Players struggle adapting to NBA 3-point range in Las Vegas
Las Vegas native Troy Brown had to turn around and share the moment with his Summer League coach.
After plenty of misses, the Washington Wizards’ first-round pick finally hit his first 3-pointer as a professional Monday against the Philadelphia 76ers.
“Troy threw that 3 and he was excited,” Wizards coach Ryan Richman said. “It’s good to see the ball go in for him.”
Brown is only 1-for-10 from beyond the arc in Las Vegas, and he’s far from the only player struggling to find his shooting stroke. High draft picks Trae Young (3-for-11) and Kevin Knox (3-for-14) are also fighting with the NBA’s deeper 3-point line, which provides rookies with a trial by fire in the Summer League.
The NBA newcomers have to use the line for the first time and the growing pains are obvious. After Sunday’s games, players were shooting just 27.5 percent on 3-pointers, well below the G-League (35.45 percent) and NBA (36.2 percent) average.
The players know they need to adjust to make a living in a league where the number of 3-point attempts has risen every season since 2010-11. If teams are living and dying by the 3 more than ever before, that means careers are, too.
“That’s my biggest thing right now, get used to that 3-point line,” Brown said. “It’s a process.”
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Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.