The Golden State Warriors have revolutionized the NBA with their three-point exploits over the last dozen years, with the franchise possessing the greatest shooting backcourt of all-time in Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
With nine games left in their regular season, the Warriors remain third in the league for three-point attempts behind the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks. They're tenth in three-point percentage, having shot a healthy 37.5% from beyond the arc this season.
Steve Kerr has identified Andrew Wiggins and Moses Moody as capable shooters to add to the Golden State Warriors' three-point capacity
Golden State added a third-straight win with a comfortable 115-97 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday. It was their work on the interior that proved the difference, outscoring the hosts 64-38 in points in the paint as Thompson was sidelined by a knee issue.
The Warriors' method wasn't overly surprising given the absence of the veteran shooting-guard, with head coach Steve Kerr asked post-game whether the team lack's three-point shooting beyond the hall-of-fame backcourt.
"I believe in Wiggs (Andrew Wiggins) and Moses (Moody) as three-point shooters. Neither one has shot it particularly well this year, but you saw tonight Moses was four out of five. Wiggs is shooting better overall recently. I think we have guys who can make shots and it's starting to look that way."Steve Kerr
Shoutout to @WillCEudy for passing on my question to Steve after the Dubs win over the Hornets 🙌 pic.twitter.com/po0AdIYJsP
— Peter O’Keefe (@POK252) March 30, 2024
When Golden State won their latest NBA championship two years ago, they had four players average at least two made threes during a regular season where they finished with a 53-29 record and as the Western Conference's third-seed.
The quartet of Curry, Thompson, Wiggins and Jordan Poole were joined by Donte DiVincenzo to form five players who averaged at least two threes last season. The franchise lost DiVicenzo in free agency during the offseason and traded Poole to the Washington Wizards, while Wiggins has taken a significant step back from the perimeter shooting threat he's been in previous seasons.
It's left a reliance on Curry and Thompson, with the Warriors spacing issues a key reason behind Draymond Green's move to the primary starting center over the second-half of the season. Chris Paul ranks third on the team at 1.3 made threes, while Wiggins has dropped to 1.2 per game.
Moody took his opportunity in Thompson's absence, going 4-of-5 from three-point range to finish with 15 points against the Hornets. Whether it's Moody's development, Wiggins' consistency, or rival acquisitions, the Warriors will have to focus on finding more legitimate perimeter threats to supplement Curry and Thompson next season.