Klay Thompson looks to go back-to-back at the three-point contest. (Getty)
Klay Thompson is back to defend his NBA three-point contest title in 2017, but he faces a litany of sharpshooters looking to take his crown at this year’s event.
Here’s a complete preview of the shooting spectacle:
2017 Three-Point Contest Viewing Info
Date: Saturday, February 18, 2017
Start Time: Around 9 p.m. ET; The three-point contest is third in the trio of events at All-Star Saturday night (Skills Challenge, Three-Point Contest, Dunk Contest), which starts at 8 p.m. ET
TV Channel, United States: TNT
TV Channel, Canada: TSN
Live Stream, United States: Sling TV, TNTDrama.com, or TNT Overtime
Live Stream, Canada: TSN.ca
Participants
Eric Gordon, Houston Rockets
Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers
Kyle Lowry, Toronto Raptors
Wes Matthews, Dallas Mavericks
CJ McCollum, Portland Trail Blazers
Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors
Kemba Walker, Charlotte Hornets
Nick Young, Los Angeles Lakers
Preview
Unlike the skills challenge and dunk contest, we can take somewhat of a stats-based look at this event. So, here are the per game averages for all eight participants, ordered by three-point percentage:
Thompson: 3.4 3PM, 8.0 3PA, 42.2 percent
Lowry: 3.3 3PM, 7.9 3PA, 41.7 percent
Young: 2.9 3PM, 7.0 3PA, 41.3 percent
McCollum: 2.5 3PM, 6.0 3PA, 41.1 percent
Walker: 2.7 3PM, 6.9 3PA, 39.5 percent
Irving: 2.4 3PM, 6.2 3PA, 38.9 percent
Gordon: 3.5 3PM, 9.2 3PA, 38.5 percent
Matthews: 2.7 3PM, 7.1 3PA, 38.1 percent
Thompson, the defending champion and career 42.0 percent three-point shooter, unsurprisingly leads the way. Moreover, he enters the contest in blistering-hot form, connecting on 54.9 percent of his treys over his last seven games
Many assume that Thompson sees the most open looks because of the weapons that surround him in Golden State, but that’s not actually the case. Of this group of eight players, Gordon–thanks to Houston’s up-tempo offense and James Harden’s ability to collapse defenses–shoots a whopping 58.1 percent of his three-point attempts with the closest defender more than four feet away.
Here’s a look at the percentage of each player’s three-point attempts that are classified as open or wide open (in parenthesis is the percentage they shoot in those situations):
Gordon: 58.1 percent (37.8)
Matthews: 46.6 percent (38.3)
Young: 38.3 (43.9)
Thompson: 35.2 percent (44.3)
Lowry: 34.0 percent (46.2)
Walker: 22.5 percent (40.0)
Irving: 21.8 percent (37.2)
McCollum: 21.0 percent (44.7)
The last three players on that list are all guys who often create shots on their own, so it’s not surprising that they see the lowest amount of open three-pointers. That’s something to keep in mind when looking at overall three-point percentage. It’s also interesting that Gordon and Matthews see the highest percentage of open threes but are the bottom two in overall shooting percentage.
One more telling stat to look at: catch-and-shoot three-point percentage. Some players are better shooting off the dribble, while others thrive off the catch, with the latter often being better suited for contests like this.
Here are the per-game numbers on catch-and-shoot threes:
Walker: 1.1 3PM, 2.4 3PA, 48.1 percent
Irving: 1.0 3PM, 2.3 3PA, 45.0 percent
Young: 2.1 3PM, 4.7 3PA, 44.6 percent
Thompson: 3.0 3PM, 6.9 3PA, 43.9 percent
Lowry: 1.4 3PM, 3.3 3PA, 42.2 percent
McCollum: 2.5 3PM, 6.0 3PA, 40.9 percent
Matthews: 2.1 3PM, 5.3 3PA, 38.5 percent
Gordon: 2.5 3PM, 6.8 3PA, 37.2 percent
While Thompson is the deserved favorite, Young makes for an interesting sleeper. He grades out well in all of the above stats, and he has the demeanor of someone who will want to put on a show.
And even if Swaggy P doesn’t prove me right, there’s always hope he ends his round like this: