It’s no secret that Brook Lopez has regressed to start the new 2019-20 NBA season which isn’t even that new anymore (we’re like 1/6th of the way done already, damn). After shooting 36% on three-pointers last season, he’s shooting a cool 28% on them this season.
Bucks fans can take solace in the fact that, while Lopez is currently a brickmaster from the deepzone, he’s not the most egregious deepzone brickmaster in the league. Here’s a list of the players who are attempting five or more threes a game yet shooting sub-30% on those shots:
Tim Hardaway Jr.: 29.5%
Kawhi Leonard: 28.6%
Eric Gordon: 28.4%
Brook Lopez: 27.9%
Lauri Markkanen: 26.8%
Jordan Poole: 25.3%
Terrence Ross: 25.0%
Stephen Curry: 24.3%
Russell Westbrook: 22.7%
Shabazz Napier: 22.6%
Blake Griffin: 18.2%
Most of those players have a history of being capable three-point shooters and are just really cold right now. Lopez fits into that category. Players like Westbrook and Poole probably shouldn’t be attempting nearly as many threes as they currently are, but for now, I’m fine with players like Lopez just continuing to shoot their shots until they start going in.
However, if another month passes and Lopez is still a brick machine, I’m going to start clamoring for a return of Nets-era Lopez, the guy who did work in the paint and whose range extended only to the deep midrange and no farther.