“You saw Kawhi Leonard pump fake and get into the paint”: Ray Allen elaborates on why the 3-point explosion in the NBA is bad for player development and viewership

Ray Allen is critical of NBA teams hoisting up too many 3-pointers. He compliments Kawhi Leonard and his 2019 Raptors on their approach.

Allen played in an era when the highest volume of 3-pointers shot by an NBA team was less than half of what it is today. Despite being the most prolific 3-point shooter ever, Allen was arguably underused at the 3-point line.

But he still believes that teams need to emphasize more variety in their offensive approach. Allen had some great compliments for Kawhi Leonard and the 2019 Raptors while talking to Mike Greenberg on Get Up!

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Ray Allen compliments Kawhi Leonard and co, criticizes NBA players’ shot selection

Ray Allen went right into it while explaining the problem with the modern-day 3-point explosion:

“I think the game is still extremely entertaining. There is a lack of appeal for me watching it because many different dynamics of the game are being lost. I actually said this a couple of days ago on my Instagram that the midrange game is being lost.”

“You saw Toronto a couple of years ago winning the championship. They had some great 3-point shooters, but you saw them pump-fake and get into the paint. And shoot the mid-range shot.”

“You can’t always get to the basket because of the big guys, but we’ve seen them stop in the middle and take the pop shots. Now what you’re seeing is, guys pump-fake and step sideways on the 3-point line. And you’re making a tougher shot than necessarily getting into the paint and something in the mid-range.”

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“So I believe it’s bad for the young kids that watch. Because what I tell my boys ‘I want you guys to pay attention to what’s going on in college. Play hard, learn from the NBA the do’s and the don’ts, but don’t settle for 3s. Because you wanna kind of build a rhythm in the game, make some free throws, some layups.”

“And the best time to shoot the 3-pointer is off an offensive rebound. But now this is the first that players do.”

Ray Allen was absolutely on point with his nuanced criticism of modern offensive approaches.