3-point CONNECTION TROUBLE
December 19th, 2007, 9:40 pm · Post a Comment · posted by jerrybrown
Phoenix’s top two 3-point shooters – by volume – continue to struggle.
Leandro Barbosa, who made 43 percent of his bombs last season, is down to 34 percent (54-for-157), and both he and Raja Bell were 10-for-33 over the five games heading into Wednesday.
A career 41 percent shooter from 3-point range, Bell’s percentage isn’t awful (.378) but even after making a season-high six behind the arc against
Washington on Dec. 7, he’s on pace to make 158 3-pointers this season – well behind last season, when his 205 makes tied Gilbert Arenas for the NBA lead.
He’s also on pace to take about 80 less 3-pointers, some of which is attributed to poor health early in the season
“Physically I feel good now,” said
Bell, who was bothered by ankle and back trouble for the first month of the season. “I’m looking for consistency. This year, it seems like they’ll be game when I can get into a good rhythm, and then one where I have to grid through and just give what I can give.
“I’ve had looks and I don’t feel like I’ve been shooting the ball poorly. Our team is different and I’m still trying to find where I fit in and get the chemistry pointed in the right directions. I do feel like that’s coming.”
