The Phoenix Suns’ 3-point sharpshooting this season — save for face of the franchise Devin Booker, who has uncharacteristically struggled from downtown despite a second-place finish in this year’s 3-point contest at All-Star Weekend — has been on point, especially late in games.
At the time of writing, the Suns rank eighth in the NBA in total 3-pointers made. They’re even higher than that at sixth in the league in total attempts from beyond the arc.
When he hasn’t been injured, Grayson Allen’s been lighting it up from beyond the arc. If he hadn’t missed so much time with various ailments, he’d be in the conversation to break Quentin Richardson’s franchise record for 226 makes from deep in a single season.
But two other long-range snipers — Collin Gillespie and Royce O’Neale — are standing out for their 3-point acumen in fourth quarters this season.
Gillespie, O’Neale among the best 3-point shooters in 4th quarters
Out of players who’ve attempted at least 50 shots from 3-point range in 4th quarters this season, both Gillespie and O’Neale are in the top five in terms of percentage:
PLAYER | 3-point % | 3PM | 3PA |
|---|---|---|---|
Andrew Wiggins | 52.7 | 29 | 55 |
Jaylon Tyson | 51.7 | 30 | 58 |
Jamal Murray | 50.7 | 36 | 71 |
Collin Gillespie | 49.1 | 54 | 110 |
Royce O'Neale | 48.7 | 37 | 76 |
In terms of total makes from 3-point territory in the final 12 minutes of games, Gillespie leads the league with his 54 knockdowns. O’Neale, meanwhile, is just outside the top ten with 37 triples in the fourth quarter. He recently sunk the rival Los Angeles Lakers with a game-winning trey off a beautiful dual-feed from Allen and Gillespie.
Their collective ability to clutch up in the fourth quarter by knocking down outside shots has helped the Suns climb back into games and put others away. Their percentages from deep in the fourth are both superior to their overall figures, showing that Gillespie and O’Neale are clutching up when it matters most.
At the time of writing, Gillespie has made 187 treys in 61 games (42 starts). That mark already puts Gillespie at No. 9 all-time in Suns franchise history for 3-point makes in a season, with roughly a month left to go.
He needs three more makes to tie Leandro Barbosa at No. 8, five more to tie Dan Majerle at No. 7, and 10 more to reach Raja Bell at No. 6 in franchise history.
Q’s all-time mark of 226 3-pointers in a single season also appears attainable for Gillespie if he continues to stay healthy. With only one game missed this season, Gillespie is pacing to eclipse Richardson’s record — currently on pace for 248 makes across 81 games.
The Suns as a team have broken the franchise record for makes from long range in five consecutive seasons, but Richardson’s mark has remained elusive in that time.
O’Neale’s pace is behind that of Gillespie, but it’s not outside the realm of possibility that he, too, could flirt with Q’s record if he heats up down the stretch of the regular season.
As the Suns deal with a multitude of injuries that have kept first-year head coach Jordan Ott on his toes, 3-point sniping remains the steady constant.