Long-Term Trends in Shooting Performance in the NBA: An Analysis of Two- and Three-Point Shooting across 40 Consecutive Seasons

Abstract

This study aims to depict two-point and three-point shooting trends and explore their influence on game outcomes in the NBA across 40 consecutive seasons. Therefore, the following game-related statistics were considered: total points per game (PPG), games played (GP), field goals made (FGM), field goal attempts (FGA), field goal percentage (FG%), two-point field goals made (2PM), two-point field goal attempts (2PA), two-point field goal percentage (2P%), three-point field goals made (3PM), three-point field goal attempts (3PA), three-point field goal percentage (3P%), and a three-point field goal to two-point field goal ratio (3P/2P). The fixed-base indexes and inter-decade ANOVAs or Friedman tests were used as the main statistical tools. The number of 3PA significantly increased over time, while the number of 2PA decreased. A significant increase in 3P% was also observed, whereas 2P% remained relatively stable over the analyzed period. This study also revealed a higher number of ball possessions and more points scored per game, especially in the last decade of NBA competition.