How Klay Thompson’s departure will impact the Warriors’ 3-point shooting – NBC Sports Bay Area & California

Warriors coach Steve Kerr has placed an emphasis on the volume of 3-point shots in the NBA preseason, and his players are listening.

In three exhibition games, the Warriors have made 48, 52 and 34 3-point attempts, respectively, for an average of 44.6 per game. If they maintain this pace through the 2024-25 regular season, that would be an increase of nearly six per game over last season’s average of 38.9, the fourth-highest in the NBA.

General manager Mike Dunleavy is confident in the strategy and admitted during NBC Sports Bay Area’s broadcast of the Warriors’ game against the Sacramento Kings on Friday that Klay Thompson’s offseason departure to the Dallas Mavericks will allow Golden State to acquire the wealth distributed by 3-4 players. Point shots.

“There will be nights that they are in, and we hope there are more nights that they are in than not,” Dunleavy told Bob Fitzgerald and Kelenna Azubuike when it was noted that there will be nights that they are in where the 3-point players are not there. It doesn’t fall. “And like I said, last time I checked, the threes count more than the twos, so we want to get even more of them, especially with the shooters we have.” [that]. I would say since Klay left, the last few years with Klay and Steph [Curry]There is so much emphasis on getting them recorded, and rightly so.

“But in this scenario where Klay is out and it’s just Steph, we’re all looking at each other now and I think that’s going to be our approach. We have a lot of people who can do it. And as long as they are.” “Good shots, good rhythm and the right way, we want to make them.”

What the Warriors are capable of was evident in Wednesday’s preseason game against the Kings, when Golden State made 28 3-pointers, which would have been the franchise record in a single game had it been a regular-season contest would have.

When Dunleavy entered the NBA with the Warriors’ No. 3 overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft, the Boston Celtics were leading the NBA with 26.3 3-point attempts per game. When he retired in 2017, the James Harden-led Houston Rockets led the league with 40.3 3-point attempts per game.

Last season, the NBA champion Celtics increased that mark to 42.5 3-point attempts per game, while the lowest average per game was for the Denver Nuggets at 31.2.

Thompson has averaged 9.7 3-pointers per game over the last three seasons since returning from two serious lower leg injuries, leaving Buddy Hield, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and others to fill the void left by the five-time NBA All-Player left behind – star.

More 3-pointers — as long as they’re good shots — is the way the game is played now, and Dunleavy has assembled a roster built to shoot a lot.

“That’s part of it, development, and you have to move with the times, and I think we’re doing that pretty well,” Dunleavy said of Fitzgerald and Azubuike.

The Warriors will look to continue their 3-point trend when they continue their preseason and host the Detroit Pistons at Chase Center on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. PT. Watch the game on NBC Sports Bay Area and streaming on the NBC Sports app.

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