PHILADELPHIA — The 3-pointer is the great equalizer in basketball. Plenty of teams rely on the 3-point shot in order to get back into games when they’re trailing or to bury teams when they’re off to a good start.
The Philadelphia 76ers have had a great deal of success on the offensive end despite the lack of the 3-point shot. The Sixers are fourth in offensive rating despite ranking 28th in the league in 3-point attempts. Philadelphia has had success getting to the basket and really making an impact in that respect.
However, there are some nights the 3-point shot has to be more of a factor. In Wednesday’s loss to the Boston Celtics, the Sixers finished with only 30 attempts from deep, making 11. Boston got up 50, making 18 of them. The more shots that go up, the better chance a team can get going from beyond the arc.
“It felt like they were getting a pretty good look at a 3 almost the entire third quarter,” said coach Nick Nurse. “Just not in a kind of variety of ways, but most of it was just getting in a rotation and not getting the ball, keeping the ball in front of us. Kick and drive, drive and kick game. We just didn’t do a good enough job of limiting that number. Fifty is a big number to give up, right? It’s really the difference in the game, is the 3-ball numbers.”
In Tuesday’s loss to the Indiana Pacers, the Sixers attempted only 22 shots from deep while Indiana launched 37 triples. The result was the Pacers knocking down 13 of them and the Sixers only hit six.
“I think for sure we are,” Nurse said of looking to attempt more 3s. “I do like our rim rate is way up there. We always wanna establish — it’s kinda like football — you wanna establish your running game a little bit and getting to the basket is certainly a priority first, but yeah, I think in this league you gotta be able to keep some type of pace.”
The Sixers don’t have to all of a sudden be the Golden State Warriors and obliterate teams with an array of 3-point shots, but they have to generate more looks to at least keep the stats close in the 3-point game. That can be a difference.
“It’s not like you gotta win the 3-point game, but you gotta be relatively close, right?” Nurse finished. “So yeah, we need to make a few more.”
Essentially, whenever Joel Embiid gets doubled and kicks it out, those players have to step up and launch a 3. There cannot be hesitation from the shooters. That goes a long way in establishing some offense.
“Big fella gets trapped, he tries to kick it out, and they are rotating hard and some of them we got to shoot,” added Tyrese Maxey. “When he gets trapped, and we get whatever he gets it to us, those got to go up. That makes the defense play off trap, whoever it is.”
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