Celtics Upgrade 3-Point Shooting

Last season the Celtics were a good 3-point shooting team.

Not great, but good.

At times it seemed like the C’s were shooting the long-ball way too much. Watching them fire away over and over again was beyond painful.

Just to give you an idea, the Celtics shot the 3-pointer on 39% of their possessions. That ranks 3rd highest in the NBA. With a team shooting the 3 this often, one would assume that they should AT LEAST rank in the top 10 of the league for 3-point percentage. That’s not the case for Boston — they shot only 35.9% from 3-point land. For those of you who are wondering, that’s just 14th best in the NBA. That basically puts them in the middle of the pack.

This offseason, Boston added some new faces to the team. The best part apart these latest additions is that most shoot above-average from beyond the arc.

This upcoming season the Celtics will have at least 3 elite scorers from long range. Gordon Hayward, Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder are all top-tier 3 point shooters. Each of those players ranked within the top 30 for most 3-pointers made (Hayward (2.0), Crowder (2.2) and Thomas (3.2)). Last year, only the Houston Rockets and Cleveland Cavaliers had more players in the top 30.

I don’t know about you, but I think that’s pretty good company to join.

The best part about all of this is that the Celtics added even more capable 3-point shooters this offseason.

For starters there’s Daniel Theis. Theis is very similar to Jonas Jerebko in his tenacious attitude toward the game. However, the difference between the two is Theis’ top-notch defense and his elite 3-point shooting. Last season while overseas, the stretch forward shot 41% from deep.

Another capable shooter from long range is Marcus Morris. While he may not be elite, he does command respect from behind the arc. Morris has made a total of 525 3-pointers in his 8-year career, while shooting 35%.

Even the rookies look promising from 3-point range. During Summer League play, 3rd overall pick Jayson Tatum made 41.6% from behind the arc. Last year’s first round pick, Guerschon Yabsuele, converted on 67% of his shots from deep while with the Maine Red Claws. While in Europe, Yabsuele even shot 43% from 3. Second round pick, Semi Ojeleye shot 42% from 3-point land during his college career.

All of this talent and we haven’t even mentioned Al Horford — a big man who’s become a threat behind the 3-point line.

If Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown can improve their shooting from deep, the Celtics will be dangerous. (If you think I’m crazy for saying Smart can improve his 3-point shooting, refer to the video below).

Next: Boston Celtics Assist Leader Thomas Or Smart

Of course this isn’t without any losses. Kelly Olynyk (35.4%), Jonas Jerebko (34.6%), Avery Bradley (39.0), and Amir Johnson (40.9%) are all good 3-point shooters.

Still for the first time ever, nearly the entire Celtics roster has the ability to shoot from deep. Watch out for the 3-point barrage coming to Boston.