BrieflySpeaking wrote:
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I noticed a poster in another thread being amused by this quote
So, what is that all about? A percentage is just a matter of counting up makes and misses. How did "feelings" get involved? It makes you wonder whether all the talk about Patterson's inconsistency is real or if is just based on a "feeling"?
Patrick Patterson: 3P% by Year
Patterson has shot about ten or twenty points better than the league three-point average each season. His worst year since joining the Raptors is .362. The Raptors other three-point shooters have all had much worse seasons over that period Carroll (.341), Lowry (.338), Ibaka (.326), Tucker(.330), Powell (.324), Joseph (.273.)
There is really no question that Patterson has been a very consistent three-point shooter from year-to-year. But, maybe he was up and down during the season? It seemed like the complaints got louder as the year wore on.
Patrick Patterson: 3P% by Month
Nope, other than a cool start and a blip when returning from injury, Patterson shot over .400 every month. He was the only Raptor to shoot over 40% from downtown in four different months.
Did he have some really bad individual games? Not really, looking through Patterson's game log, the worst three-point outing I see is 0-for-4. Lots of Raptors had worse games than that.
Bad down the stretch? Definitely not. Patterson always shoots 3-pointers better late in the game. He has shot a higher percentage than Lowry in the 4th quarter every year.
Patrick Patterson: 4th Quarter 3P%
So, where do the claims about inconsistency come from?
Missing Open Shots
How many times after Pat missed an open three-pointer did we hear Jack Armstrong whine "Patterson's got to hit those open looks!"
The trouble with this statement is that it's ridiculous -- you can't expect anyone to automatically make a particular three-point shot. You might as well complain that Steph Curry is inconsistent because he misses most of his open threes. I mean you will be right most of the time but...
The facts are that league as a whole shot .381 on "wide open" three-point attempts, while Patterson shot .392.
So what is all the whining about? Patterson actually makes far more than his share of open looks. Always has. In his previous seasons with the Raptors he shot .420, .403 and .463 on "wide open" threes. That's his game. He's a new-era, three-and-D, spread-the-floor shooter. The kind of player that impacts the score of games far more than his individual stats suggest.
It's understandable that TV analysts want to come up with "insights" even when they don't actually have any. But, criticizing a particular player, on air, every time he misses an open three-pointer is a really cheap shot. It sets up an expectation which nobody can possibly live up to. And once the rest of the media joined in, it was inevitable that fans would end up believing Patterson was hopelessly inconsistent.
Which is too bad, because Patterson deserved better. In the Raptor's best seasons to date, Pat has been a real difference maker. A big part of a bench that was the key to winning many games. A stalwart in fourth quarters on both ends of the court. His confidence certainly appeared to waver at times this season (maybe partly due to injury, maybe partly due to inconsistent touches, maybe partly due to the media hatchet job) But, to Pat's credit, his actual shot-making remained consistent.
So, what is that all about? A percentage is just a matter of counting up makes and misses. How did "feelings" get involved? It makes you wonder whether all the talk about Patterson's inconsistency is real or if is just based on a "feeling"?
Patrick Patterson: 3P% by Year
Code:
Year Patterson League Average 2014-15 .371 .350 2015-16 .362 .354 2016-17 .372 .358
There is really no question that Patterson has been a very consistent three-point shooter from year-to-year. But, maybe he was up and down during the season? It seemed like the complaints got louder as the year wore on.
Patrick Patterson: 3P% by Month
Code:
Oct-Nov .329 Dec .407 Jan .400 Feb .263 (injured, based on 19 shots) Mar .404 Apr .429
Did he have some really bad individual games? Not really, looking through Patterson's game log, the worst three-point outing I see is 0-for-4. Lots of Raptors had worse games than that.
Bad down the stretch? Definitely not. Patterson always shoots 3-pointers better late in the game. He has shot a higher percentage than Lowry in the 4th quarter every year.
Patrick Patterson: 4th Quarter 3P%
Code:
2014-15 .415 2015-16 .420 2016-17 .446
Missing Open Shots
How many times after Pat missed an open three-pointer did we hear Jack Armstrong whine "Patterson's got to hit those open looks!"
The trouble with this statement is that it's ridiculous -- you can't expect anyone to automatically make a particular three-point shot. You might as well complain that Steph Curry is inconsistent because he misses most of his open threes. I mean you will be right most of the time but...
The facts are that league as a whole shot .381 on "wide open" three-point attempts, while Patterson shot .392.
So what is all the whining about? Patterson actually makes far more than his share of open looks. Always has. In his previous seasons with the Raptors he shot .420, .403 and .463 on "wide open" threes. That's his game. He's a new-era, three-and-D, spread-the-floor shooter. The kind of player that impacts the score of games far more than his individual stats suggest.
It's understandable that TV analysts want to come up with "insights" even when they don't actually have any. But, criticizing a particular player, on air, every time he misses an open three-pointer is a really cheap shot. It sets up an expectation which nobody can possibly live up to. And once the rest of the media joined in, it was inevitable that fans would end up believing Patterson was hopelessly inconsistent.
Which is too bad, because Patterson deserved better. In the Raptor's best seasons to date, Pat has been a real difference maker. A big part of a bench that was the key to winning many games. A stalwart in fourth quarters on both ends of the court. His confidence certainly appeared to waver at times this season (maybe partly due to injury, maybe partly due to inconsistent touches, maybe partly due to the media hatchet job) But, to Pat's credit, his actual shot-making remained consistent.
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