Zags should shoot more 3s

[LTownZag]

I know it may come across as silly to nitpick the nation's top offense, but hear me out.

The Zags top 8 players (starters + Petrusev, Crandall, Jones) are shooting 39.2% from 3. That's 16th in the nation. Rui and Clarke have devastating inside and midrange games but especially with Tillie gone we need to hit some 3pt shots and keep the floor open and defnses spread. Even Clarke has a much-improved jump shot and is 4/10 this year including a couple recent 3s. Jones and Rui combine for 50% on 38 attempts!


We are 19th in the country in total shot attempts and yet we are 128th in 3pt attempts despite shooting them so well.

Zags are a top outside shooting team with every player capable or scary from deep. I really think that the team as a whole should take more 3s, but especially the guys other than Kispert and Norvell since they're knocking 'em down when they take them.

[Bouldin4Prez]

I think that with the 2nd most efficient offense in college basketball of the last 15 years, we should keep shooting the exact shots we are currently taking.

Edited to say that we are now the 2nd most efficient and not 3rd, as we have moved past last year's Villanova team.

[jazzdelmar]

Only JP should take more threes.

[tinfoilzag]

Only JP should take more threes.

Agree that Josh should take more 3's but would also like to see Jeremy and Filip setup more at the arc. The goal is to get the same effect Tillie had on defenses. Both are good enough (even though a small sample set) to get the green light on OPEN attempts.

Let it fly and crash the offensive boards!

[scrooner]

Kind of funny to see that JP only had 2 points in a game they won by nearly 50.

[MickMick]

I wouldn't mess around with something that is almost historically good.

This is one of the most efficient offenses in years.

[zagfan24]

IMO you can't really extrapolate out that a team is hitting X percentage and imply that, if they took 5-10 more a game, that percentage would hold. A large part of the 16th rated three point percentage is that this team is unselfish and rarely takes bad shots. At its best, the offense runs inside out and this can lead to a lot of relatively open looks. I know that in general the trend has been toward putting up as many 3's as possible...but I don't think this team is built that way...they are simply far too efficient scoring inside.

[LTownZag]

IMO you can't really extrapolate out that a team is hitting X percentage and imply that, if they took 5-10 more a game, that percentage would hold. A large part of the 16th rated three point percentage is that this team is unselfish and rarely takes bad shots. At its best, the offense runs inside out and this can lead to a lot of relatively open looks. I know that in general the trend has been toward putting up as many 3's as possible...but I don't think this team is built that way...they are simply far too efficient scoring inside.

I think that's a fair point. I'd just hate to see our statistically good bigs only being inside scorers now that Tillie is sidelined. Gotta take enough 3s to keep defenses honest. We make them at a high enough rate to more than justify it.

[LongIslandZagFan]

Wouldn't mess with the #1 offense in the country. Leave it be.

[amaronizag]

If memory serves, this is maybe the most 3 pt shots in GU history. Over the last 20 years, we are usually in the bottom 1/3 for 3pt attempts. But, I'm in favor of taking even (a few) more when they're falling.

[GrizZAG]

White and Admiral burned us from the 3. I get it.

[JPtheBeasta]

This is kind of like saying that the GU field goal percentage is so high that they should take more shots. Taking more shots would like result in more bad shots. I feel the same way about 3 pointers. I would go so far as to say that the offense has been better since Norvell quit taking quick threes.

Petrusev has not been good shooting 3’s and he has taken some quick ones, as well. I’m just fine with him letting the game come to him. And he isn’t shy about taking a 3 when open, so he will stretch the defense when he starts hitting them.

[Outraged]

I would be fine with that If they got more offensive rebounds from Three's. That's the problem with them. They don't get the three rebound except for Tillie. They're always at the other end of the court before possession. Get those rebounds get more possessions then take more three's.

[willandi]

JP and Geno should dunk more. It's a higher percentage shot.

[GrizZAG]

The 3 can cover a deficit or build a lead quick IF they are falling. With both UNC and TN they were hitting theirs and we were not so much. The three is a difference maker, but it seems with the UNC game we were rattled a bit early and not playing with patience, plus sloppy turnovers. They kept the tempo the way they wanted it and took us out of ours much of that game. BC struggled in that game for some reason. We didn't look confident or controlled on occasion. Why? UNC did play really well on both ends so there is that.
We also hurried our shots in those final minutes of the TN game and they were not dropping. That is a game we had in the bag with a nine point lead at 3 minutes. The wheels fell off when it counted.