Who will be second to Curry for made three-pointers on the Warriors?
With Klay Thompson gone, who will fill the void of Splash?
We can pencil in Stephen Curry to lead the Golden State Warriors (and most likely the NBA) in made threes this season. And for a franchise and a league defined by the longball, that’s saying a lot. But with his ex-Splash Bro Klay Thompson away in Dallas, who will be next in line to support Curry in splashing from beyond the arc?
Brandin Podziemski on what he has learned about the new Warriors: 'We can shoot.'
— Monte Poole (@MontePooleNBCS) September 30, 2024
Mentions Kyle Anderson, Buddy Hield, De'Anthony Melton, Lindy Waters.
The leading candidate for me is Buddy Hield, a guy who launched 568 bombs last year and nailed 219 of them, good enough for a 38% clip. For his career he’s a 40% shooter, and once made 288 threes as recently as the 2022-2023 season.
Sophomore Brandin Podziemski made 90 of his 234 attempts last year from 3PT range, good enough for a 38% accuracy as well. I’m sure he’ll get plenty of opportunities to jack more triples in Thompson’s absence.
Warriors C Kevon Looney will fire up a few 3s this season. Says he shot 400, 500 per day during offseason workouts at UCLA.
— Monte Poole (@MontePooleNBCS) September 30, 2024
Then there’s two-way Andrew Wiggins, who has never made more than the 157 triples he made in the chamiponship ‘22 season. Last year he took 254 and made 91, good enough for a 35% clip. Apparently he’s got the ultra green light to shoot more from deep.
Steve Kerr told me he’d like Andrew Wiggins to shoot about 6 threes a game. The offense will feature Wiggs more, giving Wiggins a chance to emerge as the team’s #2 scoring option.
— Kerith Burke (@KerithBurke) September 30, 2024
Then there’s Moses Moody, a fourth year player who should also get more opportunities with Thompson off of the team. Last year he shot 200 triples and knocked down 72 of them, which is a 36% rate. He’s got a really smooth jumpshot form, hopefully it translates into drilling some more shots from long range.
My sleeper? Maybe De’Anthony Melton, who was 157-of-403 from deep in the ‘23 season, a solid 39% from beyond the arc.