Minnesota Timberwolves: 3 issues with trading for Myles Turner

Questions for the Minnesota Timberwolves: 1. Can Myles Turner increase his 3-point effectiveness?

One of the biggest problems with bringing Turner into the fold is how his offensive game fits in with the direction that the Minnesota Timberwolves are trending in. Last season, Turner averaged 12.6 points on 33.5 percent 3-point shooting, averaging 4.4 attempts from that range, on usage of just 16.4. Those numbers pose a slight problem for the Timberwolves. First off, that 33.5 percent would make Turner the seventh-best shooter from deep on a team that attempted the seventh-most 3’s in the league last season. It does put him above heavy rotation guys like Ricky Rubio and Josh Okogie, but those guys aren’t exactly lauded for their shooting ability.

Digging a little deeper into that number, Turner chooses to shot a 3-pointer 47.7 percent of the time. Despite that higher shot selection percentage, 3 point shots only accounted for 35.0 percent of Turner’s points. Compare that to the person who would sit above Turner on the list of best 3-point shooters on the Wolves: Naz Reid. Reid averaged 35.1 percent from 3-point range last season on an average of 2.5 attempts per game.

In his possessions, Reid chose to shoot from deep just 30.0 percent of the time, and yet those points accounted for 23.3 percent of his points. On average, Minnesota shot a 3 41.4 percent of the time accounting for 35.1 percent of their points. To put it simply, Turner’s effectiveness from deep just isn’t exactly what Minnesota is hoping for. For a team that looks to trend upwards both in 3-point shots attempted and made, Turner’s inefficiency from deep could be a serious concern.