How the NBA Forced Teams to Shoot More Three Point Shots

The Phoenix Suns and the Golden State Warriors owe their three-point fueled successes to the brief and often overlooked three season stretch that shortened the NBA three-point line.

For the 1994-95 NBA season, the three-point line was shortened by 21 inches. ESPN has a great story about the effect of the shorter line on Michael Jordan’s career.

The change lasted three seasons, but the effect was permanent: teams realized the power of the three, and they never stopped shooting it.

As you would expect, attempts jumped significantly when the line was shortened. The average team went from 9.9 three point attempts per game (3PA/G) in 1993-94 to 15.3 3PA/G the next season.

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That is a year-over-year growth of 54.5%.

For comparison, 3PA/G have increased by 52.5% total in the 11 seasons since Nash first came to the Phoenix Suns in 2004-05 (15.8 3PA/G to 24.1 3PA/G).

Shortening the three-point line had one of the most dramatic and instant impacts to game out of any rule change in league history.

Even the introduction of the three-point line didn’t directly change the game as much as shortening the line.

In 1979-80, the first season of the three-point line in the NBA, teams averaged just 2.8 attempts from three out of 90.6 shots, or 3.1% of shots. Teams were slow to adopt.

In 1993-94, teams averaged 9.9 attempts from three out of 84.4 shots, or 11.7%. With the shortened lines, the numbers in 1994-95 were 15.3 attempts from three out of 81.5 shots, or 18.8% of shots.

The addition of the three-point line shifted just 3.1% of the shots behind the line. The shortening of the line shifted 7.1% of shots behind the line.

This three-year period with a shortened line showed teams the power of the three-point shot.

Even after the line was moved back, teams were now willing to accept shooting a lower percentage for the extra point of the three. Attempts per game did fall when the lined moved back, but only down to 12.7 attempts per game – still 28% higher than 3PA/G were previously.

must read: Devin Booker's Top 10 Plays

Steven Nash’s Seven Second or Less Suns and the current Golden State Warriors team have revolutionized the game using the three. But the most influential change of all came directly from the league itself.

All stats from Basketball-Reference.com.

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