How many 3s would Bird shoot per game in today's NBA?

[fpliii]

What kind of volume on threes would you guys expect from Bird in his prime, assuming he comes into today's league with the shot? Here are the 10th/5th/1st most attempts a game for the past few years:

08 - 5.4/6.4/7.3
09 - 5.2/6.2/7.0
10 - 5.3/5.9/7.1
11 - 4.8/5.5/6.3
12 - 5.1/5.4/6.9
13 - 5.8/6.2/7.7
14 - 6.2/6.6/7.9

Bird pre-injury:

80 - 1.7 (6th, leader 3.1)
81 - 0.9 (10th, leader 2.1)
82 - 0.7 (14th, leader 2.3)
83 - 1.0 (7th, leader 2.5)
84 - 0.9 (8th, leader 3.1)
85 - 1.6 (7th, leader 3.3)
86 - 2.4 (leader)
87 - 3.0 (leader)
88 - 3.1 (4th, leader 4.6)

Also, is he still a threat to break .400 on that type of volume the way the shot is defended today? Very subjective question obviously, just trying to get a feel of where you guys stand on it.

[SHAQisGOAT]

If he's still the "same type" of player? Can't tell exactly but, imo, he wouldn't have been at the very top, say, leading the league or even top5; at max in the bottom of the top10, and I'd even say that that is stretching it.

He wouldn't be shooting as much 3's as a Kevin Love, for example, he was too good and too smart for that... He was a great and efficient scorer, he had an elite mid-range game, great from close and from the inside, great in the post too, great footwork, fakes and unreal IQ, along with all the other parts of his game... so he wouldn't settle for that many 3's, as he could score over 25 while being extremely overall effiecient (50+/40+), while working within the team's flow, involving his teammates and rarely forcing the issue.

As an example, I'd say he'd be shooting them at the same rate as peak Dirk Nowitzki, or at max as a Chandler Parsons right now.
---> So around 3 at least, and a little less than 5 at max.

And ofc he'd have a coach who would've encouraged him to take 3's, make plays design for it too (even since before the NBA). Bill Fitch wasn't like that, as opposed to what KC Jones did later on.

In his 1st year, Larry shot 41% on 1.7 3PA's per game, 6th in attempts, 3rd in %... Then he never shot them again at that rate until 1985, hovering around 25% around those years, hitting 40% again in 1985... So you can see, his % actually went up as he shot more of them, not just taking them here and there, many as bail-out shots too or at the end of the clock, but actually shooting them in the flow of things, constantly and consistently, and having plays designed for it too.

And good shooters/3pt-shooters are/were always guarded the same way... Can't give them the space, and that's that. Larry was already a great shooter before coming into the league, already had that reputation (watch him college even, some say he was even better before index-finger injury), couldn't give him the space, at all... Ofc he was also terrific at moving without the ball and at positioning himself, and also elite in many other areas, so easier said than done...

So yea, he still easily would've been a major threat to break 40%, any each way you wanna go with it (plus his volume wouldn't have been THAT MUCH higher than it was when he was shooting them more, in any case, just can't see it tbh).
Can you imagine Bird growing up with the 3pt line though Scary.

[Smoke117]

5-6. Larry Bird has too high of a basketball IQ to settle for 3pters and just launch them away unconsciously.

[Pushxx]

In 2014? He would shoot a lot of them. Among the league leaders in attempts.

The last few years have revealed how amazingly efficient the 3-PT shot is.

[I<3NBA]

all of them.

[Pointguard]

I think when he was hot, he would feast there a bit more than in his day but I agree with ShaqisGoat: He's too smart to live out there. But if he was taking 3 per game back then, it's not crazy to say he would be at 5 attempts in today's game at all. Plus the game allows more for shooters and less for posting up these days. Because of that, I still him in the top ten in attempts.

His game would be so interesting in today's game... Gasol can pass well out of the post but Bird would be super and the floor would be more spread out. His release was fast and he had floaters. He would be seriously beasting.

[ILLsmak]

In 2014? He would shoot a lot of them. Among the league leaders in attempts.

The last few years have revealed how amazingly efficient the 3-PT shot is.

Yeah, hard to imagine that he'd shoot many midrange if he saw how the game is now. Maybe in the clutch.

-Smak

[3ball]

#1 finger in air clearly, BEFORE the ball goes in to sink the go-ahead winner - this guy likes to think he's the best shooter...

so if it was a whole different mindset of today's game where 3-pointers are the objective, he would be bombs away...

but that's not what would make him great in today's game - his ability to mix it up in the mid-range and from the post/paint at an elite level would differentiate him from today's 3-and-D'ers.

oh, and his lebron-like passing numbers, but while playing off-ball.
.

[kurple]

less than corey brewer