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Denver’s Surprise Improvement From This Year: Three Point Shooting

By Mathew Huff

Mar 22, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) shoots the ball during the first half against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 22, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) shoots the ball during the first half against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 9, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari (8) shoots the ball during the first half against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 9, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari (8) shoots the ball during the first half against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports /

Denver shocked many fans with their perimeter shooting this year.

The Denver Nuggets were not a feared three point shooting team coming into this season. By the season’s end, that narrative had quickly changed.

Their perimeter shooting was one facet that was pleasantly improved and took many teams and fans by surprise. As a result, it helped propel the Nuggets to have the third best offense in the league behind the Rockets and Warriors.

According to Teamrankings.com, Denver finished just shy of the top 10 in three point shooting percentage averaging 36.8% from beyond the arc. The team was ranked seventh in three pointers made per game averaging 10.6. That was 0.1 shy of Dallas and Brooklyn who were tied with each other at the fifth spot.

Denver Nuggets
Denver Nuggets /

Denver Nuggets

We all know about guys like Gallinari and Chandler who have always been scorers, but Denver uncovered some offensive diamonds in the rough this year. Nikola Jokic had his breakout season and Gary Harris suddenly became a top 10 three point shooter in the NBA. To go along with these players, rookies Jamal Murray, Malik Beasley and Juancho Hernangomez brought a welcome asset in stretching the floor to their arsenal.

This was a big reason for Denver having such a high powered offense this season. Not to mention, the veteran shooter, Mike Miller was still on the roster.

Even though he didn’t get many minutes, his presence and his role as a shooting mentor was most likely beneficial. The man is one of the purest shooters in the NBA, so the young players would have been wise to heed his advice on shooting jump shots.

Coming into the year, it was clear that the Nuggets needed to find a way to score consistently from down town. They were way too streaky from that range the year before. This season, it was corrected and it was corrected in outstanding fashion.

Must Read: GI Nuggets

With such a young team going forward, the Denver Nuggets could become one of the most deadly three point shooting teams in the league in the coming seasons.

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