Germantas Kneita
Show Bio
The 3-point contest has been one of the most exciting parts of all-star weekend for the past few years and remains unchanged for 2022. Each player will have 5 racks with and 2 shots from the DEW ZONE, which is 6 feet beyond the 3-point line. The latter is worth 3 points, with the “money” ball shots worth 2 and the standard NBA ball shots worth 1. As always, each player gets one money ball rack, of which they can choose the placement. The highest possible score for a round is 40.
The competition is over 2 rounds, with the field of 8 being reduced to 3 after the first go around. Then the highest-scoring player in the final round is declared the winner. This is my second year covering the Saturdays activities. Having correctly predicted both the 3-point and dunk contest winners last year, I am hoping for the same this time around.
Now let’s look at some of the favorites this year.
Luke Kennard +400
The favorite for the competition is Luke Kennard, who is the most one-dimensional player in this year’s competition. Luckily for him, that one dimension is shooting. On the season he is currently shooting at a 44.8% clip from beyond the arc. He is coming into the competition hot, too, having knocked down 8 of 9 shots from deep in his last game against the Houston Rockets. Kennard has made 137 3-pointers this season, but he tends to be assisted on most of these. A total of 91.4% of his above the break 3-pointers have been assisted. It is 92.9% and 100% in the right and left corners, respectively. With him having to reach over and pick up the balls himself, there is a chance it could mess up his rhythm. That should give hope to the other contestants.
Patty Mills +460
I find the fact that he is one of the favorites to win very surprising. Patty Mills has been shooting the ball well on the season, knocking down 41.9% of his attempts this year. However, he is coming into this contest cold. In the month of February his 3-point percentage has dropped to 37.8%. In 6 of his last 7 games he failed to shoot above the 35% mark from deep. He has also notably had issues from the right corner, where he is shooting 36.9% on 65 attempts this year. For me he is more of a scorer than a shooter, and I think he could have issues here putting together 2 high scoring rounds to claim a win.
Trae Young +650
When Trae Young last participated in the contest, he struggled. The Hawks point guard did not have time to let his last shot off and he finished with just 15 points. While he has improved his shooting percentage this year to 38.3% (the best mark of his career), it may not be enough to help him claim the win. Last year Young left his money ball rack to his last one, something that could be a mistake for him. On the season he has attempted just 13 corner 3-pointers, and that lack of practice together with his issue managing the clock could work against him. Young has long been compared to Stephen Curry, but I do not think he is locked in enough from deep to pull out a victory.
Final Prediction
Fred VanVleet +500
While the likes of Desmond Bane, CJ McCollum, and Zach LaVine have a chance to go far in this contest, my pick to win it all is Fred VanVleet. He is 2nd in the NBA this year in 3-pointers made per game (trailing only last year’s winner Curry), while shooting at a better percentage — making 40.1% of his attempts. He has been particularly impressive from the left corner, knocking down 50% of his shots from there this season. That will make it a perfect candidate for the money ball rack. VanVleet is also coming in hot, having made more than 42% of his 3-pointers in each of his last 5 games. With a nickname like Steady Freddy, it is hard to see the occasion get to him. I am expecting him to come out with the win tonight.
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