LA Clippers: Making history while shooting the lights out
By Evan Desai
The LA Clippers are hands-down the best shooting team in the NBA.
One can even tell how dangerous the LA Clippers are as shooters just through the eye-test.
It’s more than just that, however. The numbers back it up as well.
The Clippers led the league in three-point percentage this year while connecting on 41.1% of their three-point attempts, and led the league in free throw percentage (83.9%). The Clips ranked in the top five in field goal percentage (48.2%), and ranked second in true shooting percentage at 59.9%.
Sure, they didn’t rank first in every single one of those categories, but no other team has had a better statistical resume than the Clippers do this season. This was even with many good shooters for the Clippers having to miss time due to injuries this year.
The best part about this Clippers team isn’t just that they shot better than anyone else in the league, but that they even made history.
Justin Kubatko of Statitudes, LLC and Basketball Reference uncovered a deeper accomplishment from the Clippers this year.
He found that the Clippers are the only team in league history to shoot 50% or higher from 2PT range (52.9%), 40% or higher from 3PT range (41.1%), and 80% or higher from the free throw line (83.9%) all at the same time.
Of players who have taken at least 19 threes this year for the Clippers, the Clips have nine shooting over 40%. They have ten players who have attempted at least 31 free throws for the Clips that are shooting at least 80% from the free throw line.
Marcus Morris Sr. is third in the NBA in three-point percentage (47.3%), and Luke Kennard comes in at ninth at 44.6%. It goes to show that it’s not just the stars on the team that are deadly when shooting the basketball.
Next. Former Mavs playing for Clips. dark
The Clippers are an elite shooting team, and it’s been a team effort.