Minnesota Timberwolves president and head coach Flip Saunders went on Twitter on Sunday to “set the facts straight” about his stance on three-pointers. Why’d he do that?
Flip Saunders may ‘love’ 3-pointers, but his teams don’t shoot enough of them
The Timberwolves’ coach and president wanted to “set the facts straight” about his feelings on the three-point shot, but his actions so far in his coaching career tell a different tale.
Last April, Saunders reignited a debate about his team’s three-point shooting tendencies by telling the media that three-pointers shouldn’t become a “main part” of Andrew Wiggins’ game. While the quote itself is open to interpretation, Saunders’ history as a coach is not. Throughout his 17 years as an NBA head coach, his teams have rarely been above the league average in either three-pointers made or three-pointers attempted.
That’s why we’re hesitant to believe Saunders will follow through on statements like this.
Let's set this straight. I love 3 pointers. We have to shoot and will. Whoever said u didn't like 3 s is wrong. We will improve.
— Flip Saunders (@Flip_Saunders) August 2, 2015 Saunders may indeed love the three-point shot, but his teams haven’t used it as a weapon much. Last season, Minnesota was last in three point makes (5.0) and attempts (14.9) while finishing No. 25 in three-point percentage (33.2 percent). Since 2000, the highest a Saunders-coached team has finished in three-point attempts was in 2006, when his Pistons finished 10th in the NBA. During that same time period, Saunders’ clubs garnered 12 bottom-10 finishes and six bottom-five finishes.
While the Timberwolves could have finished higher in 2014-15 with more minutes or attempts given to their shooters, they also didn’t have many perimeter marksmen on the roster. The team hasn’t held onto shooters, trading away Mo Williams and Troy Daniels for Gary Neal. Neal then shot 2.8 three-pointers per game in 11 contest, the lowest average he’s ever had at any stop in his career. Saunders can use this as a reasonable explanation for the Timberwolves not shooting many threes, but he’s also the man in charge of assembling the roster.
Still, Flip Saunders the coach can change his team’s offense to overcome Flip Saunders the general manager. Minnesota clearly doesn’t have the squad to lead the league in threes or even finish in the top 10, but players shouldn’t be discouraged from shooting them. A young, developing player like Wiggins should be pushed to add the three-point shot as another element to his game. He has the ability to improve while shooting more than 1.5 threes a contest.
With a little bit more generosity around the three-point line, the Timberwolves really could be dangerous. Firing away opens up their transition attack, as SB Nation’s Jesus Gomez explained:
To be competitive in the West, the Timberwolves will have to play to their strengths. They have neither the shooters nor the elite isolation scorers to have a good half-court offense. What they do have are tremendous athletes and a fantastic passer on their roster.
But without an appropriate green light to shoot triples next year, it’s hard to imagine the Timberwolves having a potent attack offense. The importance of the long ball in the NBA continues to rise and the Timberwolves need to adjust with the changing times. We’ll see if Saunders backs up his words with more action this season.
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