ICE CoLD: Why THE BEST IN THE LEAGUE HAVE STRUGGLED FROM DISTANCE

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The 2021-22 season has certainly been off to a crazy start. From the ongoing saga of Ben Simmons and Kyrie Irving drama to some surprise teams both struggling and thriving. One story that may be flying under the radar is the terrible shooting number’s we’re seeing from some of the league's most notorious marksmen. The NBA 3-point percentage is lower now than it has been in years. Damian Lillard who in his career has shot above 37 percent from three and is known as “Logo Lillard” for his ability to hit shots from near half court, is shooting a disappointing 24 percent from distance this season. But could the reason be as simple as the basketball itself? The players seem to think so. After a long stint where Spalding was the official basketball of the NBA, the association made the switch to Wilson at the start of this season. Paul George and CJ McCollum have been among NBA players who have spoken out saying that the Wilson ball has a different feel to it and they are not surprised to see that shooting numbers have gone down. Khris Middleton is another prime example. Middleton, who hit countless clutch jumpshots in the playoffs in route to helping the Bucks to their first championship in 50 years is a career 40 percent 3-point shooter. This season, he is shooting just under 26 percent from behind the arc. So, just how big of a problem is this for the NBA? For now, I would say minor. While I certainly don’t know what it takes to shoot in the NBA, my shooting ability landed me a spot on a couple different college rosters. When you make that leap, changing basketballs is a frequent occurrence. Most conferences have an official ball, so you may end up playing with a different basketball at least once every couple games early in the season. This can be a very difficult adjustment especially when you are used to practicing with a certain ball every day. In the case of some of these NBA vets, they have been practicing with the same Spalding ball for the better part of a decade. That being said, these are the best players in the world, and most teams have only played about ten games thus far. Not to mention a very abbreviated off-season left little time to get acquainted with the new ball. I believe that by mid-season we should see shooting averages creeping back up as players get increasingly more comfortable. However, if these numbers remain consistent for much of the year, the league has some serious re-evaluation to do in 2022. In a league that has shifted in recent years to be heavily focused on the 3-point shot, poor shooting numbers could have a very negative effect on ratings and overall gameplay.