Germantas Kneita
The NBA 3-point Contest has become the most consistently entertaining part of All-Star Saturday thanks to the fact that stars have not been shy to compete. This year is no different, with Damian Lillard back to defend his title while other all-stars like Tyler Herro and Jalen Brunson join the field. The contests sees players taking shots from 5 racks with a designated money ball rack among them, placed by the player themselves. There are also 2 shots from deep from the Starry Zone, which is worth 3 points.
Let’s take a look at the favorites for the contest and my pick for the winner below.
Damian Lillard (+300)
Damian Lillard will be back to try and defend his crown for the second straight year and become the first player since Craig Hodges to become a 3-time 3-point contest winner. Stats would indicate he is in a great position to do just that. He is currently making 38.2% of his 3-pointers this season. That would be his best mark since 2020-2021. This year he is also making 40.6% of his 3-point attempts when he does not dribble before shooting. From the field of participants, he is also the most adept at taking shots several feet beyond the arc. That will put him in great position to make the most of the Starry range shots. Over the last few years he has consistently been able to score around 26 points, that that should be enough to put him in the mix.
Buddy Hield (+490)
Another former winner of the competition takes to the floor as Buddy Hield returns to the contest. He is however having a down year shooting wise, currently knocking down 36.3 % of his 3-point attempts. That percentage has been helped by a hot start to the season. Dating back to December, he has not knocked down better than 33% of his 3-point attempts in any month. He will take comfort that he is making 39% of his 3-point attempts when he doesn’t dribble. But considering his form over the last several months, it is hard to pick him to come out on top. It’s worth noting that he is making 40.4% of his 3-pointers on the road this season and just 31.9% at home. Being on his home court might not be an advantage for him.
Darius Garland (+550)
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland is having a career year shooting from behind the arc. He is currently knocking down 43.1% of his attempts. Garland has started February in even more impressive fashion, making 48.8% of his attempts from 3-point range. He also thrives when shooting without taking a dribble, where his accuracy from beyond the arc jumps to 45.8%. This will, however, be his first 3-point contest appearance and taking 27 3-point shots in a row is a different proposition than shooting in an in-game situation. Nonetheless, the stats back him to be one of the favorites for the competition. Time will tell if the inexperience will cost him.
Norman Powell (+550)
Los Angeles Clippers guard Norman Powell has been sensational this season. He is having a career year scoring wise at the grand age of 31. Powell’ss 3-point shooting has been a major part of that. He is currently knocking down 43.8% of his attempts on the season. On no dribble 3-pointers, he is the most accurate of the 4 favorites, knocking down 47.2% of his attempts. However, at the start of February he has cooled down a touch. Through 5 games this month he is making only 36.6% of his shots. Just like Garland, Powell is making his first appearance in the contest — which could also work against him. His stats, however, indicate that just like his season overall, he could make a splash.
Best bet: Damian Lillard
I am going with experience in this one. Lillard is one of the best performers in the clutch and has shown that he will not shrink on this stage. He is also the best equipped in the field to knock down shots from the Starry zone. Those being worth 3 points each, they can go a long way to helping him stand out from the competition. I expect Garland and Powell to be hot on his heels, but Lillard has what it takes to get it done.
