Allegedly, the estimable Adam Silver is contemplating the four-point shot. Traditionalists ask, why depart from the demand for excellence to carnival barker antics?
Billy Donovan makes a historical point about "contestedness." If I were two feet away from the basket shooting against an engaged Wembanyama or Holmgren, the contestedness level approaches 100 and my shot probability is zero. If a "logo three" becomes a "logo four," the game is worse as trainers and agents whisper "chicks dig the long ball." The analytics experts whisper, "One "Four" and three airballs still makes a points per shot worth 1.00."
Etan Thomas pointed out that a WNBA star had the lowest four-game three-point shooting success in history. Is that what we want for the NBA? Can we award extra points if a player plays shoeless or with an eye patch covering their dominant eye? After all, both increase the degree of difficulty.
We get it. Drive eyeballs, interest, and dollars into the sport. Coach Wooden rightly said, "No progress occurs without change, but not all change is progress."
What changes would I like to see? In the Celtics versus Grizzlies Summer League game, players fouled FOUR three-point shots. Just stop. Why give people three free throws? In that game, the teams combined to shoot 15-57 from beyond the arc, 26.3%. Defenders should have said, "Go ahead, make my day."
The four-point play doesn't make the game more competitive or more compelling. Better defense could. That worked for OKC. More fundamentally sound play. That worked for the Spurs' "Beautiful Game." Fewer injuries would, an argument for "load management." Fans shouldn't fret over player salaries or salary boundaries that are "competitively bargained." Don't watch.
Mr. Silver, "Say it ain't so."
Maybe these are worth four.
What makes a successful ATO?
— Chris Steed (@steeder10) July 10, 2025
1. FAMILIAR spacing template- this subconsciously familiarizes the defense with a previous action and is less info for the offense to synthesize in 1 minute.
2. COUNTER to a common action- easy to teach, tough to guard.
3. Using your BEST PLAYER… pic.twitter.com/vTOD3gYqKV
