Three-point shooting not a concern for Phoenix Suns head coach Jeff Hornacek
Nov 11, 2014, 4:54 PM | Updated: 4:55 pm
As expected, the Phoenix Suns have attempted a lot of three-point field goals early in the 2014-15 season.
Unexpectedly, they’re not making a lot of them.
The Suns are shooting an average of 25.9 treys per game, which ranks third in the league. Their .337 shooting percentage from long range ranks just 14th in the NBA.
Head coach Jeff Hornacek isn’t all that worried about it.
“It’s early, we’ll continue to work on the shooting,” he told Doug and Wolf Tuesday on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM. “The spacing, with Markieff (Morris) in there is a little bit different. Guys are still getting used to where those three-pointers are coming from.”
Gone from last year’s team is Channing Frye, who signed with the Orlando Magic in the offseason. Frye made 162 three-pointers and shot .370 from behind the arc a year ago. He is regarded as one of the best floor spacers in the league and his absence has been felt early.
But there are other ways to address the issue, according to Hornacek.
“If we continue to push the ball like we did in the fourth quarter in the last game, that’s what opens up those three-pointers that we’re so used to seeing these guys shoot,” he said.
The game Hornacek referred to was a 107-95 win over the Golden State Warriors Sunday night. The Suns enjoyed their highest-scoring fourth quarter of the season with 36 points and hit 5-of-11 three-point attempts.
The Suns host the Brooklyn Nets Wednesday night at US Airways Center. Tip-off is at 7:00 p.m. and all the action can be heard on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM starting with the pregame show at 6:30 p.m.
