Dissecting Kentucky's Three-Point Shooting Through The First Eight Games
Kentucky hasn't been known as a solid three-point shooting team in quite some time, and usually just has a one or two confident shooters each year. This season, Kentucky looked to be very deep in the shooting column, with the additions of Kellan Grady and CJ Fredrick, being paired alongside returners Dontaie Allen and Davion Mintz. CJ Fredrick is out for the remainder of the season to an injury, but TyTy Washington and Sahvir Wheeler have emerged as a few of the go-to's on this roster for a high-paced scoring offense, which the two weren't necessarily accounted for when breaking down the roster this summer.
So through eight games, who has been Kentucky's best three-point shooters through 8 games?
Three-Point Leaders (10 or more shots):
Kellan Grady: 42.1% (16/38)
TyTy Washington: 39.3% (11/28)
Davion Mintz: 38.9% (7/18)
Sahvir Wheeler: 25% (4/16) & Keion Brooks: 25% (3/12)
Dontaie Allen: 22.2% (6/27)
Three-Point Leaders In Total:
Kellan Grady: 42.1% (16/38)
TyTy Washington: 39.3% (11/28)
Davion Mintz: 38.9% (7/18)
Bryce Hopkins: 33.3% (3/9)
Sahvir Wheeler: 25% (4/16) & Keion Brooks: 25% (3/12)
I would like to see Dontaie Allen higher on that list, and many would have expected him to be, but I think it's just more so the fact that he's being asked to do more than just shoot now, and also he's getting less attempts - last season he was THE shooter. To counter argue that, he's only third in line for most three-point attempts on the entire team, and if you're having more competition from your own team, that usually means the defense won't solely collapse on you, double teaming you every time you touch the ball, giving more open looks when you find the reps.
Despite the shooting percentages, Kellan Grady leads the team in made threes (16), followed behind by TyTy Washington (11), Davion Mintz (7) and Dontaie Allen (6).
Kellan Grady will lead the way the rest of the season, but I selfishly want Dontaie Allen to move up on that list. The effort and consistency we're getting from TyTy Washington and Sahvir Wheeler has been a bonus, and seems to be something we can rely on moving forward.