Shawn Marion Should Shoot More Three Pointers
It’s no secret that Dallas Mavericks’ Forward Shawn Marion has one of the most ‘unique’ jump shots in the NBA. Most fans cringe a little when he launches a three with that “T-Rex form,” often criticizing him for not passing the ball to Dirk Nowitzki or staying under the basket where he belongs. From the 2009-2010 season when he first joined the Mavericks to last year’s championship season, Marion averaged an unimpressive 15.4% from behind the arc (8 out of 52). Teams would literally let him shoot wide open three’s—and with those numbers, who blames them?
Don’t forget “The Matrix” was an above average three point shooter in Phoenix, where he averaged around a 32.1%, so he has the ability. During his years as a Sun, he was the king of fantasy basketball: he contributed across the board. Despite having a skill set that is better suited to staying in the post and the fact that the Mavericks have much better long distance shooters, Marion is shooting 3 pointers far more frequently than last year. He has already attempted more threes (38) than he did all of last season (33), even in this shortened lockout season. It’s paying dividends too. He has hit 34.2% of his attempts from behind the arc this year, and it appears his confidence behind the perimeter is returning.
Why is this important for the Mavericks? In the past, defenses would leave Marion open, if he was near the 3 point line, to encourage a wild shot. This allowed them to concentrate on defending the post or double-teaming Nowitzki. Now, besides the added production, Marion’s success shooting three pointers is forcing defenders to guard him behind the arc. This opens up the floor, spaces the defenders out, and forces them to stay true to their man-to-man assignments
. Now that he is having more success, when Marion is wide open with the ball behind the three point line, a defender will run full speed to prevent the shot rather than letting him attempt an uncontested three. As you probably already know, the Dallas Mavericks’ offense is extremely efficient when it is permitted to operate in wide open space. When a defender is forced out beyond the arc to try to defend the three pointer, Marion can either take it to the basket, or pass it with one less defender to worry about. One thing the Mavs excel at is finding the open player.
The Mavericks are already seeing the benefits of Marion’s three-point shooting. This season Brendan Haywood averaged 4.6 points per game up until the January 23rd game against Phoenix, when Marion went 4 out of 6 from three point range and finished with 29 points. Since that game, Haywood has averaged 5.9 points per game. The Mavericks are exploiting the space in the post and making a conscious effort to get Haywood the ball. Along with the high-flyer Brandon Wright, and the driving ability of Vince Carter and Delonte West, the Mavs can get those easy buckets in the paint they previously struggled so much for.
If the Mavericks want this success to continue, Marion has to shoot the three pointers when he is open. He is an above average open shooter, but he struggles if there is a hand in his face (probably due to the release point of the ball). The Mavericks need to make an effort to get him open behind the arc for at least 3 attempts per game, and he has to continue to show that he has the ability to knock down the open shot.
Marion’s shooting may look ugly, but the results would be nothing short of beautiful.