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Warriors Analysis: Is Shaun Livingston Really Shooting Threes?

By Angelo Mendoza

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Shaun Livingston of the Golden State Warriors has apparently been working on his shooting from behind the arc.

“Apparently.”

Recalling the past five years or so, this wouldn’t be the first time a Warriors player went on record to say he was developing a three-point shot. As many are aware, David Lee‘s offseason workouts and the interviews that followed constantly resulted in rumors spreading, all of which claiming he had been working diligently on extending his shooting range. These rumors started in 2010 prior to him leaving the New York Knicks in free agency, and similar rumors continued to come out nearly every preseason that followed — so much so, that “David Lee is working on his three-point shot” became a constant preseason joke among Warriors fans.

Now there’s been reports that Livingston has been trying to develop his shooting from behind the arc. Here’s one video shot by ESPN’s Ethan Strauss:

Though Livingston’s shot mechanics are solid and it appears almost effortless as he knocks down threes from the top of the key, the underlying problem associated with these reports is just the thought of Livingston standing behind the arc, getting a pass, and knocking down a wide open three in a regular season game is kind of unimaginable.

The main reason behind that is the fact that in the 11 years he’s spent in the NBA, Livingston has only attempted a total of 51 regular season threes, making only 10 of them. Of course, it’s not totally out of the question, but it’s highly unlikely Livingston develops a reliable three-point shot at the age of 30 after proving over the course of his career that he’s just NOT a shoot-first point guard, let alone a perimeter scorer (cf. Stephen Curry).

Warriors interim head coach Luke Walton said as much to Diamond Leung of Bay Area News Group:

"“I think he needs to retrain his mind almost. Like when he sees that (he’s naturally drifting into the paint), just to space out because we want him shooting threes, and I know he wants to do it.“He hasn’t passed up any yet, but he hasn’t gotten any yet which leads me to believe he’s not hanging out around that 3-point line. Because on our 3-point line, you should get some threes with the way we move and the double-teams our guys demand.”"

Similar Walton quotes were also included in a report by Monte Poole of Comcast SportsNet Bay Area:

"“He’s played for so long without ever shooting them, he naturally drifts into the paint,” Walton said. “He’s had a lot of success in the paint.“He needs to retrain his mind . . . we want him shooting 3s.”"

But as much as the Warriors want their backup point guard out on the hardwood spreading the floor, it’s really up to Livingston to get in the right position to take those shots and fire away. For those that have been watching Livingston forever, we all know that bombing away from behind the arc just isn’t his game, and he’s remained very confident in his style of play.

"“One problem [with shooting threes] is I’d have to stay out there (20-25 feet from the basket),” Livingston said. “And I’m always rolling to the basket or cutting back door; I’m one of the best cutters in the league. I can’t make any (3s) if I’m not out there.”"

What Livingston said is completely understandable, especially when you consider the facts: when in the restricted area, Livingston shot 66.7 percent from the field. When in the paint outside of the restricted area, he shot just 37.2 percent, but he shot 48.6 percent from mid-range. Here’s his shot chart from last year:

Shaun Livingston 2014-15 Shot Chart (vorped.com)

His cutting game is just one of the many factors that contributed to the Warriors winning the title last year. Utilizing a number of backdoor cuts and UCLA cuts, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr took full advantage of Livingston’s game whenever he was on the floor.

Many may recall Livingston as a threat in the low-post, but as dangerous as he was posting up, much of his time in the post was used to draw defenses in so he could hit a perimeter shooter with a kick-out pass or hit a front cutter with a slip pass. It’s really his work off cuts that made Livingston a scoring threat in Golden State’s fast-paced offense, which resulted in him being ranked in the 76th percentile in scoring efficiency off the cut.

Curry reiterated this to LetsGoWarriors.com, saying that while he understands Livingston could very well be capable of making it rain in the game, Livingston’s style is one that’s so rarely seen nowadays that it’s exactly what makes him such a great addition to the team.

"“He’s such a unique player that he can be in a dunker’s spot on the baseline. Guys lose vision of him. He makes some beautiful cuts, finishes at the rim, slashes and all that.“I know he’s been working on it and I think he’s going to have confidence when he gets those opportunities to knock them down,” Curry added, stating that it could cause havoc with opponent’s scouting reports.“When he makes his first three in a game, we are gonna go crazy….”"

With the Warriors looking to win a second consecutive championship, many of the Warriors have talked about adding another element to their game. But while Livingston adding a three-point shot to his game would be welcome, that’s not to say it’s entirely necessary; in other words: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Livingston’s game gives the Warriors a unique element that they can throw at teams whenever they want to mix things up. They’re better off staying on their current path trying to find a shooter to pair with Livingston rather than turning Livingston into an outside shooter. Nevertheless, if one were to ask whether Livingston adding a reliable three-point shot would hurt the team, the answer would be no. If one were to ask whether Livingston would actually shoot an open three, however, then the answer becomes more complicated.

"“It’s a mindset,” Livingston said. “Just mentally switching it on. It’s hard to get out of that. I know my game, I know what has worked and I know what we need. I’ve got to take that next step, and right now (in preseason) is the best time. It’s coming.”"

Sorry Sdot, but after six preseason games, all we’ve seen is you shooting threes in practice, so whatever’s supposed to be coming still has yet to come. We’ll believe it when we see it. No rush, though.

Next: Warriors Rout Lakers in Preseason Finale

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