http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-houston-rockets-great-three-point-experiment-1479673700
The Golden State Warriors weaponized the 3-pointer last season like no team the NBA had ever seen. But as they unleashed three after three, a bolder strategy began circulating around the league: What if the Warriors weren’t shooting enough?
It wasn’t only the Warriors. There is a statistically reasonable argument that every NBA team should be shooting more 3-pointers. And there is no team better suited to make that argument than the Rockets. Houston’s team from 2015, not the Warriors, still owns the record for most three attempts in a single season. But maybe not for much longer—because this year’s Rockets are pushing the limits of the 3-pointer to the extreme.
Almost half of Houston’s field goals come from behind the strip of paint on every court. If they maintain that pace, which they should unless the numerical value of a 3-pointer changes, the Rockets would end the season with the most attempted threes of any team ever. No one else would even be close.
What I find funny is that even with all of the evidence before me, I have felt all season long like the Rockets have become less dependent on the 3-point shot. It seems to me that we've seen more mid-range jumpers than we have in the past few years. I guess that can happen with such high shot volume.
