Dallas Mavericks: 3 ways to fix their 3-point shooting

3. Elevating Trey Burke or Jalen Brunson to the starting lineup

One reason for Dallas’ 3-point problems could be the departure of Seth Curry. The sharpshooting guard was traded for Josh Richardson and a draft pick in an attempt to help improve Dallas’ mediocre defense.

Curry is not a star, but he made have had more impact on Dallas than we realized. His 12.4 points per game last season was only fourth on the team but he was the Mavericks’ most valuable floor spacer. He shot 45.2 percent from beyond the arc, which ranked first on the team and third in the whole league, on 5.0 attempts.

Removing a knockdown shooter like Curry, who shot a team-high 48.1 percent on catch-and-shoot threes, seems to have left the Mavericks short of a desperately needed marksman. While neither Trey Burke nor Jalen Brunson are the shooter that Curry is, they’re the best in-house options.

Swapping out Dorian Finney-Smith or Josh Richardson for either of the point guards would make the starting lineup more dangerous and give more balance to the lineup. Having a shifty guard that can knock down shots from the perimeter and have a bigger knack for playmaking gives the Mavs more variety on offense. Moving either defensive specialist to the bench would also offer an opportunity to find their shot against bench units.

There’s ample evidence to suggest Richardson is at least an above-average perimeter shooter, as he posted three seasons shooting above average from beyond the arc in his first four seasons in the league. For Finney-Smith, there isn’t as much hope. He had a career year by shooting 37.6 percent from three last season but in his prior three seasons, he shot below 32 percent.

If Dallas’ untrustworthy shooters can’t rediscover the shot they once had, Dallas will have to reshuffle their roster to surround Doncic with reliable floor spacers.