NBA Standings ordered by 3-point percentage: Who has been hottest from the outside?

The 3-point shot has become the NBA’s ultimate equalizer. It was once just a novel strategy that now fuels some of the league's most explosive offenses. Over the last few years, teams have taken the deep ball to new heights, using it as a deadly weapon that can turn games around in seconds. No longer just the requirement of a specialist, it’s now a fundamental part of how teams build and sustain their scoring firepower.

After the Boston Celtics did their best to completely break the mathematical equation with historic levels of 3-point shooting last season en route to a championship, it's clear that the long ball is here to stay.

The math just makes sense. A 3-point shot is worth 150 percent of a 2-point shot, so if you can make them at a high enough rate, it's that simple. It can also be quite volatile, inspiring the old adage of " you live by the three, you die by the three." But teams are getting so proficient with it and it warps the geometry of the floor so effectively that the gamble is worth it if you have the personnel and strategic discipline to get them up with good looks at the basket.

We're still in the early part of the season, so things will take a few more weeks to stabilize, but there are a few teams who have stood out in their proficiency so far.

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Here's how the league stacks up in three point percentage heading into the third week of the season:

For context, the league leader in 3-point percentage last season was the Oklahoma City Thunder at 38.9 percent, and the Philadelphia 76ers topped the league at 38.7 percent the year before that. Thus far, there are three teams eclipsing the 40 percent mark. It's a tall order, but could a team cross that threshold for the whole season? It's not unheard of but has not happened since the shortened 2020-21 season, when the LA Clippers finished at 41.1 percent for the year.

For all the hand-wringing about the new form on his jumper, Mikal Bridges is shooting 38.7 percent on 3s for a Knicks team that is pacing the league in this category. This is driven heavily by some scorching shooting from Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson, who are each converting on over 50 percent so far.

The Cavaliers, Warriors, Hornets and Timberwolves round out the top five in 3-point percentage at this point. The Warriors should come as no surprise with Stephen Curry and Buddy Hield bombing away at above 40 percent on over nine attempts per game, but the others might be a bit of a surprise.

Cleveland is converting at a high clip, largely due to their volume being limited to their best shooters. They're actually below league average in attempt rate, but their highest volume shooters - Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Sam Merrill - are all shooting 40 percent from three. A similar story can be seen with New York.

Minnesota and Charlotte, on the other hand, are shooting quite well and quite often. Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball, in particular, are each shooting over 15 threes per 100 possessions and hitting on over 40 percent, which are crazy numbers. As their teams' lead ball handlers, they are spearheading a renewed focus to fire from deep as much as possible, whether you like it or not.

On the other end of the spectrum, teams should probably be a bit scared that the Thunder, who sit at an undefeated 6-0, are doing so while making 3-pointers at a rate near the bottom of the league. After leading the league last season, one might expect it to pick up as time goes on, which is a terrifying thought.

Hitting the long ball is nice, but who is doing so at volume?

In a data point that will shock nobody, the Celtics sit at the top of the league in 3-point attempts per 100 possessions (49.8). With their league-high attempt rate and success rate in the top ten, it's no wonder they boast the league's top offense.

The rest of the top five and the bottom five in attempt frequency are:

Rank 2 - 5: Hornets (44.7), Warriors (42.0), Timberwolves (41.8), Bulls (41.3)

Rank 26 - 30: Grizzlies (32.0), Pacers (31.6), Lakers (30.1), Nuggets (29.6), Raptors (29.5)

Dropping way down the ranks from last season to this season, the Pacers could be feeling the effects of the departure of Buddy Hield, who was pivotal to that part of their attack.

Conversely, with the departure of DeMar DeRozan from Chicago, the Bulls are firing away and converting at rates that are both top ten in the league, which could be one reason for their surprisingly competent start to the season. But be careful, as despite this shooting, the Bulls are 29th in the league in offensive rating, per NBA.com. There's obviously more to efficient scoring in this league than just hitting from downtown.

For a more complete picture, we can take a look at where each team in the league falls in efficiency vs frequency on 3-pointers so far this season:

The Lakers made a big stink about increasing the 3-point attempt rate in training camp, but have yet to see it come to fruition. The Suns, who made similar statements, have in fact put their money where their mouth is, sitting sixth in 3-point percentage at the tenth-highest frequency.

The much-ballyhooed addition of Karl-Anthony Towns as a stretch five for the Knicks has not actually resulted in a higher 3-point attempt rate overall. Though he and his teammates are hitting them quite well, it would seem that the playmaking of Julius Randle finding shooters, as well as the insane attempt rate from Donte DiVincenzo, may have been more important to the generation of these shots than initially thought.

As mentioned, we're still not far enough along in the season to have a sample size that inspires too much confidence, but some of these trends will inevitably persist. The median team in attempt rate has increased by two attempts per 100 possessions over last season, perhaps indicating that we're going to continue to see an upward trend leaguewide. Rest assured, the focus isn't going away anytime soon, and it will be fascinating to see how things develop over the rest of the season.