Offense has been the name for the game so far for the Philadelphia 76ers this season. Their 5-3 start, which is actually a fruit of their ongoing gloomy stretch, is still a relative success early on, and it is their mighty scoring attack that has allowed them to have a winning record through their first eight games.
A big feature of their second-ranked offense is their impressive uptick as a three-point shooting bunch. After being one of the more inferior teams in the league on that end last season, the 76ers now rank fourth in three-point shooting percentage with a lofty 40 percent clip from downtown.
However, the 76ers still have not maximized that strength of theirs when it comes to volume. Despite their notable improvement on that front, they are only 16th in the league when it comes to attempts from rainbow country. The coaching staff will have to double down on their three-point tries since this time around, they have the actual gunners to be even more formidable.
The 76ers need to lean more on their three-point shooting edge
Led by Tyrese Maxey, who is second in the league in three-pointers made thus far, the 76ers have a lethal platoon of perimeter gunners. Quentin Grimes, Kelly Oubre Jr., and rookie VJ Edgecombe have also shot the three-ball especially well while having good volume from downtown.
The 76ers have also just gotten Jared McCain back from injury, and as everyone knows, he is plenty capable of quickly getting hot from beyond the arc. We have not even mentioned Paul George yet, and at this point in his career, his three-point shooting is probably his best trait.
Philly is attempting 36.3 attempts from three-point range on average, and as crazy as it may sound, that is still not a lot. Boston is leading the pack with 47 tries a game, and while the 76ers cannot just try to match that number forcibly, hoisting a bit more from downtown will only help them.
The 76ers are still prone to resorting to iso-ball, which should no longer be a primary resort for this team. After all, they have a slew of players who especially thrive in driving to the hole and kicking out. The necessary tools to generate even more three-point shots is already inherent in their makeup.
As the season progresses, the 76ers will have to be even more willing to fire away from three-point range. It has been one of the biggest strengths thus far, and it is imperative that they make it a featured part of their identity.