Thanks in large part to Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, the NBA has changed drastically in the last decade. The midrange shot has become hard to come by in this new era of three-point shooting.
The game is played differently today and the three-point trend doesn’t appear to be slowing down. Former All-Star guard B.J. Armstrong recently appeared on The Hoop Genius Podcast and criticized the modern NBA for leaving the midrange behind.
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“Now we hear NBA executives, personnel, coaches, analytic people, presidents of teams, general managers of teams tell me to my face, they look at me with a straight face and they say the following: ‘A two-point shot is a bad shot.’ A two-point shot is a bad shot now,” Armstrong said.
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Armstrong also voiced his concerns about the apparent lack of creativity among current players.
“When I go watch the game, there’s no more creativity, there’s no more imagination. It’s just that we have basically robots running up and down the court. You run to the three-point line, I run to the three-point line,” Armstrong said. “First, I try to get a layup. If I can’t get a layup, I try to get fouled.”
Armstrong makes a good point as most current NBA shot charts are dominated by paint attempts and three-point shots. Surprisingly, the current league average 3PT percentage is around 35%, just marginally higher than the league average 20 years ago.
It’s unlikely that this trend will slow down anytime soon, especially considering the rise of analytics. Unfortunately, the new strategy might also be responsible for record-low ratings and viewership.
James Parker is an NBA writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on X @TheJames_Parker
