Detroit Pistons: Who should participate in All-Star Weekend?
By Amaar Burton
3-Point Contest: Reggie Bullock
Reggie Bullock may have missed his window to become a household name as one of the NBA’s best shooters.
Last season, in what was something of a breakout performance for the North Carolina product, Bullock finished No. 2 in the league in 3-point accuracy (44.5 percent) and second on the Pistons in 3-pointers made behind Anthony Tolliver.
With Tolliver leaving Detroit in the offseason, and new Pistons coach Dwane Casey promising the team would launch more 3-pointers, the stars were aligning for Bullock to have an even brighter green light than before. The opportunity was there for Bullock to put his name alongside the Eric Gordons and J.J. Redicks of the league as one of its most feared sniper specialists.
So far, it hasn’t exactly gone that way.
Bullock is playing a career-high 30.5 minutes per game and scoring a career-high 12.2 points per game, but he hasn’t exactly stepped his game up from last season. Bullock’s 3-point accuracy is down (39.6 percent) and he’s just third on the team in 3-point attempts, behind Blake Griffin and Reggie Jackson.
Reggie Bullock can light it up from 3 but only in a catch and shoot situation. Ask him to dribble the ball and the chances of him scoring go down exponentially.
— StanVanBungle (@StanVanBungle) January 8, 2019
Casey obviously values Bullock’s shooting ability, but his defense might be keeping him from getting more playing time and shot opportunities.
Through Sunday’s schedule, Bullock ranked 29th in the league in 3-point percentage and 31st in 3-point makes, so the odds of him making it into the All-Star shootout field are likely slim to none.