Former Phoenix Suns star Steve Nash once expressed remorse prior to his Hall-of-Fame induction at the fact that he had more of a pass-first, score later mindset.
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Over the past few seasons, the pace at which the game is played is at an all-time high, which means that each team gets more possessions per game. As a result, it leads to more high-scoring, three-pointer-oriented games. It all started when the Phoenix Suns, led by star guard Steve Nash, implemented the “seven seconds or less” offense.
To put things into perspective, the Suns led the league in an offense that season with a pace of 95.9 and an offensive rating of 114.5. Furthermore, the Suns hoisted a total of 2,026 threes that year, making a total of 39.3% — all stats that led the league. However, despite Nash being their focal point on offense, the 2x MVP was a pass-first point guard.
Despite averaging over 40% from three and 50% from the field, the 6’3 guard had only 11 Field goal attempts and three 3-point attempts, which was only the fifth highest on the roster. In fact, despite being a 2x MVP, he never averaged more than 18.8 points in any season.
Recently, Steve Nash opened up about hypothetically playing in today’s NBA, where he made the claim, he would take more shots and be even more successful. So, what exactly did he say? Read on to find out…
Steve Nash regrets not taking more shots while playing.
Back in the day, a point guards’ job was to bring the ball up the floor and run the offense; passing off to the player in the best position to score, sometimes scoring himself, but usually not acting as the first scoring option. This is in stark contrast to today’s NBA, almost all point guards come into the league, with a score-first mentality. Be it Kyrie Irving, Steph Curry, or Damian Dillard, putting the ball in the hoop is first priority.
Maybe only Chris Paul is the only true or pass-first point guard left in the league. In fact, the last generation of floor generals ended with the retirement of Jason Kidd and Steve Nash. While they had the ability to score, they choose to play more of a floor general role.
However, in an interview prior to his Hall-of-Fame induction, Steve Nash regrets not shooting more during his time in the NBA. He goes on to say –
“My personality was to feed my teammates. I loved getting in the seams and being creative and making the game fun for my teammates. But Nellie frankly said, ‘That’s bulls**t. You’re a better shooter than these guys. I want you shooting the ball.’
“Nellie [launched] my career in pushing me to be aggressive and score the ball. But I never took it to the heights that the numbers validate in today’s day and age, where I probably should have shot the ball 20 times a game. It probably would have made a lot more sense.”
To make things a bit clearer, Nellie aka Don Nelson was Nash’s coach during his time with the Dallas Mavericks. In fact, he even used to threaten the star guard by saying he would fine him if he didn’t shoot the ball enough, and forced him to shoot 10 times a game.
The game was much different during Nash’s prime than it is today. However, given his efficiency as a shooter, it’s hard to argue with these thoughts. He was a member of the exclusive 50/40/90 club, which is pretty much the epitome of efficiency. In fact, he achieved that landmark four different times.
The 6’3 guard shot 49% from the field, 42.8 % from 3-point land, and 90.4% from the free-throw line for his career, which is exceptional. And all proof that his teams probably would have been better off with Nash letting his shot fly more often.
