NBA 2017-18: Top 10 3-Point Shooters for the Season so far

The 2018 NBA All-Star break is upon us, a time for all teams to take a break to rest up, rejuvenate themselves and get ready for the short dash to the end of the regular season. This holds true for every member of the team - players, coaches, training staff, etc.

For the players involved in the weekend's festivities, there is no rest with the various NBA Cares events but it is a good break to get out of grind and zone that the regular season games require. As writers and the media, it also gives us the change to re-access all the teams, take a look back at the season so far and predict the major storylines and teams for the short second half of the season.

Speaking of accessing the teams, let's take a look at the players. Here are the 10 best three-point shooters through the first half of the season:

Note: Here are a couple of cut-offs for this list:

1. The number of three's attempted by players should be above league average (2.7). [According to statmuse.com]
2. The players should have featured on at least half of the number of team games played so far (at least 27 games).

#10 Kyle Korver - Cleveland Cavaliers

Kyle Korver

Stats: 43.1% shooting on 5.3 attempts (56 games)

He could easily feature on a top 10 of the greatest shooters ever (a 43.1% three-point shooter for his career), so it's a little surprising to see Kyle Korver, in his pure shooting role off the bench, at the bottom-most spot on this list. A lot of that has got to do with the slight decrease in minutes (21.3 mins as compared to 26.1 mins last season) he has seen so far this season.

For a majority of the first half of this season, the Cleveland Cavaliers were trying to establish an identity and other than their 13-game win streak in November, they struggled to do so and that hurt Korver's position in the rotation.

Given the team's two positive wins with their new recruits, it remains to be seen whether Korver's playing time sees an increase or not. He is, at the end of the day, a relative liability on defense but he was a huge factor for the team in last year's Playoffs and if they decide to fall back on him once again, trust Korver to climb these charts by the end of the season as his minutes see an increase.

#9 Darren Collison - Indiana Pacers

#2 Darren Collison

Stats: 43.2% shooting on 3.1 attempts (52 games)

In terms of advanced stats (offensive rating and pace), the Indiana Pacers are pretty similar to last season, yet, their record paints a different picture. Last year, they finished seventh in the East with a 42-40 record, and so far this season they are already at 33 wins. Not to mention that their strength of schedule for the remaining 24 games is the 6th easiest.

The point of those numbers being that, just like Victor Oladipo, the Pacers' point guard Darren Collison has benefitted so far from coach Nate McMillan's open fast-paced offensive system. Is not having a ball-dominant Paul George on the roster helping too?

Collison's shooting percentage is a career-high but to be honest, he isn't a volume shooter. His 3.1 attempts are a lot closer to the league average than to an appreciable number. Having said that, this has been a huge season for Collison, his best one season since leaving the LA Clippers in 2014 (he spent the three years in between with the dysfunctional Sacramento Kings).

#8 E'Tawn Moore - New Orleans Pelicans

E'Tawn Moore (Image courtesy: www.thebirdwrites.com)

Stats: 43.3% shooting on 3.8 attempts (57 games)

E'Tawn Moore better be on this list. He possibly has the most open shots in the league, especially with all the attention his team's All-Star bigs Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins [prior to injury] receive. In the summer of 2016 when terrible contracts were handed out, Moore was put under the scanner for his 4-year $34 million contract but to his credit, he has responded to his increased minutes.

He is averaging career-highs across the stat sheet - 12.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 51.2% shooting and 43.1% 3-point shooting. Unfortunately, being the starting small forward, the team needs even more from him for them to be relevant.

#7 Paul George - Oklahoma City Thunder

Paul George

Stats: 43.3% shooting on 7.7 attempts (56 games)

Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder have unleashed Paul George in a similar fashion to how the Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors let loose Kevin Durant last year. The reigning MVP has reduced the pressure and load on George. He's attempting 1.1 more three's than last year, yet, he's making 4% more of those shots now (39.3% last season).

A huge reason for his great increase in numbers is not being the No.1 option on his team or being the No. 1 option but with more lethal players around him. It's a tad bit surprising to see George in the Top 10 as he was never known as an outstanding three-point shooter but here's the stat that helps us understand his position here.

From an eye-test, it's quite clear that George jacks up plenty of catch-and-shoot three's with OKC. This season, in 56 games so far, PG-13 attempts 5.9 catch-and-shoot three's (sixth-most) and makes 43.4% of them. Last year, with the Indiana Pacers, he attempted 4.9 of them, making 41.4% of them. While the difference is small, the contests by the defense on those shots is probably what helped the Thunder unleash George and puts him on this list.

#6 Al Horford - Boston Celtics

Al Horford

Stats: 43.6% shooting on 3.3 attempts (54 games)

Al Horford is in his 11th season in the league but this is only his third season where he has attempted more three-pointers than the league average. He chooses his shots wisely and thus makes them at a high clip. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that he's the tallest player on this list.

Him being a long-range threat allows him to suck the defense towards him. In addition to that, he's a good passer off the dribble which makes it easy for him to dish it out to the open man. His playing style has him as a critical part of the Boston Celtics' offense.

This is obviously in hindsight but would Horford have been on this list if Gordon Hayward was not injured? Would he have got enough shots to cross the league average benchmark?

We will never know.

#5 Luke Babbit - Atlanta Hawks/Miami Heat

Luke Babbit

Stats: 44.7% shooting on 3.0 attempts (38 games)

Without being exceptional, Luke Babbitt has seemed to have always proved himself to be a reliable role player for a team. He's played for four teams in his eight years and has never averaged more than 20 minutes a season, yet, only twice in his career has he attempted three-pointers lesser than the league average.

At 6"9', with his three-point shooting, he could be a valuable piece to any team in the league right now. Unfortunately, he doesn't offer anything else - rebounds or assists or anything else. He's also been a net negative for this team while on the court since 2014-15. You might not come across his name on any other rankings but he sure shoots his three's well.

#4 George Hill - Sacramento Kings/Cleveland Cavaliers

George Hill

Stats: 44.9% shooting on 3.0 attempts (45 games)

Just like Babbit, George Hill just about makes the cut for the list with regards to the number of three-pointers he attempts each game. He was acquired by the Cavaliers at the mid-season trade deadline and will prove to be mighty useful to the team by spacing the floor.

His shooting, although on fewer attempts, is a lot better than some of the role players he is replacing in Cleveland. Each of the last three seasons (previously with the Pacers and the Utah Jazz), Hill has shown the ability to shoot a respectable percentage from beyond the arc which means the opposition can't help off of him.

He would be a huge asset to LeBron James and the current Cavaliers team, not only with his range shooting but also with his perimeter defense.

#3 Reggie Bullock - Detroit Pistons

Reggie Bullock

Stats: 45.2% shooting on 4.0 attempts (42 games)

The Detroit Pistons have been an up-and-down team so far this team. Unpredictable would be an apt summary of their season so far. You would expect a better record at the break (28-29) after they started the season out 10-3. Oh, and this decent record is because they won six of their last nine games.

However, one thing that's changed dramatically from last season with this team is their shooting from beyond their arc. Last season, the Pistons were 28th in the league in 3-point shooting, making 33.0% (23.4 attempts) of their shots from long range. This year, they rank surprisingly high at the 5th spot, making 37.5% (28.7 attempts) of them.

Tobias Harris, who was a former Piston and was traded mid-season to the Clippers, took part in the 3-point shooting contest at the All-Star Weekend but another huge contributor from distance was Reggie Bullock. Bound to get more minutes in the aftermath of the Blake Griffin trade, hopefully, Bullock makes the most of the opportunity.

He leads the team in 3-point shooting percentage with his career-high shooting numbers.

#2 Joe Ingles - Utah Jazz

Joe Ingles

Stats: 45.3% shooting on 5.6 attempts (58 games)

With Gordon Hayward's departure from Utah, the 30-year old Joe Ingles is recording career-high numbers across the board with the increased playing time. His long-range shooting numbers for the season aren't bad, well, their second-best in the league but they fall flat in comparison to his recent form?

His 45.3% for the season is quite poor in comparison to his shooting percentage during the team's current 11-game win streak. For the season, he's been shooting 46.6% from the field, 45.3 from beyond the arc and 83.8% from the free-throw line but during this win streak, he's shooting lights out - 53.4% from the field, 54.2% from three-point range and 100% from the charity stripe.

And it's not like Al Horford, where Ingles' attempts are just more than league average. Instead, he's attempting more than double the league average.

#1 Klay Thompson - Golden State Warriors

Klay Thompson

Stats: 45.5% shooting on 7.1 attempts (57 games)

There should be no surprise that Klay Thompson is No. 1. He could stroll into the Top 10 3-point shooters in NBA history.

His attempts are slightly down as compared to the previous two season when he attempted 8.1 in 2015-16 and 8.3 in 2016-17. What's most difficult to believe is that his current shooting mark of 45.5% is a career-high (he's averaged more than 40% every single year).The Golden State Warriors might be struggling a little bit, coming into the break, but Thompson's form and shooting look just fine.

An interesting note is that he's also shooting a career-high from the field this season (49.4%).

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