Washington Wizards: 5 frightening stats from blowout loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves
By Ethan Smith
28.6
Davis Bertans’s three-point shooting percentage versus the Timberwolves
Forget Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to the LA Clippers, or Russell Westbrook to the Houston Rockets. Who cares that Anthony Davis is a Laker?! After four games, it looked like the steal of the offseason was Davis Bertans.
In just over a week of regular-season action, Bertans had quickly won over Wizards fans with a net-scorching style. After the loss to the Rockets, he was averaging 55.2 percent from deep while hoisting more than 7 three’s per game. That all changed once the Timberwolves came to D.C.
In his second home game as a Wizard, Bertans shot an abysmal 28.6 percent from beyond the arc. He made just two of his seven attempts. Somehow, his early-season success has kept his averages afloat, even after a night like that. The Latvian Laser is still shooting 50 percent from three even after his many-miss night against Minnesota.
The Washington Wizards weren’t a great three-point shooting team last season. Despite ranking towards the middle of the pack in attempts and makes, they were 26th in the NBA in three-point shooting percentage. This season, they’re shooting more of them and making more of them. Through five games, the Wizards are shooting 37.4 percent from three, good for eighth in the NBA right now. A lot of that is thanks to Bertans’s outside prowess.
He’ll need to stay closer to 50 percent and leave the twenty-something percent performances behind if this team wants to be a serious three-point shooting threat. In today’s NBA, you can’t do much winning if you’re not.