Why The Atlanta Hawks Could Lead The NBA In Three-Pointer Percentage Next Season

Leading the NBA in 3P% rarely correlates with being the best team in the NBA. Last season's leader, the Denver Nuggets, got dumped out of the playoffs in the first round. The Bucks led the league in 3P% in 2024-25 and they lost in the first round also. In fact, out of the past five NBA regular season leaders in 3P%, only the 2021-22 Miami Heat made it past the second round of the playoffs.

However, being the league leader in 3PT% does signify that teams usually merit consideration as a postseason threat. With the exception of a Bucks team dealing with injuries all season, the other four leaders won 50+ games and had realistic aspirations of making it past the second round of the playoffs. It's very hard to be arguably the best shooting team in the NBA without meriting consideration for a run to the Conference Finals at absolute mimum.

Therefore, this would be a very important step in the Hawks' development curve under head coach Quin Snyder. Under Snyder, they've never eclipsed 50 wins in the regular season. Considering how difficult the Eastern Conference is projected to be this season, it would be a major accomplishment for the Hawks to demonstrate that they are one of the elite shooting teams from distance next season.

Here's why they could do it.

Strong Shooting Floor

Hawks, Atlanta Hawks, NBA, CJ McCollu — Apr 30, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard CJ McCollum (3) shoots against the New York Knicks in the fourth quarter during game six of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The jump to No. 1 may seem like a long one, but the Hawks have already shown massive improvement in their shooting from range under Snyder. In his first season at the helm in 2023-24, the Hawks were 17th in 3P% despite being 7th in attempts. 2024-25 ended with Atlanta slipping to 18th in 3P% on the 15th-highest number of attempts. That team dealt with injuries to Jalen Johnson, Trae Young's lingering Achilles tendinitis and regression from previously proven snipers like Bogdan Bogdanovic.

Swapping out Young while adding CJ McCollum and Nickeil Alexander-Walker completely changed things for the Hawks. They skyrocketed all the way to 5th in 3P% and attempted the 9th-highest amount of threes leaguewide. McCollum and Alexander-Walker finished in the 89th and 97th percentile respectively for three-point attempts and both shot above 37% despite that level of volume.

It should be noted that Atlanta was never even in the top-three for 3P% before or after the All-Star break. Prior to the break, they were shooting 37% from deep and afterwards, they shot 37.4%. That roughly works out to be around the 5th-10th spot at any given time in the 3P% rankings. It's a far cry from exceeding the 39% as a team they'd need to shoot in order to lead the NBA in three-point percentage. However, they didn't get a full season of McCollum and Alexander-Walker could be even better in his second season. If those things hold true, it'd give Atlanta a very stable floor for their 3PT% that can be elevated by two other factors breaking in their favor.

Centers Can Shoot Too

Hawks, Atlanta Hawks, Okongwu, Onyeka Okongw — Apr 10, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) warms up on the court prior to the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

For most of NBA history, centers didn't factor into a team's spacing. That isn't true anymore. The Knicks just won a championship with arguably the greatest shooting big man of all time in Karl-Anthony Towns. The Celtics won with their duo of Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford, both of whom made their make as capable shooters from range. Chet Holmgren, Nikola Jokic and Brook Lopez all were significant reasons why their teams ended the season as the NBA 3P% leader.

The Hawks might have something similar with Onyeka Okongwu. He expanded his range significantly last season from 32.4% on two attempts a game to 37.6% on 5.2 attempts a night. He was also extremely consistent throughout the season. The month of December 2025 was the only month of the entire season where Okongwu shot under 38% from deep. All of his three-point makes came on assists, but that shows how valuable he is to Atlanta's offense as a release valve for their possessions that usually results in a good shot.

Atlanta also has an underrated amount of possible shooting depth behind him. Jock Landale shot 39.1% from deep after being traded to Atlanta. Both Zuby Ejiofor and Asa Newell have shown signs of a capable three-point shot in college or Summer League. There's a decent chance that all three of Atlanta's centers this season in Landale, Ejiofor and Okongwu end up shooting well above 30% from deep, which would help them climb into the top spot for 3P%.

Regression To The Mean

Hawks, Atlanta Hawks, Daniels, Dyson Daniel — Apr 8, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) shoots in the first quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It is very, very unlikely that Dyson Daniels will repeat the ghastly 18.8% on 1.5 attempts that he shot last season from deep. The spacing around him and his own growth as a player should have him closer to the 33-34% number that he posted during his first season in Atlanta. That's a massive jump in efficiency from a player who should be playing starting minutes for the Hawks.

However, betting on Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins to improve their shooting numbers from last season is a decent bet to make. Both players went from shooting above 38% from deep on notable volume to hovering around 35% last season. Since they'll likely both have bigger opportunities in Atlanta, there's a decent chance that they can both elevate their numbers. They'll also have opportunities to work off Jalen Johnson's gravity as a passer and while he's not SGA, they will likely be ignored by defenses that key in on NAW and CJ. There is also a possibility that Kingston Flemings could be a plus shooter as a rookie.

Atlanta's balance of depth and shooting makes them a quietly excellent candidate to be one of the premier three-point shooting teams in a league that values those looks. There is a limit to how much the Hawks can lean into this formula, but it will be interesting to see if it gives them an edge in the East.

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