Casspi's 3 point shooting

#1
Just thought we should discuss the "issue" and lay it to rest...

We all know Omri has a bit of an awkward low and slow release to his shot, but it's effective -
he has been a solid carreer 35% long-range shooter. So the question is - what has changed? :confused:

As I see it (insufficient data backup to follow) -
While some of us were mourning about Omri's so called "long range slump" earlier this season,
there was in fact nothing wrong (or different) with Omri's 3pt making.
It was all about not taking 3pt shots.

By mid/late December 2014, almost two months into the season, Casspi had a terrible-looking stat of 14% from 3pt. (See here)
Note this, however: Up to this point he only took 14 long-range shots!... 14!
That's less than Curry or Thompson sometimes take in one single game! :eek: It means Omri practically attempted about half a shot per game...

I'm not just arguing the obvious SSS (small sample size) that makes this %s figure irrelevant -
the main thing is a shooter has to shoot (and keep shooting) whether shots are falling or not.
In our great W tonight (March 25) against the Suns, Ben was already 0 of 3 from beyond the arc, deep into the 4th Q,
but he kept them going and made the last 2, to secure our lead and set his % at a nice 40...

Was Casspi feeling insecure about his shot in early season? This could be a part of it, but I doubt it.
I'm pretty sure that Omri was not employing his own choice of shots then (or not solely, anyway) -
These were probably coach's orders to prefer slashing to the rim (and hey, let's face it - it worked well).

BTW, this was exactly the time when Malone was fired, and Casspi had that mysterious FO-related "injury"...

If we disregard this first period (under Malone) and start counting on December 22,
when Casspi "recovered" and joined the active roster again - these are the stats:
Since December 22 Casspi is taking 1.2 attempts per game from 3pt land (still very low)
and making them in 39.5%! :) (Almost top ranked on the team for that period)

The latest development (small sample alert!):
In the last 6 games, as a starter, Omri takes 3.2 long-range shots a game (at least 2 shots in each game)
and his percentage is up to 47.4! :D (5 of them where home games - that may have helped too).

Coincidence?
 
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#2
I think he has just been getting better looks under Karl. A ton of drive and kick action and he gets his shot in rhythm. He's also encouraged to take it under this system, where under Malone it was more about getting to the paint/line.
 

Bricklayer

Don't Make Me Use The Bat
#3
To answer the coincidence question -- yes, and no.

Omri has been in the league 6 years now, sometimes as a starter, sometimes a bencher. He's never been a deadeye threepoint shooter. His very best two full seasons were his first two with us at .369 and .372. The beginning of the year was an aberration, but I think a healthy one for him -- when he was almost failing out of the league part of the problem was that he was too passively just standing out there chucking up what for him was a low percentage shot. The current streak is an aberration too. I don't think after 6 years he's suddenly a 40% shooter (he was at .327 last year). But I do think he could get back to being a high 30's shooter if he's getting open threes on kickouts and whatnot.
 

kingsboi

Hall of Famer
#4
Although he has improved and taken more in Karl's short stint here....I don't think his shooting is sustainable throughout a 82 game season.
 
#5
Although he has improved and taken more in Karl's short stint here....I don't think his shooting is sustainable throughout a 82 game season.
Oh, it certainly IS sustainable.
Not exactly at the 40% level but at 35%.
No proof needed really - It is quite plainly being sustsined in action throughout 384 games over 6 seasons. :)

My guess, like Brick's, is that open looks - through team ball movement - can even help raise Omri's 3pt% slightly over his career level,
so the high 30's or perhaps even 40% could be consistently sustainable for Casspi under Karl (IMHO) if he doesn't force shots.
 
#6
35% is fine for a stretch 4 type. Markieff Morris shoots at 31% and he would be classified as a stretch 4. If Casspi can be at 35-37% he is a nice rotation player overall with his energy, open floor game and solid defense. He fits what Karl is trying to do, so I can see him coming back. I just cringe when he tries to dribble in anything other than a straight line, gets the ball stripped or ends up dribbling off his feet most of the time.
 
#7
To answer the coincidence question -- yes, and no.

Omri has been in the league 6 years now, sometimes as a starter, sometimes a bencher. He's never been a deadeye threepoint shooter. His very best two full seasons were his first two with us at .369 and .372. The beginning of the year was an aberration, but I think a healthy one for him -- when he was almost failing out of the league part of the problem was that he was too passively just standing out there chucking up what for him was a low percentage shot. The current streak is an aberration too. I don't think after 6 years he's suddenly a 40% shooter (he was at .327 last year). But I do think he could get back to being a high 30's shooter if he's getting open threes on kickouts and whatnot.
Actually he wasn't at .327 last year. He was at .347. Not great but not that bad. 32-33 % was his 3pt success rate in Cavs... where Byron Scott (which I think is the very worst coach in NBA) wanted him to do precisely this - passively stand out there and shoot 3pt (and ball movement wasn't good, so shots were bad)... Actually it was just hillarios - second season they lost to injuries more or less all bigs, so they just didn't have any back-up PF. Scott still refused to play Omri at PF... He played there everyone, even Luke Walton who was 33 years old, super-slow and clearly in his last season but not Omri... Ironically next year McHale played Casspi for quite big minutes as PF and he did more or less ok in play-off team... Omri is no star on NBA level but not chucking 3pt was reason of Casspi's almost failing out of league but Byron Scott and Cavs as organization.