A's Masher Wants to Measure up to Memphis Grizzlies and Duke Sharpshooter

Sep 28, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Oakland Athletics designated hitter Brent Rooker (25) hits a two-run home run during the fifth inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images | Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images

While the winter months can be a little rough with the lack of baseball to watch, one thing that has been around to help out is A's DH Brent Rooker's presence on social media. The most recent example of this came this week, as Rooker is using Memphis Grizzlies star and former Duke Blue Devil Luke Kennard as a measuring stick.

Need to hit as many barrels in 2025 as @LukeKennard5 does 3’s https://t.co/jzlLxPNCHr

— Brent Rooker (@Brent_Rooker25) February 4, 2025

The goal for Rooker is to have as many barrels in 2025 as Kennard has three pointers. While Kennard doesn't lead the NBA in three-pointers made, he does have the highest three point percentage, sitting at .485, or 48.5%. The leader in threes made is Minnesota's Anthony Edwards with 201, ten clear of No. 2, Malik Beasley of the Detroit Pistons.

Since 2021, Kennard has been hitting roughly 45% of his shots from beyond the arc. This year he has played in 37 games and is averaging 9.8 points per game. Part of that is due to the 82 threes he's made.

So does Brent Rooker have a shot to reach that total in barrels? Last year he ranked in the 97th percentile in barrel%, so he's one of the top producers in this category. If anyone could catch Kennard, he'd be towards the top of that list.

That said, Rook's barrel total was 62 last season, which is already 20 short of Kennard's current total. The Grizzlies have 32 games remaining on their schedule, and he's hitting 2.2 threes per game this season. If he plays in every game the rest of the way, then he'd be looking to add another 70 threes, giving him a total of 152.

Last season's leader in barrels was (unsurprisingly) Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees, and he finished with 105. That was at a rate of barrels per batted ball that sat at 26.9%, tops in MLB. Rooker was solid, ranking No. 8 at 16.6%.

Hitting as many barrels as a solid NBA shooter hits threes seems to be impossible. That said, Rooker likes to make goals for himself each season, and he typically does pretty well with those goals, so there's a chance we could see even more barrels in 2025--maybe just not as many as Kennard's threes.