Welcome to “Weekly Stat Spotlight,” a deep-dive series exploring the primary statistical categories in fantasy basketball. Each week, we’ll dissect one statistical metric, providing a comprehensive analysis that goes beyond surface-level numbers. We’ll highlight elite performers capable of carrying your team in that category, break down lesser-known options who can make a surprising impact, and warn against players who might sabotage your success.
Lastly, we’ll provide specific matchups to look out for when optimizing your lineup decisions and transactions for three-point success. The focus this week is three-pointers made, an increasingly pivotal category in modern fantasy basketball that has seen a mix of veteran sharpshooters and newer faces making a splash at the top of the leaderboards this season.
Although three-pointers made is a standard category in most leagues while three-point percentage is not, these selections pay close attention to efficiency, recognizing its critical role in overall fantasy performance and field goal percentage calculations. (Statistics as of January 22, 2025)
Top Performers
Stephen Curry
(PG, Golden State Warriors)
4.4 3PM, 40.9% 3FG
Despite his below-standard scoring output (22.9 PPG) and career-low overall efficiency from the field (44.8%), it should come as no surprise to see the greatest shooter of all time still headlining this category. After Curry attempted over 20 field goals per game the past four seasons, that rate is down to just 17.1 this year.
At the same time, Curry has shot a career-high percentage of his field goal attempts from beyond the arc (63%) and remained the league’s best three-point shooter. His recent long-range shooting stretch has been spectacular, with six games of 7+ three-pointers in his last 15 outings, and now leads the league in 3PM per game, a familiar spot for him over the course of his career.
Anthony Edwards
(SG, Minnesota Timberwolves)
4.2 3PM, 42.8% 3FG
One of the league’s preeminent rising stars, Edwards is having by far his best season from range. Ant is converting 4.2 threes per game on superb efficiency (42.8%), easily surpassing his previous career-bests in those statistics (3.0 3PM in 2021-22, 37% 3FG in 2022-23).
Edwards has benefited from increased isolation scoring from distance, with the majority of his three-point makes coming unassisted for the first time in his career (54%). He has been particularly effective on pull-up threes, converting 3.1 per game on 43%, a notable uptick from last season (1.5 per game on 33%).
Tyler Herro
(SG, Miami Heat)
3.9 3PM, 40.7% 3FG
Having taken over as the go-to option in Miami, Herro is having his best season to date and earning All-Star consideration due to career-highs in PPG (24.0), FG% (47.8), and 3FG% (40.7). Herro has made progressively more threes per game each season since 2020 and made a significant jump from 3.1 last season to 3.9 halfway through this year’s campaign.
With more scoring responsibility, Herro has cut down on his midrange attempts and taken far more threes than in prior seasons. Over his first five years, Herro attempted 26% of his shots between 10-feet from the basket and the three-point line and 44% from beyond the arc. In 2024-25, those midrange attempts are down to 11.5%, while his three-point attempts are up to 55% of his total FGA.
Jordan Poole
(SG, Washington Wizards)
3.7 3PM, 40.2% 3FG
The 6-win Wizards are the NBA’s worst team this season, but that hasn’t stopped Poole from having a career year, particularly from deep. Poole is notching career-highs in threes per game (3.7) and three-point percentage (40.2%), the fourth-best 3PM rate among 40%+ shooters from beyond the arc.
Given a severe lack of scoring ability in Washington, it comes as no surprise that Poole, like Edwards, has switched to a more isolation-heavy approach from distance. After shooting largely within the flow of the offense in Golden State (just 25% of his threes came unassisted for Warriors), Poole is making far more threes unassisted in Washington, up to 42% this season.
Donovan Mitchell
(SG, Cleveland Cavaliers)
3.7 3PM, 40.2% 3FG
Mitchell, a full-fledged superstar and arguably the best guard in the Eastern Conference, is having his best season from three, shooting over 40% for the first time and making 3.7 per game. Mitchell has made strides in many areas, including major improvements on defense since coming to Cleveland, but in terms of three-point shooting, he has improved significantly on wide-open looks.
After largely failing to take advantage on three-point attempts with a defender 6-feet or more away from him over the course of his career, Mitchell is converting over half of those attempts for the first time this season (52.5%), a key factor in his overall three-point efficiency.
Under the Radar Targets
Malik Beasley
(SG, Detroit Pistons)
3.7 3PM, 39.6% 3FG
Beasley, serving as the Pistons sixth man, has been integral to Detroit’s resurgence this season and will likely see an expanded role with Jaden Ivey set to miss significant time with a broken leg. In his reserve role, Beasley has launched from deep, averaging career-highs in makes (3.7) and attempts from distance (9.2) while remaining north of his career 3-point efficiency at nearly 40%.
Beasley is a much better defender than fellow Detroit shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr., so expect head coach J.B. Bickerstaff to rely on him during Ivey’s absence and take advantage of his availability in over three-quarters of ESPN leagues.
Payton Pritchard
(PG, Boston Celtics)
3.3 3PM, 41.6% 3FG
Pritchard has made a huge impact as an additional scoring threat for the stacked Celtics this season. Notching career-highs across the board this season, Pritchard’s three-point proficiency has stood out, with his 3PM rate more than doubling from his first four years (1.5 to 3.3).
Impressively, he is shooting career-high efficiencies from distance (42%) and overall (47%) to go along with his rise in scoring (14.6 PPG). Despite these gains, Pritchard is still rostered in just 60% of ESPN leagues, so scoop him up if you can and profit considerably in the three-point category.
De’Andre Hunter
(SF, Atlanta Hawks)
2.7 3PM, 42.5% 3FG
Hunter shot 44% from three as a sophomore at UVA, which helped him rise up draft boards to the fourth overall selection in 2019, but converted a middling 36% of his long-range attempts as a starter over his first five NBA seasons. Despite coming off the bench in year-six, Hunter has turned it up a notch, converting 2.7 threes a game on 42.5%.
After struggling to take advantage of wide-open looks created in an offense led by Trae Young, Hunter has begun to capitalize on those opportunities over the last couple of years, shooting easily a career-best rate of 50% on such attempts this season. Despite his effectiveness, Hunter remains available in 34% of ESPN leagues
Grayson Allen
(SG, Phoenix Suns)
2.4 3PM, 43.0% 3FG
Last year’s three-point percentage king, Allen, has put up similar numbers from deep this season (2.4 3PM on 43%) but is rostered in just 37% of ESPN leagues. Restricted to a reduced bench role in 2024-25, Allen has become minimally versatile on offense as a spot-up shooter.
He now takes a career-high 73% of his field goal attempts from deep and has been assisted on all but two of his three-pointers this season. Regardless, he is a consistently reliable three-point machine worthy of a pick-up for teams needing a boost in that category.
Keon Ellis
(SG, Sacramento Kings)
1.7 3PM, 44.6% 3FG
Despite averaging just 21.4 MPG and 7.7 PPG, Ellis has emerged as one of the league’s most effective three-and-D role players in his third NBA season. Ellis ranks in the 99th percentile in deflections for his position and pairs that with a 44.6% clip from three-point range, the fifth-highest rate in the league among players attempting at least three 3-pointers per game.
Ellis has been particularly effective over his last 15 games, averaging 2.7 3PM (including 5+ in two of his last four outings) and shooting 53% from the field. Consider adding Ellis (rostered in 3.5% of ESPN leagues) and slot him into your lineup when threes are a must.
Category Sinkers
Terry Rozier
(PG, Miami Heat)
1.5 3PM, 29.4% 3FG
After shining as a 20 PPG scorer in Charlotte, Rozier has regressed considerably in his third career stop in Miami. In his second season in South Beach, Rozier is shooting just 40% from the field and 29% from three-point land on 5.2 attempts per game. He has struggled substantially on corner threes and pull-ups from deep, areas of his game that have been among his strongest in prior seasons.
Rozier is attempting a career-high 42% of his threes from the corners but is converting them at just a 26% rate, far below his career mark of 37%. On pull-up threes, which constitute 23% of his overall field goal attempts, Rozier is converting just 26%, his lowest mark on such shots in eight seasons. He remains rostered in just over half of ESPN leagues but will need to make strides from deep to be a valuable fantasy asset in the second half of the season.
Kyle Kuzma
(PF, Washington Wizards)
1.2 3PM, 25.7% 3FG
Year-four in D.C. has been miserable for Kuzma, shooting career-lows in field goal percentage (42%) and three-point percentage (26%) for the lowly Wizards. The supporting cast has not been helpful and Kuzma has often had to go it alone, with a career-low percentage of his threes coming off assists.
Even on wide-open looks, Kuzma has had a rough go of it, shooting just 29% on such attempts. Fantasy team owners have kept faith in him, as he remains rostered in nearly two-thirds of ESPN leagues, presumably hoping for a second half turnaround.
Scottie Barnes
(PF, Toronto Raptors)
1.4 3PM, 27.7% 3FG
After demonstrating growth as a three-point shooter last season, Barnes has regressed mightily in year-four, shooting a career-low 27.7% on a career-high 5.2 attempts per game. Like Kuzma, Barnes has struggled on wide-open looks (30%), as well as looks classified as “open,” meaning a defender is 4-6 feet away (23%).
With strong numbers in pretty much every other major statistic, Barnes is certainly an effective fantasy option, but it would be wise to look elsewhere for effective three-point support.
Dejounte Murray
(PG, New Orleans Pelicans)
1.8 3PM, 30.2% 3FG
Murray has had a dreadful year from the field at 38% and has struggled from distance as well, shooting 30% on 5.9 attempts per game. During last season with Atlanta, by far Murray’s strongest three-point shooting season, a remarkable 12% of his overall field goals came from distance with tight defensive coverage and he converted an astounding 38% of those attempts.
It seems that approach may have caught up with him this season, as he is still attempting those shots at a 10% rate but has seen his efficiency drop to 21% on such looks. There is cause for optimism, however, as Murray has converted 41% of his 7.7 three-point attempts per game over his last seven outings.
Bam Adebayo
(C, Miami Heat)
0.7 3PM, 27.2% 3FG
Over his first six NBA seasons, Adebayo made just eight of his 62 total three-point attempts. Down the stretch last year, he appeared to miraculously discover his shooting touch from deep. After making one three all of 2023-24, Bam converted 16 of 38 attempts from distance over his final 22 games (including playoffs).
He logically followed that up with a substantial increase in three-point attempts this season, having already shot 103 at the midway point, but the experiment has gone poorly, with Adebayo converting them at just 27%. Adebayo remains a valuable fantasy commodity with strong contributions in other areas, but his surge in three-point attempts has brought his typically high field goal percentage down to just 46%.
Three-Point Matchups to Target
Utah Jazz, Atlanta Hawks, Washington Wizards,
Sacramento Kings, Toronto Raptors
Three-Point Matchups to Avoid
Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics,
Los Angeles Clippers, Dallas Mavericks