Stats review: Breaking down the different types of three-pointers

Learn why Bayern's use of three-point shooting puts more pressure on opposing defenses

It was an exceptional week in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague as Andreas Obst of FC Bayern Munich knocked down 11 three-point attempts to break the previous record of 10 set and tied by three players in recent seasons. Knocking down 11 of his 16 attempts at SAP Garden, the 28-year-old guard added to his resume as one of the best shooters in the world.

What stood out – even in an all-time shooting display – was how many different ways Obst made shots. Of his 11 makes from beyond the arc, he knocked down 3 jumpers operating in pick-and-rolls, 3 spot-up jumpers, 2 attempts after receiving hand-offs, 1 shot in transition, 1 running off a screen, and 1 heat-check isolation attempt to break the record late in the fourth quarter after waving off a ball screen. Tallying a make in six of the seven play types Synergy tracks that typically result in three-pointers, Obst set the record while also making at least one shot out of nearly every major offensive action; he did not attempt any shots picking and popping.

There has been no better example of versatile shot-making in EuroLeague history and it's worth having a better picture of what three-point shooting looks like across the league to understand how special it was. The table above looks at the seven offensive actions that cover nearly every three-pointer attempted at the higher levels of professional basketball; a negligible number of other attempts occur when rebounds carom to the three-point line or deflections bounce to a shooter. Sorted by the percentage of total three-point attempts each accounts for with the rate they are converted at and associated leaders included for reference, this gives a snapshot of what goes into three-point shooting this season.

Unsurprisingly, spot-up attempts account for the majority of shots taken beyond the arc. Teams seek out catch-and-shoot three-pointers from the corners in particular whether they are driving or kicking, operating out of pick-and-rolls, or playing inside out. While they find a fair amount of success creating these shots in the flow of games, the rate at which they convert them often hinges on who the shooter is and how open they are. Paris Basketball forward Tyson Ward, for example, has made 40% of his spot-up three-pointers to lead all players in makes this season and, through guarded attempts fall through the net just 33% of the time across the league, the league average sits at 43% on unguarded spot-up jumpers.

Transition threes tend to have more in common with spot-ups than any other action. 210 players have attempted a spot-up three and 161 have attempted one in transition with considerable overlap, but only 118 players have taken one off the dribble handling the ball in a pick-and-roll. While the latter number has risen over the years, teams are not giving as many players the green light off the dribble as they are off the catch. That’s part of the reason why the three-point percentage for a higher degree of difficulty pull-ups taken in pick-and-rolls matches that of spot-up threes and attempts in transition.

Off-screen attempts, pops to the perimeter, and hand-offs are even more specialized with teams utilizing screeners with shooting range as effectively as ever this season. With few of those actions coming in the flow of the game and most resulting from called plays, teams often pick and choose their spots to get shots up in those situations.

The opposite is largely true of isolations with the low shooting percentage resulting from the moments teams have to force jumpers late in the shot clock. While isolation attempts are converted with less-than-ideal consistency even when they aren’t heaves, there’s still value in players who can make something out of nothing or attack switches over the top. No team has proven that more than Bayern this season as its 14-of-33 shooting from beyond the arc in one-on-one situations is a big reason they have risen towards the top of the standings.

Stack that on top of the shooting versatility of Andreas Obst and even if they do not lead the league in three-point percentage, the way Bayern has made its threes has stood out this season as its shooting puts very different pressure on opposing defenses than the average team.