooter and 34% is merely adequate.

I mean it's already been explained. Compare Scottie's shot types and shot chart with RJ's shot types and shot chart.

Scottie already shoots the catch and shoot 3 at 38%+. Similarly RJ was 37% on catch and shoot. However, RJ is much more of a corner shooter while Scottie shoots it from above the break. Additionally, 25% of Scottie's 3s are pull ups while RJ is ~100% catch and shoot.

Scottie is already a 38% shooter if he just stops with the pull-ups. Is he an all-nba player? Absolutely not. An All-NBA Scottie Barnes is shooting ~40% on catch and shoot and ~35% on pull-ups at current or even a more elevated mix, shooting it both above and below the break. The threat of the pull-up is what what will change the defensive scheme on him and help the team. Having to guard him above the break even without the ball is what will make a difference. If he simply passes off his 1 pull up a game or takes 1 more corner catch and shoot 3 a game, it doesn't make a difference, even though both would bring him to ~38%.

Not all 3s are the same, and when people talk about Scottie shooting it at 38%, they are implicitly building in some self creation.

Scottie:
https://www.nba.com/stats/player/1630567/shots-dash?SeasonType=Regular+Season
https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/scottie-barnes-shot-chart-this-season

RJ:
https://www.nba.com/stats/player/1629628/shots-dash?SeasonType=Regular+Season
https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/rj-barrett-shot-chart-this-season

[ForeverTFC]

Ru expecting all NBA #s from RJ, if so why? He's not in the ball park of all NBA money

I don't know, I have no idea why you were talking about all-nba in that context in the first place. So I just followed suit and stated some random facts.

I used all star and all-nba as an example that demonstrate what a difference of 6% can be in terms of levels. 4-6% at 5 attempts a game might not look like much in the grand scheme of things, but it was clearly FELT when Scottie was hitting 38% early in the season. He felt like a complete player, top 5 even.

The whole line of discussion came from when I said that RJ as a 38% 3p shooter I could see as part of the long term plans of the team, and his current 34% makes him trade fodder at some point. Then the absurd arguments that the difference between 34% and 38% is negligible and doesn't matter

It's not absurd. It's absolutely true. It's been explained thoroughly in this thread why this is the case. RJ at 34% vs 38% on current volume and distribution makes no difference. None. It only makes a difference if that 38% is paired with i) higher catch and shoot volume and/or 2) mix shift toward pull ups.

Take away RJ's 0.2 pull-up attempts per game and he shoots 37% from 3. Does that mean he should be in our long term plans to you suddenly?

[Scase]

I don't know, I have no idea why you were talking about all-nba in that context in the first place. So I just followed suit and stated some random facts.

I used all star and all-nba as an example that demonstrate what a difference of 6% can be in terms of levels. 4-6% at 5 attempts a game might not look like much in the grand scheme of things, but it was clearly FELT when Scottie was hitting 38% early in the season. He felt like a complete player, top 5 even.

The whole line of discussion came from when I said that RJ as a 38% 3p shooter I could see as part of the long term plans of the team, and his current 34% makes him trade fodder at some point. Then the absurd arguments that the difference between 34% and 38% is negligible and doesn't matter

It's not absurd. It's absolutely true. It's been explained thoroughly in this thread why this is the case. RJ at 34% vs 38% on current volume and distribution makes no difference. None. It only makes a difference if that 38% is paired with i) higher catch and shoot volume and/or 2) mix shift toward pull ups.

Take away RJ's 0.2 pull-up attempts per game and he shoots 37% from 3. Does that mean he should be in our long term plans to you suddenly?

Again, the concept of perception is being ignored. He isn't shooting one 3 a game, he has averaged close to 5 over his career, and 4 while here. A player who shoots overall at a higher rate will have more defensive pressure put on him, freeing up other players on the team. This is one of the most basic concepts of basketball, bending the defence. No player shooting below league average is getting increased pressure, but all players shooting multiple % above league average, definitely are.

As someone else mentioned already, a player being able to hit an extra 3 once every few games is still massive. That one shot alone moves our offensive production from 21st in the league to 18th. It's also not in the slightest bit how it works in reality. Players dont come in every single game and hit exactly their average, that's why it's an average.

How anyone can have watched last year and seeing how defences shifted to rush close outs on Scottie when he was hitting 3's around 38%, compared to when he fell back down, and not think it makes any difference is beyond me. But I guess that whopping 1 more 3pa per game he took compared to RJ while here is the deal breaker right?

Any player, doing anything at a better level of efficiency is better. Period.

[PushDaRock]

So 38% from 3 makes RJ a long term piece, but 34.6% doesn't?

He takes 5 3's a game.
So 20 games to get 100.
So 3-4 made 3's over 20 games is the determining factor?

Seriously....1 made 3 every 5-7 games is the difference betbetweshouldn't be kept and a long term piece? That seems crazy.

The fact that you don't understand basic concepts like being a legitimate threat at the 3p line vs below average is mind boggling. Players rush to close out against a 38% shooter, they don't against a 34% shooter, what a crazy concept.

I bet Steph Curry would've been an all time great if he shot 4% worse, it's only a few 3's after all.

What if the 34% shooter is 50% on wide open 3's but 25% on semi contested ones? They still don't rush to close out?

[Tripod]

The whole line of discussion came from when I said that RJ as a 38% 3p shooter I could see as part of the long term plans of the team, and his current 34% makes him trade fodder at some point. Then the absurd arguments that the difference between 34% and 38% is negligible and doesn't matter

It's not absurd. It's absolutely true. It's been explained thoroughly in this thread why this is the case. RJ at 34% vs 38% on current volume and distribution makes no difference. None. It only makes a difference if that 38% is paired with i) higher catch and shoot volume and/or 2) mix shift toward pull ups.

Take away RJ's 0.2 pull-up attempts per game and he shoots 37% from 3. Does that mean he should be in our long term plans to you suddenly?

Again, the concept of perception is being ignored. He isn't shooting one 3 a game, he has averaged close to 5 over his career, and 4 while here. A player who shoots overall at a higher rate will have more defensive pressure put on him, freeing up other players on the team. This is one of the most basic concepts of basketball, bending the defence. No player shooting below league average is getting increased pressure, but all players shooting multiple % above league average, definitely are.

As someone else mentioned already, a player being able to hit an extra 3 once every few games is still massive. That one shot alone moves our offensive production from 21st in the league to 18th. It's also not in the slightest bit how it works in reality. Players dont come in every single game and hit exactly their average, that's why it's an average.

How anyone can have watched last year and seeing how defences shifted to rush close outs on Scottie when he was hitting 3's around 38%, compared to when he fell back down, and not think it makes any difference is beyond me. But I guess that whopping 1 more 3pa per game he took compared to RJ while here is the deal breaker right?

Any player, doing anything at a better level of efficiency is better. Period.

RJ shot over 39% with us. Did defenses change to guard him as a good shooter?

[ForeverTFC]

The whole line of discussion came from when I said that RJ as a 38% 3p shooter I could see as part of the long term plans of the team, and his current 34% makes him trade fodder at some point. Then the absurd arguments that the difference between 34% and 38% is negligible and doesn't matter

It's not absurd. It's absolutely true. It's been explained thoroughly in this thread why this is the case. RJ at 34% vs 38% on current volume and distribution makes no difference. None. It only makes a difference if that 38% is paired with i) higher catch and shoot volume and/or 2) mix shift toward pull ups.

Take away RJ's 0.2 pull-up attempts per game and he shoots 37% from 3. Does that mean he should be in our long term plans to you suddenly?

Again, the concept of perception is being ignored. He isn't shooting one 3 a game, he has averaged close to 5 over his career, and 4 while here. A player who shoots overall at a higher rate will have more defensive pressure put on him, freeing up other players on the team. This is one of the most basic concepts of basketball, bending the defence. No player shooting below league average is getting increased pressure, but all players shooting multiple % above league average, definitely are.

As someone else mentioned already, a player being able to hit an extra 3 once every few games is still massive. That one shot alone moves our offensive production from 21st in the league to 18th. It's also not in the slightest bit how it works in reality. Players dont come in every single game and hit exactly their average, that's why it's an average.

How anyone can have watched last year and seeing how defences shifted to rush close outs on Scottie when he was hitting 3's around 38%, compared to when he fell back down, and not think it makes any difference is beyond me. But I guess that whopping 1 more 3pa per game he took compared to RJ while here is the deal breaker right?

Any player, doing anything at a better level of efficiency is better. Period.

You’re wrong. Full stop. I’ll move on.

EDIT: Scottie went from 30% on 2 attempts to 39% on 4 attempts on catch and shoot 3s. Your own examples prove you wrong. My god.

[pingpongrac]

I don't know, I have no idea why you were talking about all-nba in that context in the first place. So I just followed suit and stated some random facts.

I used all star and all-nba as an example that demonstrate what a difference of 6% can be in terms of levels. 4-6% at 5 attempts a game might not look like much in the grand scheme of things, but it was clearly FELT when Scottie was hitting 38% early in the season. He felt like a complete player, top 5 even.

The whole line of discussion came from when I said that RJ as a 38% 3p shooter I could see as part of the long term plans of the team, and his current 34% makes him trade fodder at some point. Then the absurd arguments that the difference between 34% and 38% is negligible and doesn't matter

It's not absurd. It's absolutely true. It's been explained thoroughly in this thread why this is the case. RJ at 34% vs 38% on current volume and distribution makes no difference. None. It only makes a difference if that 38% is paired with i) higher catch and shoot volume and/or 2) mix shift toward pull ups.

Take away RJ's 0.2 pull-up attempts per game and he shoots 37% from 3. Does that mean he should be in our long term plans to you suddenly?

Exactly. Barrett was almost a strictly C&S three-point shooter last season (227 of 250 attempts or 90.8%) and it wasn't much different in his first four seasons either (1102 of 1300 attempts or 84.8%); his percentage on 4.1 C&S 3FGA in his career is 35.8% whereas his percentage on 0.7 pull-up 3FGA in his career is 25.8%. If he simply abandoned pull-up threes – like he basically did post-trade as he attempted just 3 pull-up threes in 32 games as a Raptor (or 0.09 per game) which was down from 0.38 per game in NY – he'd be a ~36% shooter going off his career percentages. His 39% mark from his 32 games in Toronto is repeatable because he was generally taking better shots (higher frequency of C&S threes, higher frequency of wide open threes, higher frequency of early shot-clock attempts, etc.), but I don't think he's ever going to be considered a very good or great three-point shooter because of those types of shots he's taking. If he suddenly added a reliable pull-up three and increased his volume by ~33% while also maintaining that ~38% conversion rate, that would be a different story and it would force the opposition to defend him differently...but that's not what the majority of comments on this thread have been about. Barrett increasing his 3FG% to 38% would have virtually no effect on opposing defences unless it came hand-in-hand with much higher volume as well as more variety in his attempts. Context is important.

I've been of the mindset that Barrett was going to impress and take his game to a new level in Toronto (which he did in his first half season with us and I expect he can mostly maintain that level of play for however long he remains in Toronto throughout his prime), but simply raising his 3FG% by 4% if his shot diet remains the same shouldn't be anything close to a determining factor when it comes to his future with the team. Continuing to attack the paint and get to the free throw line while limiting his midrange attempts is the best way for him to help our offence as that's something he excels at and does 10+ times per game. That is how Barrett will contribute to bending the opposing defence, especially considering the fact that he flashed a bit more playmaking chops post-trade too.

[GLF]

Y’all are making some good points I never thought of. I can’t lie. I think I’m in the middle on this topic. Two things can be true, I think if RJ increased his 3 point percentage to 38% he may get closed out on slightly more over if he shot 34%, nothing crazy. And I do think the difference between a team just letting you shoot and feeling like they at least have to get a hand up does make a difference. BUT y’all do make good points about the volume and types of 3s needing to increase/evolve for the way teams guard him at the 3 point line to be drastically different. I do also agree that the way he really helps this team is by getting into the paint and finishing, along with getting to the free throw line. Mainly because we literally have no one else on the team who does that and we need that just as much as we need shooting. Also the point that was made where if he increased his 3 point percentage to 38% that would be about 1 extra 3 every 5 games and that alone could take us from 21st to 18th in offensive rating is interesting and something that would make a positive difference

[Scase]

It's not absurd. It's absolutely true. It's been explained thoroughly in this thread why this is the case. RJ at 34% vs 38% on current volume and distribution makes no difference. None. It only makes a difference if that 38% is paired with i) higher catch and shoot volume and/or 2) mix shift toward pull ups.

Take away RJ's 0.2 pull-up attempts per game and he shoots 37% from 3. Does that mean he should be in our long term plans to you suddenly?

Again, the concept of perception is being ignored. He isn't shooting one 3 a game, he has averaged close to 5 over his career, and 4 while here. A player who shoots overall at a higher rate will have more defensive pressure put on him, freeing up other players on the team. This is one of the most basic concepts of basketball, bending the defence. No player shooting below league average is getting increased pressure, but all players shooting multiple % above league average, definitely are.

As someone else mentioned already, a player being able to hit an extra 3 once every few games is still massive. That one shot alone moves our offensive production from 21st in the league to 18th. It's also not in the slightest bit how it works in reality. Players dont come in every single game and hit exactly their average, that's why it's an average.

How anyone can have watched last year and seeing how defences shifted to rush close outs on Scottie when he was hitting 3's around 38%, compared to when he fell back down, and not think it makes any difference is beyond me. But I guess that whopping 1 more 3pa per game he took compared to RJ while here is the deal breaker right?

Any player, doing anything at a better level of efficiency is better. Period.

RJ shot over 39% with us. Did defenses change to guard him as a good shooter?

Man, I bet it totally had nothing to do with him only shooting well for 26 games. Couldn't possibly be that right?

It's not absurd. It's absolutely true. It's been explained thoroughly in this thread why this is the case. RJ at 34% vs 38% on current volume and distribution makes no difference. None. It only makes a difference if that 38% is paired with i) higher catch and shoot volume and/or 2) mix shift toward pull ups.

Take away RJ's 0.2 pull-up attempts per game and he shoots 37% from 3. Does that mean he should be in our long term plans to you suddenly?

Again, the concept of perception is being ignored. He isn't shooting one 3 a game, he has averaged close to 5 over his career, and 4 while here. A player who shoots overall at a higher rate will have more defensive pressure put on him, freeing up other players on the team. This is one of the most basic concepts of basketball, bending the defence. No player shooting below league average is getting increased pressure, but all players shooting multiple % above league average, definitely are.

As someone else mentioned already, a player being able to hit an extra 3 once every few games is still massive. That one shot alone moves our offensive production from 21st in the league to 18th. It's also not in the slightest bit how it works in reality. Players dont come in every single game and hit exactly their average, that's why it's an average.

How anyone can have watched last year and seeing how defences shifted to rush close outs on Scottie when he was hitting 3's around 38%, compared to when he fell back down, and not think it makes any difference is beyond me. But I guess that whopping 1 more 3pa per game he took compared to RJ while here is the deal breaker right?

Any player, doing anything at a better level of efficiency is better. Period.

You’re wrong. Full stop. I’ll move on.

EDIT: Scottie went from 30% on 2 attempts to 39% on 4 attempts on catch and shoot 3s. Your own examples prove you wrong. My god.

Yeah, cept no. Because I'm talking about only last year, not last year compared to 22-23.

Defences adjusted and started closing out much more aggressively when he was shooting well, and then as he started shooting 24% for the rest of the season, they kinda stopped. Weird concept right?

More defensive pressure when shooting well.....and less when shooting poorly? Now where have I heard that before? Oh yeah, the last 2-4 times I pointed it out, that, that is exactly how the NBA defensive systems work. They don't magically turn it on and off the second a player stops hitting shots, it took a little while for defences to adjust, and then when he started shooting poorly, they went back the other way.

Scottie went from 5.7 on 38.5% to 3.7 on 23.5% in the last 23 games. So yeah, I assume you watched last season, it shouldn't be a foreign concept.

[ForeverTFC]

Again, the concept of perception is being ignored. He isn't shooting one 3 a game, he has averaged close to 5 over his career, and 4 while here. A player who shoots overall at a higher rate will have more defensive pressure put on him, freeing up other players on the team. This is one of the most basic concepts of basketball, bending the defence. No player shooting below league average is getting increased pressure, but all players shooting multiple % above league average, definitely are.

As someone else mentioned already, a player being able to hit an extra 3 once every few games is still massive. That one shot alone moves our offensive production from 21st in the league to 18th. It's also not in the slightest bit how it works in reality. Players dont come in every single game and hit exactly their average, that's why it's an average.

How anyone can have watched last year and seeing how defences shifted to rush close outs on Scottie when he was hitting 3's around 38%, compared to when he fell back down, and not think it makes any difference is beyond me. But I guess that whopping 1 more 3pa per game he took compared to RJ while here is the deal breaker right?

Any player, doing anything at a better level of efficiency is better. Period.

You’re wrong. Full stop. I’ll move on.

EDIT: Scottie went from 30% on 2 attempts to 39% on 4 attempts on catch and shoot 3s. Your own examples prove you wrong. My god.

Yeah, cept no. Because I'm talking about only last year, not last year compared to 22-23.

Defences adjusted and started closing out much more aggressively when he was shooting well, and then as he started shooting 24% for the rest of the season, they kinda stopped. Weird concept right?

More defensive pressure when shooting well.....and less when shooting poorly? Now where have I heard that before? Oh yeah, the last 2-4 times I pointed it out, that, that is exactly how the NBA defensive systems work. They don't magically turn it on and off the second a player stops hitting shots, it took a little while for defences to adjust, and then when he started shooting poorly, they went back the other way.

Scottie went from 5.7 on 38.5% to 3.7 on 23.5% in the last 23 games. So yeah, I assume you watched last season, it shouldn't be a foreign concept.

Wrong again. He had more open shots when he was shooting well and was guarded tighter when he was not. The data exists. I’ve already provided the link. Maybe open it and do some research, your eyes may be failing you.

[pingpongrac]

Again, the concept of perception is being ignored. He isn't shooting one 3 a game, he has averaged close to 5 over his career, and 4 while here. A player who shoots overall at a higher rate will have more defensive pressure put on him, freeing up other players on the team. This is one of the most basic concepts of basketball, bending the defence. No player shooting below league average is getting increased pressure, but all players shooting multiple % above league average, definitely are.

As someone else mentioned already, a player being able to hit an extra 3 once every few games is still massive. That one shot alone moves our offensive production from 21st in the league to 18th. It's also not in the slightest bit how it works in reality. Players dont come in every single game and hit exactly their average, that's why it's an average.

How anyone can have watched last year and seeing how defences shifted to rush close outs on Scottie when he was hitting 3's around 38%, compared to when he fell back down, and not think it makes any difference is beyond me. But I guess that whopping 1 more 3pa per game he took compared to RJ while here is the deal breaker right?

Any player, doing anything at a better level of efficiency is better. Period.

RJ shot over 39% with us. Did defenses change to guard him as a good shooter?

Man, I bet it totally had nothing to do with him only shooting well for 26 games. Couldn't possibly be that right?

Again, the concept of perception is being ignored. He isn't shooting one 3 a game, he has averaged close to 5 over his career, and 4 while here. A player who shoots overall at a higher rate will have more defensive pressure put on him, freeing up other players on the team. This is one of the most basic concepts of basketball, bending the defence. No player shooting below league average is getting increased pressure, but all players shooting multiple % above league average, definitely are.

As someone else mentioned already, a player being able to hit an extra 3 once every few games is still massive. That one shot alone moves our offensive production from 21st in the league to 18th. It's also not in the slightest bit how it works in reality. Players dont come in every single game and hit exactly their average, that's why it's an average.

How anyone can have watched last year and seeing how defences shifted to rush close outs on Scottie when he was hitting 3's around 38%, compared to when he fell back down, and not think it makes any difference is beyond me. But I guess that whopping 1 more 3pa per game he took compared to RJ while here is the deal breaker right?

Any player, doing anything at a better level of efficiency is better. Period.

You’re wrong. Full stop. I’ll move on.

EDIT: Scottie went from 30% on 2 attempts to 39% on 4 attempts on catch and shoot 3s. Your own examples prove you wrong. My god.

Yeah, cept no. Because I'm talking about only last year, not last year compared to 22-23.

Defences adjusted and started closing out much more aggressively when he was shooting well, and then as he started shooting 24% for the rest of the season, they kinda stopped. Weird concept right?

More defensive pressure when shooting well.....and less when shooting poorly? Now where have I heard that before? Oh yeah, the last 2-4 times I pointed it out, that, that is exactly how the NBA defensive systems work. They don't magically turn it on and off the second a player stops hitting shots, it took a little while for defences to adjust, and then when he started shooting poorly, they went back the other way.

Scottie went from 5.7 on 38.5% to 3.7 on 23.5% in the last 23 games. So yeah, I assume you watched last season, it shouldn't be a foreign concept.

Why are you trying to use how teams defended Scottie – who you yourself pointed out had a 15% decrease in his three-point shooting on much lower volume in the last 23 games – as evidence in your favour? Not only is there an extreme difference in a 15% drop-off in conversion rate for Scottie throughout the season (which coincided with a ~35% drop-off in volume as well) and a hypothetical ~4% increase for Barrett, but teams actually started defending Scottie tighter as the season went along which probably played a factor in his three-point shooting falling off a cliff.

[DreamTeam09]

I can't believe you guys let him get away with Melo Miller Bridges being easily better than BBQ, I just didn't have the energy or will

[Chandan]

Y’all are making some good points I never thought of. I can’t lie. I think I’m in the middle on this topic. Two things can be true, I think if RJ increased his 3 point percentage to 38% he may get closed out on slightly more over if he shot 34%, nothing crazy. And I do think the difference between a team just letting you shoot and feeling like they at least have to get a hand up does make a difference. BUT y’all do make good points about the volume and types of 3s needing to increase/evolve for the way teams guard him at the 3 point line to be drastically different. I do also agree that the way he really helps this team is by getting into the paint and finishing, along with getting to the free throw line. Mainly because we literally have no one else on the team who does that and we need that just as much as we need shooting. Also the point that was made where if he increased his 3 point percentage to 38% that would be about 1 extra 3 every 5 games and that alone could take us from 21st to 18th in offensive rating is interesting and something that would make a positive difference

For what it's worth Jakobe Walters is supposed to be good at drawing fouls.

[Scase]

You’re wrong. Full stop. I’ll move on.

EDIT: Scottie went from 30% on 2 attempts to 39% on 4 attempts on catch and shoot 3s. Your own examples prove you wrong. My god.

Yeah, cept no. Because I'm talking about only last year, not last year compared to 22-23.

Defences adjusted and started closing out much more aggressively when he was shooting well, and then as he started shooting 24% for the rest of the season, they kinda stopped. Weird concept right?

More defensive pressure when shooting well.....and less when shooting poorly? Now where have I heard that before? Oh yeah, the last 2-4 times I pointed it out, that, that is exactly how the NBA defensive systems work. They don't magically turn it on and off the second a player stops hitting shots, it took a little while for defences to adjust, and then when he started shooting poorly, they went back the other way.

Scottie went from 5.7 on 38.5% to 3.7 on 23.5% in the last 23 games. So yeah, I assume you watched last season, it shouldn't be a foreign concept.

Wrong again. He had more open shots when he was shooting well and was guarded tighter when he was not. The data exists. I’ve already provided the link. Maybe open it and do some research, your eyes may be failing you.

I'm willing to chalk that up more to the changes to the team and the general talent level going down.

Once OG was traded the frequency of open 3's dropped 4%, wide open went up 1.4%. Once Siakam was traded, open 3's dropped another 3% and wide open dropped 10%. Something to note is that after each trade, the quantity of shots in those areas dropped as well, which is what needs to be realized. He went from shooting 2-3 open 3's, and 3-3.5 wide open 3s per game, down to 1.8 and 1.8 (respectively) after the Siakam trade.

If players are closing out harder and more aggressively, then 3PA of those types will drop, not just the frequency of them. Just because wide open 3's goes down, doesn't mean the tightly contested ones go up. Because he just won't shoot those. More closeouts from less talent on the team, and him shooting well earlier in the season still supports my argument.

I will say it's far from conclusive evidence that they changed how they guarded him solely due to his shooting earlier in the season, but it also passes the common sense test, people wont leave good shooters open, this shouldn't be a controversial statement.

[HangTime]

His shooting started to cool off after the OG trade. I think mainly because he took on OG's defencive role.

I think Darko believes in Scottie so much, that we was willing to reduce his role on offense, to see how he could incorporate RJ and IQ as smoothly as possible.
More of Scottie's development was coming behind the scenes.