Marcus Smart On Pace for Worst Three-Point Shooting Season in NBA History

Well this is not great. I don’t follow the NBA as much as I used to, even less so Marcus Smart and the Boston Celtics, so this stat surprised me. Smart actually had a good shooting season in his rookie year. He shot 33 percent from three which was far better than his college average (from a longer distance). According to MassLive.com, though, Smart is not trending well this year.

Among players who have attempted as many deep balls per game as he does, Smart entered Sunday’s contest on pace for the worst 3-point shooting season ever. Extenuating circumstances exist; he has dealt with a pair of injuries, including a knee malady that kept him out of the lineup for a month. Even before the season, he mangled two of his fingers at summer league, limiting the offseason work he could put in.

That’s can’t be right, can it? I know he wasn’t a great shooter in college, but I thought that stat must be wrong. It’s unfortunately true. Here’s a look at all the seasons in NBA history in which a player has averaged over 3.0 attempts a game, played 25+ games and shot 25 percent or worse.

The saving grace? Kobe! Black Mamba could overtake Smart by the end of the season. Even worse for the Lakers, he’s launching them at a rate of nearly seven a game.