Hot or cold, Nets encouraging Taurean Prince to let shots fly at all times

Each year since he first entered the league in 2016-17, Taurean Prince has become more efficient from three. Through his first 19 games with the Brooklyn Nets, the forward is shooting 40.2%. If his percentage held true through the end of the year, it would be a 10% increase from last season.

Adding a 40.2% 3-point shooter to Joe Harris, combined with the dynamic scoring threats the Nets now have, gives Brooklyn the potential to have one of the most potent offenses in the league — especially when Kevin Durant comes back next season.

But Prince has had some rough days beyond the arc. When the Nets visited Denver back on November 14, he went 2-for-11 from three. He had an off night the next game in Chicago, going 2-for-6.

Then came a real problematic game for Prince, when he only went 1-for-3 in the loss to the Pacers on November 18. The issue wasn’t so much the fact he hit one shot, it’s that he only made three attempts.

While Prince’s decision to not force shots might work when Kyrie Irving is healthy or if other guys are hot on a given night, more often than not, the Nets need him to shoot threes — especially when he has quality looks. Because Brooklyn is reliant on his 3-point shooting.

As Harris pointed out after the Nets knocked off the Celtics on Friday — and Prince went 4-for-10 from three — the team always want the forward ready to pull the trigger:

Everybody on this team, everybody kind of knows their role. And Taurean’s is to knock down shots for us. And everybody’s on him consistently just to let it go, regardless [of] make or miss. He could miss his first 10, we all have confidence in him that he’ll make the next 10.

The ebbs and flows naturally coincide with Prince’s role. For instance, Harris was shooting 49.1% from three through Brooklyn’s first 10 games. Over the last nine, the wing is shooting 38.1% from long-range.

Over the last three games, Prince is shooting 46.2% from distance — he shot an even 40% in the two games against Boston — so he’s in the midst of an efficient stretch. When he hits a rough patch again, the Nets can’t afford to have him shy away from his shot, like he against the Pacers in their mid-November matchup.