Warriors onto winning recipe with season-defining emphasis

Steve Kerr hasn't hid the fact that he wants to be a high-volume three-point shooting team this season, but most would still be surprised at how many the Golden State Warriors have actually got up through their first two preaseason games.

The Warriors have averaged 50 three-point attempts in the first two games -- up from the 38.9 they averaged last regular season despite the offseason departure of Klay Thompson. The success has been widely contrasting -- they struggled mightily in going 11-of-48 from deep against the L.A. Clippers on Saturday, yet responded with what would have been a franchise record 28 threes on 52 attempts against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday.

The Warriors onto a winning recipe with their three-point approach

The equation is simple for Kerr and Golden State, with the head coach stating after Wednesday's game, "it’d be hard for us to win a lot of games unless we shoot a high volume of 3s.” New additions Buddy Hield and De'Anthony Melton combined to go 10-of-16 from three-point range against the Kings, while Jonathan Kuminga went 4-of-7 as he continues to showcase his ability to play at small forward.

It's not just the fact that the Warriors will be taking a heap of threes, it's also the clarity in which that provides. Kuminga might be the best example of that -- how many times did we see him hesitate on potential three-point opportunities last season, resulting in just 2.2 attempts per game despite his leap from 9.9 to 16.1 points per game.

Based on the early indications, Kuminga's own volume may double so long as he can continue to display his improvement percentage wise. But beyond those individually, the recent league-wide history would suggest Golden State are onto a winning recipe in emphasizing the three-point shooting.

The top two teams in three-point attempts during last regular season, the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks, ended up meeting each other in the NBA Finals. If that doesn't show you the value and importance of being a high-volume three-point shooting team, nothing will. The Celtics have even taken it a step further themselves this preseason, averaging a whopping 54 three-point attempts in their two games against the Denver Nuggets in Abu Dhabi.

That doesn't mean the Warriors will reach a similar level of success, but Kerr is certainly confident in the depth of shooting on the roster and the capacity for different players to step up on a nightly basis.

Golden State reinvented the league with their three-point shooting over a decade ago, and now they're looking to stay ahead of the curve in the hope that it gives them a punches chance this season.