"And they kept shooting them?": LeBron James says he was in utter disbelief when Rockets emptied the clip vs Golden State

The LeBron James and JJ Redick 'Mind the Game' Podcast has continued to be a hit among the NBA community. Throughout the first few episodes of the podcast, the duo have covered a number of topics through the lens of longtime NBA veterans. In the latest episode, the pair discussed the uptick in three-point shots around the league, and how step-back three-pointers changed everything.

As the pair discuss, and NBA fans are well aware, the volume of three-point shots has increased significantly in recent years. While in the 90s and even early 2000s teams were focused on running an offense inside the arc, that's changed with teams largely focused on three-point shooting.

This notable shift was first truly observed during the rise of Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors under coach Mark Jackson. Despite this, as we've seen in the case of the 2018 Western Conference Finals, more isn't always better.

In Game 7 of the Houston Rockets WCF showdown with the Golden State Warriors, the team missed 27 straight threes. On Wednesday's sixth episode of Mind the Game, LeBron James and JJ Redick discussed the moment:

"27 straight threes? 27? And they kept shooting them? It's not like all of them was only three-point shooters, it's not like they had fucking five Craig Hodges on their team, or five Steve kerrs on the floor where that's all they can do is shoot threes.

"They had guys that can, Eric Gordon you know, can get into the paint. James Harden can get into the paint."

Looking at the increase in three-point shooting around the NBA amid the latest comments from LeBron James and JJ Redick

As previously mentioned by LeBron James and JJ Redick, the uptick in three-point shooting coincided with the rise of the Golden State Warriors. In addition to the fact that teams have started focusing more on their three-point volume, however, we've also seen big men master perimeter shooting.

Players like Brook Lopez, who had already made a name for themselves as skilled big-men added the three-point shot to their arsenal. At the same time, we began to see younger players like Karl-Anthony Towns already possess three-point shooting capabilities by the time they entered the league.

Now, however, we've seen not only big men who are capable of hitting big three-point shots, but big men who lead the league with their perimeter shooting. This year, late in the season, Victor Wembanyama led the league in step-back three-point percentage.

During his peak in 2020, James Harden shot 37.2% from downtown on step-back three-pointers with 30% of his shots being step-back threes. Now, for the 2023-24 season, it's Victor Wembanyama who led the league in step-back three-point percentage with 46.2%.

The situation is not only indicative of the changing times, also highlights how the game has evolved. While in the past having a step-back three-point shot was impressive enough, now players are improving on generations past, allowing the game to evolve.

In the case of LeBron James, the 21-year NBA veteran has also had to evolve his game to keep up with the times. This year, LeBron James shot a career-high 41.0% from downtown, proving that he still has what it takes to compete with the best.