Mavericks Sharpshooters Hitting the Mark

The Mavericks have already surpassed last year’s win total of 33 and are “Rounding Into Playoff Form”. The battle to avoid complacency and improve upon an already successful season is here.

In combination with the NBA’s most efficient offense, the Mavs are currently ranked seventh in three-point field goal percentage (36.9%). This is a twenty spot increase since last season.

Obviously, superstars Luka Doncic & Kristaps Porzingis have a lot to do with it, but let’s not overlook this pair of essential new-comers.

Tim Hardaway Jr. and Seth Curry have elevated the teams shooting metrics and it been a fertile en devour so for.

Seth Curry

This season Seth Curry is the NBA’s second-ranked three-point shooter by percentage (45.3%) behind George Hill. Curry has attempted 300 threes making 136 of them. His attempts are ranked outside the top fifty (65) in the league. Seth isn’t just a shooter he’s a dead-eye marksman and his skill is steadily improving. His selective approach to three-point and field goal shooting has placed him with some of the league’s elite.

Here are a few of Seth’s appearances on the NBA’s leader board.

3-Pt Field Goal Pct

Active 44.3% (1st)
Career NBA 44.3 (2nd)

True Shooting Percentage

65% (8th)

Effective Field Goal Pct

62.8% (8th)

Recent monster performances versus the Pelicans (21 pts, 6-9 3pt fg), Timber-wolves (27 pts, 11-17 fg) and Heat (37 pts, 8-9 3pt fg, 13-15 fg) solidify the younger Curry’s long-range prowess. He’s easily been the most consistent deep threat on the roster. Regularly delivering necessary daggers and spacing the Mavs have lacked in previous years. Versus Minnesota, he gave us this impressive four-point play just before halftime.

Seth’s recent hot streak was derailed by an ankle sprain on Friday, March 6th, against the Memphis Grizzlies. Although, S Dot has missed three of the last six games he’s had a relatively healthy year. In total, he’s missed just six games which bolsters his once frowned upon durability. Last year’s deep playoff run with the Trailblazers gifted Curry intangible experience the Mavericks hope to harness for the playoffs.

Tim Hardaway Jr.

The Mavericks have one of the best shooting back-courts in the entire NBA. In large part due to the resurgence of Tim Hardaway Jr. In mid-January, we wondered if THJ was still in the MFFL dog house and it’s clear he no longer resides there. The renown volume shooter was largely regarded as a throw-in when the Mavs acquired Kristaps Porzingis. However, that narrative is swiftly losing momentum as Tim is shooting the best three-point field goal percentage (40.8%) and effective field goal percentage (55.6%) of his seven-year career.

To date, Tim has attempted 434 threes making 177 of them. That’s 134 more attempts than Seth Curry who is shooting 5.8% better from distance. Generally, you could say the shot selection is the culprit. One could even suggest the difference can be afforded to contrast in roles. Tim has shown a proficiency to make big shots establishing himself as a go-to guy.

TIM HARDAWAY JR IS A BAAAAAAD MAN ?!#MFFL | ? @FOXSportsSW pic.twitter.com/R9wTOUxySO
— FOX Sports Southwest (@FOXSportsSW) March 9, 2020

He’s especially needed when one or both of the team’s superstars are out. KP and Luka’s skillset provide ample outside shots for teammates which is a proven strength of THJ. Hardaway Jr. provides the cut-throat nature of a proven scorer and the understanding of a secure NBA veteran. His improvement has been drastically understated.

The NBA’s three-point field goal percentage ranks Tim 25th and Seth 2nd, respectively. These two role players embody the Mavericks’ newfound philosophy and its proven effectiveness. Earlier this month author of the bestselling book Sprawlball, Kirk Goldsberry, shared the NBA’s best shooters according to the zone. Illustrating just how hot the two have been.