Shot distribution in the NBA: did we see when 3-point shots became popular?

Noisy condition and three-point shot performance in skilled basketball players: the limited effect of self-talk

In modern basketball, the three-point shot plays an important tactical role. Basketball players often face the distraction from audience and opponents, necessitating psychological skill to maintain their performance. The study examined the effects of self-talk interventions on the three-point shot performance under quiet and noisy conditions. It involved 42 national second-level basketball players and used a 2 (Condition: quiet condition, noisy condition) × 3 (Intervention: control group, motivational self-talk, instructional self-talk) mixed design to investigate the performance of the static and dynamic three-point shots tasks. The results revealed that the static three-point shot score was significantly lower in noisy condition compared to quiet condition (p = 0.016), while the main effect of Intervention and the interaction effect of Condition × Intervention were not significant. Post-hoc analysis indicated that only the control group showed significantly lower scores in the noisy condition (p = 0.043). For the dynamic three-point shots performance, there were no significant main effects of Intervention or Condition, nor any significant interaction effect between Condition and Intervention. In conclusion, noise distraction negatively affects the static three-point shots task, and although self-talk interventions can mitigate such negative effects, their effectiveness is limited for dynamic three-point shots task with high physical demands.

What are the changes in basketball shooting pattern and accuracy in National Basketball Association in the past decade?

The main research question addressed in this study is if and how the shooting pattern and field-goal accuracy have changed in the NBA league in the past decade. This study analyzes NBA game data from the 2011–2012 regular season to the 2020–2021 season. Field goal attempts are grouped into five categories by the shooting distance. The Mann-Kendall trend test was employed to examine if changes are statistically significant (p < 0.05) over the years. Sixteen equal segments in one basketball game, each with 3 min, were analyzed to examine the shooting pattern in different game segments. Results reveal an increasing trend in the percentage of 3-pointer shooting, which has nearly doubled from 22 to 39%. Meanwhile, the percentage of field goals within the range of 16–24 ft has decreased from 20 to 10%. Field-goal accuracy has shown an increasing trend for all shooting distances except for the 3-pointer shooting. The second and fourth 3-min within each quarter have the highest number of field goals. The first quarter has a higher shooting accuracy than the rest three quarters. In addition, results reveal that the last 3-min in each quarter has the lowest shooting accuracy. Reasons for the patterns of field goals in different segments are discussed from the perspective of game rule changes, the fatigue effects, and coaches’ game strategies. The reasons for changes in activity level and performance in different quarters are also discussed. This study offers new insights into the changes in basketball shooting patterns and accuracy in NBA games in the past decade. Practical meanings of this study for basketball players, coaches, and sports psychologists, as well as the strength and limitations of this study, are discussed.

Shot Distribution and Accuracy in Senior and Youth International Basketball Games: Changes over the Decade of the 2010s

This study aimed to investigate the changes in shot distribution and accuracy in senior and under-17 international basketball tournaments in the 2010s. A retrospective cross-sectional design was employed, and a total of 1055 games from 20 world-level tournaments held between 2010 and 2019 were analyzed. The tournaments held in 2010 were played under the old three-point line (6.25 m), and the rest of the tournaments were played under the new three-point line (6.75 m). The numbers of two- and three-point shot attempts in each game were normalized to 100 possessions. Differences in mean values of two- and three-point shot attempts were analyzed by a two-way (category × year) between-subjects analysis of variance (ANOVA). Differences in the success rates of two- and three-point shots were analyzed by Fisher’s exact test. There was no significant category × year interaction for two-point shot attempts. However, there were significant main effects of category and year for two-point shot attempts. The number of two-point shot attempts increased significantly in 2012 and, in 2016, returned to a level not significantly different from that in 2010, independent of categories. There was a significant category × year interaction for three-point shot attempts. The number of three-point shot attempts decreased significantly in 2012 and, by 2016, returned to a level not significantly different from that in 2010 in senior men and under-17 women. There was no significant change in the number of three-point shot attempts in under-17 men. The effect of the extension of the three-point line on shot accuracy was limited. Differences in shot accuracy were prominent between age categories: the accuracy was lower in under-17 games than in senior games for both sexes. Although under-17 men attempted fewer three-point shots than senior men, under-17 women attempted a similar number of or more three-point shots than senior women. These findings can contribute to a better understanding of age and sex differences in recent trends in international basketball.