how many 3-pointers would tim duncan take in today's nba?

[gambit1990]

2 to 3 per game?

i was wondering how much higher TD would be on the scoring list in today's nba since there's more possessions.

[gambit1990]

imagine if he didn't battle in the post as much and shot from the top of the key.

[RC_Drunkford]

OP likes to talk to himself

[Dex]

1 per season, and that would probably be either a forced shot at the end of the clock or to save a playoff win

[KingKev]

Depends on how many Pop lets him take.

[John B]

Pop never really forced Demar to shoot 3’s. What makes you think he would ask Timmy to do so?

[spurraider21]

Probably none. I know people jizz over his bank shot but he was a 40% shooter for his career outside of 10 feet

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

He'd take and make as many as he'd need to in order to win. That's what he does.

[gambit1990]

Pop never really forced Demar to shoot 3’s. What makes you think he would ask Timmy to do so?
good point but timmy wouldn't shy away from the moment.

[couchman]

He wouldn't take any more than he did. Timmy is a top 5 all time player imo but he was not a good jump shooter

[John B]

good point but timmy wouldn't shy away from the moment.

Yes he wouldn’t. That game tying 3 against the Suns in 2008 playoffs was iconic Timmy. But again only when the play calls for it. And I don’t think Timmy would start jacking 3’s for nothing.

[Allan Rowe vs Wade]

He'd take and make as many as he'd need to in order to win. That's what he does.

Bingo

[Chinook]

He'd take and make as many as he'd need to in order to win. That's what he does.

I actually do think Prime Tim would take 2-3 a game. Duncan had been developing a long-range shot in college. In today's era, he would definitely have been shooting threes at Wake, and when he came into the league he would have built upon that. It's not just offense that's different than in his formative years. Defense is different now too, and having a three-pointer is a huge aspect of being a good scorer now. It would actively hurt his team if he didn't take threes in the modern game, so he would take some and be decent at them, especially if he had to space for guys like Parker.

[UNT Eagles 2016]

I actually do think Prime Tim would take 2-3 a game. Duncan had been developing a long-range shot in college. In today's era, he would definitely have been shooting threes at Wake, and when he came into the league he would have built upon that. It's not just offense that's different than in his formative years. Defense is different now too, and having a three-pointer is a huge aspect of being a good scorer now. It would actively hurt his team if he didn't take threes in the modern game, so he would take some and be decent at them, especially if he had to space for guys like Parker.
That's incorrect, especially considering how dominant Tim was in the low post. Timmy and Shaq were just unique and on a whole different playing field. Tim should be in the paint at all times on both ends of the court. That's why it always make sense to pair Duncan with a stretch big like Ferry or Horry or even Bonner.

David Robinson absolutely should have been taking more 3s though. He was competent at it when he did early in his career. He was basically the Durant of his era and was too skinny to be a low post dynamo like Duncan or Hakeem. His game in the 1990s on offense was a lot more like Lamarcus Aldridge's than anything, but today he'd have to shoot threes or else he'd be a below average star.

[Chinook]

That's incorrect, especially considering how dominant Tim was in the low post. Timmy and Shaq were just unique and on a whole different playing field. Tim should be in the paint at all times on both ends of the court. That's why it always make sense to pair Duncan with a stretch big like Ferry or Horry or even Bonner.

David Robinson absolutely should have been taking more 3s though. He was competent at it when he did early in his career. He was basically the Durant of his era and was too skinny to be a low post dynamo like Duncan or Hakeem. His game in the 1990s on offense was a lot more like Lamarcus Aldridge's than anything, but today he'd have to shoot threes or else he'd be a below average star.

Nah. Everyone needs to take threes to keep the defense honest, not just role-players. Tim was dominant in the post for his era, but his efficiency has nothing on what Curry or even Jokic can do.

[daslicer]

That's incorrect, especially considering how dominant Tim was in the low post. Timmy and Shaq were just unique and on a whole different playing field. Tim should be in the paint at all times on both ends of the court. That's why it always make sense to pair Duncan with a stretch big like Ferry or Horry or even Bonner.

David Robinson absolutely should have been taking more 3s though. He was competent at it when he did early in his career. He was basically the Durant of his era and was too skinny to be a low post dynamo like Duncan or Hakeem. His game in the 1990s on offense was a lot more like Lamarcus Aldridge's than anything, but today he'd have to shoot threes or else he'd be a below average star.
Dave had a great midrange jump shot. No doubt in my mind he would have been able to develop a good 3-point shot.

[TDMVPDPOY]

why take 3s when todays bigs dont even defend down low? he can just continue to exploit down low

[SpurPadre]

The better question is: How many threes would Admiral take in today's nba?

[Chinook]

Gsw got wrecked by Tim led team as a fucking old man. You think Prime Fucking Duncan would have a problem in this era? Spurs started the era.

Tim "led the team" over GS eight years ago and struggled to stay on the floor then. It's really untrue to give Duncan credit for that series. The Spurs' perimeter players won it. If anything, it was the first time that Pop started to noticeably bench Tim in late-game situations due to his lack of mobility. Even pretending like that version of the Warriors had anything on today's version, it's not a good series to use for your argument.

I'm not saying Prime Tim would struggle to stay on the floor, so let's nip that indignation in the bud. I am saying that he wouldn't go down in the post and dominate enough to out score teams in this era. He'd get plenty of touches, but the Spurs in general would need to be more perimeter oriented to match the pace and spacing of a modern offense, and that includes having five guys who can shoot threes when needed. Both Embiid and Jokic are dominant post scorers, and they can shoot threes. There are other talented post scorers in the modern era, but we don't hear about them because their lack of shooting made giving them the ball on offense undesirable.

Tim's TS% during his prime years was .57. That would be the worst for any big on the Spurs today. It would be sixth on the team (only counting rotation players still with the club). He'd be tied for 84th in the league (this is already excluding bit players). That's not to say those guys are better scorers than Tim. Some are definitely, but a lot aren't. It's to say that Tim putting up those same numbers now would not work. He'd have to be MUCH more efficient at scoring, and despite the suggestion that the modern game would lack defensive answers to Tim and thus lead to him getting more points just because, modern defenses are also way better at helping off bigs who can't shoot from outside than they used to be. A lot of that is rule changes. A lot of it is pace. But a lot of it is also how much more prominent scrambling defense is compared to even back in 2013. In the modern game, a big who gets the ball down low has to worry about digs and swarms and charges way more. If that results in more FTA, that's not great, since Tim wasn't a great free throw shooter. Even after all of this battling Tim would do to get his two points or an and-1, and the other team can negate it by jogging down and canning a three-pointer.

There's no doubt in my mind that a Tim who grew up in this era would shoot threes. It wouldn't even be a thing he'd have to force himself to do, since he'd likely have been shooting them in St. Croix pickup games. If Prime Tim got transported to the modern game, I don't doubt he'd be a easy DPOY candidate, but at least for a couple of years, he'd be a defense-first player who could score but was more of a complimentary player on that end. Except for his first third of his career, he was willing to let other players share the load, and I think he'd do so in today's game as well. He'd probably be in the top five for passing bigs with his IQ. He'd be an extremely high impact player, but I don't think he'd be an MVP until he worked a three-pointer into his game. He wasn't a freak like Giannis who could reach that level before getting a shot. He'd need to shoot to open up his personal offense and to charge the team's offense. His only alternative to doing that would be to become a rim-runner like Poeltl. It could happen, but he'd have no chance at MVP if he gave up one-on-one scoring.