The NBA is evolving quickly, and the Chicago Bulls are doing their best to keep up with the new era of basketball. With all of the advanced analytics teams are using these days, one thing is for sure, the more three-pointers attempted per game means the higher the chance you outscore your opponent. That being said, there’s a big reason why the Chicago Bulls decided to let go of the old-school Tom Thibodeau to bring in the young Fred Hoiberg.
“If you look at trends in this league, 3-point shooting percentage was the No. 1 factor in why teams won. The five best 3-point shooting teams were the four teams who played in the conference finals and then the Clippers. All five of them were top 10 all-time in the NBA. That’s the way this league has gone.” – Steve Clifford
It’s not just the Bulls who are following the method of jacking up three-pointers, it’s the entire NBA. Steve Clifford, long time defensive specialist, acknowledges the correlation of winning and three-point shooting.
The Phoenix Suns were known as the three-point shooting team in the early 2000s. Led behind Steve Nash, the Suns attempted roughly 24.7 threes per game. At the time, it seemed as if the Suns were a bit trigger friendly. However, with the Golden-State Warriors proving this to be the method to victory, teams have quickly changed their style of play. Teams are averaging 15% more three-pointers this preseason as the average team is putting up 25.1 three-point attempts this preseason. However, the Chicago Bulls are on another level as they are nearly averaging close to 33 three-point attempts per game.
With the Bulls being led behind Doug McDermott from behind the arc, they are poised to take on the new era of basketball.
