These are the worst three-point shooters in the NBA for the 2023-24 season so far based on their shooting percentages and volume.
The general consensus among NBA fans and analysts alike is that we live in the greatest three-point shooting era in the history of the NBA. For the most part, they would be correct, but with any trend in sports, you have to take the bad with the good. As many great three-point shooters there are in the NBA today, there are the ones who have disappointed through 11-12 games this season, struggling to find their rhythm from beyond the arc.
Based on their current three-point percentages, these 27 players have all shot under 32.0% this season from three. Some of these players are known as three-point specialists, while others are simply trying to add this part of the game to their repertoire. One thing every player below has in common is that they are all on pace for at least 1.0 three-pointers made per game this season or 82 overall throughout the entire year.
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These are the worst three-point shooters in the NBA in 2023-24 so far.
Tier 4 – 30.0%-31.9%
Jordan Poole – 30.1% (2.0-6.6 3PM-3PA)
Keyonte George – 30.4% (1.3-4.2 3PM-3PA)
Franz Wagner – 30.6% (1.7-5.6 3PM-3PA)
Joel Embiid – 30.8% (1.1-3.5 3PM-3PA)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – 30.8% (1.2-3.9 3PM-3PA)
Coby White – 30.9% (1.8-5.7 3PM-3PA)
Jordan Clarkson – 31.1% (1.7-5.5 3PM-3PA)
Russell Westbrook – 31.3% (1.0-3.2 3PM-3PA)
Keldon Johnson – 31.4% (1.6-5.1 3PM-3PA)
Malaki Branham – 31.4% (1.0-3.2 3PM-3PA)
Taurean Prince – 31.8% (1.4-4.4 3PM-3PA)
Donte DiVincenzo – 31.9% (1.4-4.3 3PM-3PA)
The bottom of our tier list begins with the 12 players who are shooting 30.0% to 31.9% to start their 2023-24 seasons. Jordan Poole’s new beginning with the Washington Wizards is off to a nightmarish start, highlighted by his immense ego and abysmal shooting numbers. Right now, the Wizards are 2-9 to start the season, with Poole averaging just 16.2 points on 30.1% shooting from three. It is Poole’s worst shooting display since his rookie season in 2019-20.
Keyonte George of the Utah Jazz is having a similar start to his 2023-24 season, shooting 30.4% from three on 4.2 attempts per game. The 6’4’’ rookie guard from Baylor was Utah’s 14th overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft and is struggling to adjust to the NBA. George has appeared in all 11 games for the 4-7 Jazz, averaging 8.0 points per game on just 38.5% shooting overall.
Franz Wagner is one of the bright up-and-coming stars for the Orlando Magic in today’s NBA but his three-point shooting has been his biggest issue so far in 2023-24. In his first two seasons combined, Wagner shot 35.8% from three on 4.0 attempts. This season, with more attempts, his numbers have plummeted from beyond the arc. Still, the Magic have been good to start the year at 6-5 with Wagner averaging 18.3 points per game on 40.9% shooting overall.
Joel Embiid has been known to stretch out defenses for the Philadelphia 76ers over the last few seasons but he certainly doesn’t have to. Despite being a dominant interior presence, Embiid is still attempting 3.5 threes per game and shooting 30.8% from three. Lucky for Philadelphia, he is shooting 54.4% from everywhere else on the court and averaging a league-leading 31.9 points per game for the third year in a row. With the Sixers at 8-3, nobody is complaining too much about Embiid’s shooting just yet.
While Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is shooting just 30.8% from three-point land to start the season, he is on pace to match his All-Star and All-NBA First Team production from last season. Through 10 games, Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 29.3 points per game while shooting a higher overall percentage from the field than last season at 53.4%. Attempting just 3.5 three-pointers per game, it is safe to say that the shot is not a large part of his game and low efficiency isn’t a concern.
For the first time since 2021, Coby White returned to a consistent starting role for the Bulls in 2023-24. So far, both he and the team have gotten off to a dreadful start. Through 12 games, White is shooting just 30.9% from three on 5.7 attempts while shooting just 38.1% overall. White is averaging 12.0 points per game and the Bulls are 4-8 to begin the year.
After being put into a full-time starting role for the Jazz last season, Jordan Clarkson has continued that role to start 2023-24. Through 11 games, Clarkson is averaging 17.7 points per game and shooting 31.1% from three on 5.5 attempts. Clarkson and the Jazz are off to a 4-7 start to the season with Clarkson shooting the lowest percentage of his career from three. With much higher expectations than how they have started the year, it would be nice to see Clarkson find somewhat of a rhythm from beyond the arc to help save their season in the early going.
Russell Westbrook has never been known as a three-point shooter, relying on other parts of his game for the most part. In 2023-24 with the Clippers, Westbrook is shooting 31.3% from three on just 3.2 attempts. As a career 30.5% three-point shooter, this has come to be expected throughout his career. Westbrook has been a positive for the Clippers this season, averaging 14.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game.
The next two players on this list are a pair of San Antonio Spurs who have struggled to shoot the ball to begin the 2023-24 season. The first of these is forward Keldon Johnson who with high expectations next to Victor Wembanyama, has struggled worse than ever from beyond the three-point line. Currently, he is shooting 31.4% from three on 5.1 attempts. The good news is he has shot 51.8% everywhere else on the floor. At 3-8, the Spurs desperately need to change things around and Johnson has to be more efficient to do so.
The other player for the Spurs who is also shooting 31.4% from three is reserve shooting guard Malaki Branham. Branham has kept a significant role for the Spurs off the bench after his 2022-23 season. He is currently playing 20.2 minutes per game and getting his fair share of shots in the air. However, Branham is hitting on just 1.0 of his 3.2 three-point attempts and shooting 43.2% overall from the floor. Through 11 games, he is averaging 9.0 points per game and could see a drop in minutes if the struggles continue.
On Opening night in 2023-24, Taurean Prince looked like he could be the steal of the offseason, going 4-6 from three for 18 points in a loss to the Nuggets. Since that night, Prince has completely cooled off, shooting 26.3% from three and averaging just 8.1 points per game. Currently, the Lakers are 6-6 on the season and reportedly “in the pursuit” of a third star. Prince could see himself being a part of that deal, especially if the struggles continue.
The final member of Tier 4 of the worst three-point shooters so far in 2023-24 is Donte DiVincenzo of the New York Knicks. DiVincenzo is a fan-favorite thanks to his clutch hustle plays and energy burst off the bench. While he has had his moments for New York already in 2023-24, things have been bleak from beyond the three-point line. Through 11 games, DiVincenzo is shooting 31.9% from three on 4.3 attempts. It is the lowest three-point percentage of his career and the fewest attempts since 2019-20.
Julius Randle – 28.2% (1.8-6.5 3PM-3PA)
Victor Wembanyama – 28.3% (1.5-5.5 3PM-3PA)
Damian Lillard – 28.6% (2.4-8.6 3PM-3PA)
Georges Niang – 28.6% (1.3-4.5 3PM-3PA)
Ziaire Williams – 28.9% (1.3-4.5 3PM-3PA)
Josh Hart – 28.9% (1.0-3.5 3PM-3PA)
Mikal Bridges – 29.2% (1.9-6.5 3PA-3PM)
Nikola Vucevic – 29.3% (1.0-3.4 3PM-3PA)
Marcus Smart – 29.5% (1.6-5.5 3PM-3PA)
Keegan Murray – 29.6% (2.4-8.1 3PM-3PA)
Cade Cunningham – 29.7% (1.8-6.2 3PM-3PA)
The next tier of players who are having even worse starts to the season consists of 12 players shooting between 28.0% and 29.9% from three. Much has been said about Julius Randle’s struggles to start the season for the Knicks, particularly his shooting numbers. Randle is currently shooting just 35.9% from the field overall and 28.2% from three which is the fifth-worst percentage in the NBA.
Rookie Victor Wembanyama has lived up to the enormous hype for the most part to start the 2023-24 season, especially on the defensive end with 1.0 steals and 2.6 blocks per game. However, his efficiency as a shooter has been among the worst in basketball at 28.3% on 5.5 attempts per game from three. Shooting just 7-16 overall on average, or 43.2%, Wembanyama’s shooting has to be a cause for concern for the 3-8 Spurs.
Damian Lillard has always been known as one of the great three-point shooters of our time. He is certainly one of the greatest to ever do it from the point guard position but a new start in a new home has him feeling the pressure a bit. After demanding out of Portland this summer, Lillard has begun his Bucks career shooting just 28.6% from three through nine games. This is the first time in his career that he has shot under 30.0% from three but for one of the greats, you have to assume the slump will be over soon.
Georges Niang is another player in a new home struggling to find his rhythm from three. After two seasons with the 76ers shooting above 40.0% from three, Niang has gotten off to a slow start in 2023-24 with the Cavaliers. Niang has appeared in all 11 games for the Cavaliers so far but is hitting on just 1.3 of his 4.5 three-point attempts or 28.6%. While this stretch has been brutal for Niang, you have to believe he will right himself as the season goes along.
Everything about the Memphis Grizzlies has been a disappointment to start the 2023-24 season. One of those bigger disappointments for them has been forward Ziaire Williams’ struggles amid a large bump in opportunity and playing time. In 10 games this season, including eight starts, Williams is shooting 28.9% from three and 35.3% overall on 3.0 more shots per game than last season. Williams alone is not to blame of course for a team that is 2-9 through 11 games.
Josh Hart is another member of the New York Knicks’ second unit to see his three-point attempts clank off the iron. As a key member of their rotations, seeing 28.9 minutes per game, Hart is shooting just 28.9% from three on the season on 3.5 attempts. Hart has struggled all around shooting the ball, going 39.5% on 7.4 shot attempts. Last season, Hart was a big boost for them off the bench on their playoff run. They need him to be more productive in order to get back to that point.
After coming over to the Brooklyn Nets last season from the Suns, Mikal Bridges unlocked something in his game that saw him average 26.1 points per game in 27 games. To start the 2023-24 season, things have cooled off quite a bit for Bridges and the Nets. Through 11 games, he is shooting 29.2% from three on 6.5 attempts, 8.4% lower than with the Nets last year. With the Nets still managing to win games and start 6-5, the red flags have not been raised yet giving Bridges time to turn things around.
Once again, the Chicago Bulls have gotten off to a start that has initiated talks of blowing up the roster completely. One constant for the team despite that bad start has been Nikola Vucevic who is averaging a 17.6 points and 10.5-plus rebounds per game double-double for the third year in a row. Unfortunately, in 2023-24, Vucevic’s three-point shooting has not been consistent with the big man shooting 29.3% on 3.4 attempts. For now, Vucevic’s poor shooting is very low on Chicago’s list of concerns.
Marcus Smart has made it an interesting start to his Memphis Grizzlies career after nine seasons with the Boston Celtics. The Grizzlies have been awful to start 2023-24, going 2-9 through 11 games. Smart has been a decent two-way presence for them on the perimeter but, like the entire organization, has struggled to shoot the ball from deep. In 11 games, Smart is shooting just 29.5% from three on 5.5 attempts.
In 2022-23, Keggan Murray had a sensational rookie season that saw him help the Kings snap their 17-year-long playoffless streak. In 2023-24, Murray appears to have begun his season in a Sophomore slump. Currently, Murray is shooting just 29.6% from three and 38.7% overall with an increased workload of 13.7 shots per game. He has started all 10 games for the Kings who are 6-4. He has looked far better as of later on their four-game win streak, 10-25 from three during that stretch.
The final member of Tier 3 of the NBA’s worst three-point shooters is Pistons point guard Cade Cunningham. First of all, it has been great to see Cunningham healthy and on the court for Detroit this season. That being said, his Achilles heel continues to be his inefficiency from three. While he is averaging a career-high 21.3 points per game, he is also shooting under 30.0% from three for the second straight season on more attempts than ever before. The Pistons have gotten off to another horrific start at 2-10 as well so maybe we will see the changes that help Cunningham improve his shot selection.
Tier 2 – 26.0%-27.9%
Zach Collins – 26.8% (1.0-3.7 3PM-3PA)
Trae Young – 27.8% (2.0-7.2 3PM-3PA)
Brandon Miller – 27.8% (1.1-4.0 3PM-3PA)
The next group of players in Tier 3 is shooting 26.0% to 27.9% from three this season in far different roles than the others. Zach Collins is currently starting alongside Victor Wembanyama in the Spurs’ frontcourt. While Collins is shooting 53.4% overall and averaging 13.9 points per game, his 26.8% shooting from three on 3.2 attempts has been hard to watch. Collins is taking the most three-pointers of his career while shooting the worst percentage of his career by a wide margin. You have to believe Coach Popovich is in his ear telling him to tone it down.
Seeing Trae Young so high up on a list of the worst shooters in the NBA has to be today’s biggest surprise. The truth is that, while being an elite scorer and playmaker, Young has been struggling with his shooting for a few seasons now, but it has never been this bad. For the first time in six seasons, Young is shooting under 30.0% from three at 27.8%, while averaging less than 25.0 points per game for the first time since 2019.
Rookie Brandon Miller has shut down a lot of his critics heading into 2023-24. Through his first nine career games, Miller is averaging 12.8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game on 44.4% shooting. However, his efficiency from three has been his clear weakness and needs to be corrected as soon as possible. Miller is currently shooting 27.8% from three on 4.0 attempts. In his last five games, he is 2-17 from three and the Hornets have gone 2-3, falling to 3-7 on the year.
Tier 1 – Under 25.0%
Pascal Siakam – 24.0% (1.1-4.5 3PM-3PA)
Statistically, the worst shooter in the NBA this season of any player with at least 1.0 made per game is Pascal Siakam of the Toronto Raptors. Since becoming an NBA champion in 2019 in just his third season, Siakam has made two All-Star and two All-NBA Teams. However, to start 2023-24, he has looked far from that version of himself. In 11 starts, Siakam is averaging 18.7 points per game, his lowest since 2019, and shooting 24.0% from three, his worst since 2018. The Raptors cannot afford to have their star player struggling this badly and shooting this poorly if they wish to somehow sneak back into playoff contention.
Credit For Stats: ESPN
