Words: 1027

(Stats as of 1/12)

The Association’s Top 10 Three Point Shooters Above 6’10″….

1. Nikola Mirotic 

46.5% ~ 47/101 ~ 2.8/5.9

The 6’10” Bull from Montenegro has had himself a scorching hot season in the Windy City.  Mirotic had an eventful preseason which has limited him to 17 games, but he has made up for missed time casting threes at a career high rate.

A player to be watched as we approach the trade deadline, Mirotic has blossomed in his fourth season. In his nightly 25 minutes, Mirotic is posting career highs at 17ppg and 7 rpg. Nikola has missed the last two games with a cold virus, quite the opposite of his sweltering, league-leading 46.5% from distance.

2. Trey Lyles

46.7 % ~ 50 /107 ~  1.4 / 3.1

The third year man out of Kentucky has been bombing from downtown in his 36 games off the bench for the Nuggets. Lyles, acquired from the Jazz for the pick that became ROY candidate Donovan Mitchell, shot 34.3% in Utah.

The move to the Nuggets has seen Trey’s three point percentage take a mile high leap to third best in the NBA. Lyles, with his strict pre-game shooting routine, puts up an impressive 19.4 ppg and 8.9 rpg Per 36 minutes in his career year.

3. Kelly Olynyk 

43.2% ~ 51/119 ~ 1.3/3.0

Much like the Miami weather is warmer than Boston’s during the NBA season, the three point sniper from Gonzaga has heated up with a move South . A 36.8% shooter as a Celtic, KO has knocked them down a personal best 43.4% from deep in his fifth NBA season.

The Canadian 7 footer is one of the premier floor spacing big men in the NBA, standing tall at 13th in the league in 3 point percentage. Olynyk’s made the most of his 7 field goal attempts per game, posting an efficient True Shooting Percentage of 62.4%. His gravity opens up the floor for Miami’s closing lineup, detailed eloquently by ESPN’s Zach Lowe in Wednesday’s column.

4. Al Horford 

42.2% ~ 55/131 ~ 1.4/3.3

Al Horford has joined an increasingly popular club of frontcourt players who have began to increase their attempts from 3 as their careers have gone on. In his first 8 seasons in the league with the Atlanta Hawks, Horford attempted only 65 three pointers. Since  Horford’s last All star season (14/15) before joining the Celtics, Al’s put up 256 and 242.

Horford’s clever nightly waltz with dance partner Kyrie Irving leads to plenty of pick and pop opportunities, as 115 of Al’s attempts come from above the break. While the acres of spacing Horford’s offense provides is crucial to the Eastern Conference leaders, his DPOY impact on the other end is equally enormous. The 6’10” Puerto Rican contribution can’t be overlooked as Horford has an offensive rating of 118 and a defensive rating of 101.

5. Dirk Nowitzki 

42.1% ~ 1.7/4.0 ~ 72/171

The Splash Father was a pioneer when it came to 7 footers venturing behind the arch. Over the span of his 20 years in Dallas, Nowitzki has averaged 3.6 attempts per game and hitting them at a 38.3% clip.

The Mavericks are not afraid to let it fly in their 15-28 campaign, attempting the third most threes in all of basketball at 31.9 a game. The German Nowitzki is no exception attempting four a game, while having his most efficient season from behind the arch since 2009-2010.

6. Kevin Love 

41.0% ~ 94/229 ~ 2.4/5.7

With 96.8% of his three pointers assisted, Love has to be enamored with the looks that his teammates have set him up with this season. Love has a PER of 23.7 and 61.2% True Shooting, both his highest in a Cavs uniform.

After Love torched the Warriors on Christmas for 31 – including 6 from downtown, the Cavs have lost six of eight. Love is comfortable in Cleveland and his sizzling season from deep has Cleveland at 4th in offense. The Cavs have cooled down to a horrible 29th in defense however, with Love’s contribution on that end well documented.

7. Karl Anthony Towns

40.9% ~ 60/159 ~ 1.2./ 2.9

With his nearly complete offensive game, the BIG KAT has taken a leap from three in Year 3. Shooting a career best from distance, Towns is 30th in the NBA in three point percentage.

Karl Anthony Towns is (knock on wood) extremely durable, as he hasn’t missed a game in his NBA career. This allows for nightly displays of domination for the Timberwolves as they are sniffing the playoffs, currently fourth out West.

For the 22 year old who is one of the games emerging stars, questions in the past have concerned defense. This trend may be reversing as Jon Schuhmann writes ,”  the Wolves have been 14.6 points per 100 possessions better defensively with him in the game over their last 21 games after being 10.4 points per 100 possessions worse defensively in the game through their first 20. ”

8. Davis Bertans 

39.8% ~ 45/113 ~ 1.2/2.9

I have to hand it Popovich for acquiring the 25 year old out of Latvia, because I enjoy watching the Davis Bertans experience. Whether Bertans is coming off pindowns or spotting up on the perimeter – he canned 6 from downtown en route to a career high 28 points  this week against the Kings.

Davis has been strong in his last six games off the bench for the Spurs averaging 12.2 ppg on 44.1% from beyond the arch. In his two seasons he has been near 40% from deep, but has yet to carve out a large role averaging 12 minutes per game.

9. Dragan Bender

38.1% ~ 59/155 ~ 1.4/4

The fourth overall pick in 2016, Bender hasn’t established himself as an NBA player yet in his young career. Suns fans should have optimism as the 20 year old is the youngest player on this list, and he may be starting to put it together.

Bender has made a considerable leap from 3 this season, after only converting 27.7% (28 3PM) he has jumped 11 points to t-62nd in the NBA. Bender is pretty strictly a bomber for the Suns with a ridiculous 70% of his field goal attempts from 3. Bender is coming off a career high in a win against OKC, and his recent performance has to be encouraging as they sort through their roster.

10. Kristaps Porzingis

37.2% ~ 61/164 ~ 1.7 / 5

KP’s in line for his first all star appearance in what his been a stellar Year 3. Averaging career highs in multiple areas, Porzingis is on pace for a career high in 3PM and 3P%.

Porzingis has been doing damage from distance, but he and his heavy usage rate only account for 24 % of his attempts from the field. Porzingis main work is inside the arch with 14.8 2PA per game, and his career high of 20.5 PER is evidence that he has been effective in doing so.