'3-and-D': The specialist's path to a long NBA career
Five years and 11 teams later, Garrett Temple has an NBA home.
He has a guaranteed contract. He has a starting job. He has a comfort zone. And he has a role to play for the Washington Wizards, a specific set of responsibilities on the court that ensured his stability off it.
Temple is part of a rising class of NBA players: the "three-and-D" specialists, who put almost all of their focus on perimeter shooting and defense. The product of modern analytics and on-court humility, these players have popped up on rosters throughout the NBA as teams look to spread the court and the basketball.
These players come in all shapes and sizes, from natural shooters such as Kyle Korver to athletes determined to increase their career longevity such as Willie Green. But the recipe is simple: efficiency, readiness and a grasp of system basketball.
Few understand the demand better than Temple. He graduated LSU in 2009 without the required shooting range but honed his craft between the NBA Development League (five stints), Italy (one) and the NBA, where he had non-guaranteed deals with seven teams. The shooting guard improved enough to catch on the Wizards, who gave him a two-year contract this offseason after two years in the organization.
"You might be a guy that can be a 20-point scorer, but the team needs you to be a 11- or 12-point scorer and a great defender," Temple says. "That's the thing. You have a lot of guys who are very talented in this NBA. But you have to understand what's best for the team. Put your pride away and play your role."
This is new in the NBA, relatively speaking. Three-pointers were introduced in the league 35 years ago, but only now are teams beginning to maximize their value. Smaller lineups spread the court, and a generation of young, talented point guards has taken responsibility for playmaking.
The result is a craving for teams to find the next Bruce Bowen, who started for three San Antonio Spurs championship teams in the 2000s because he was a five-time all-defensive first-teamer and elite three-point shooter. Bowen, who retired in 2009 and now is an analyst for ESPN, is viewed as a pioneer among those following his career path.
"It takes a mature individual, willing to be selfless for the sake of the team," Bowen says. "It's something that you have to come to grips with if you're not playing, if you're bouncing around in the league. And you better realize that there are certain things that you have to do to stay. There's always a 'coming to Jesus' moment, and it's just a matter of when that time happens."
ACCEPTING THE ROLE
Martell Webster was the No. 6 overall pick in the 2005 NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers, projected to be an All-Star and top scorer. But even coming out of high school, he quickly found his place in the league.
"I realized that there's people on my team who can dribble way better than me," says Webster, now with Temple on the Wizards. "And I found it a lot easier using my teammates to get me open. ... It makes my job a lot easier to shoot open jump shots."
Webster says shooting always came naturally to him, which led him to the corners of the court. It's the shortest path to three points on an NBA court, a 22-foot shot instead of 23.75 feet from the top of the key. In the corner, a player can disappear to defenses focused on collapsing in the paint.
The result is the most efficient shot in the game and an ideal one for specialists to master.
"If guys can't shoot the corner three, it's tough to stay in the game (as a shooter)," says Korver, the Atlanta Hawks marksman. "Unless you are dominant in some other way — you're great off the dribble or you're a slasher or something — the corner three is a big part of what everybody does."
Corner threes have more than doubled over the past 17 years, and emerging specialists are a big part of the reason. When a star such as Wizards point guard John Wall runs a pick-and-roll with a big man such as Nene or Marcin Gortat, the defense is forced to adjust. And the forgotten man often gets left open.
That's all part of the process. Going "three-and-D" comes at the expense of drives to the basket and highlight-reel plays. Coaches understand that, too, no longer preaching aggressive drives to the basket as much as smart positioning and opportunistic shooting.
"When I was growing up, I was kind of taught that shooting threes was letting defenders off the hook," says Green, a journeyman now with the Orlando Magic. "And the game has changed to where shooting threes is a commodity and you look for guys who can shoot.
"It's the only shot that's worth three points."
TACKLING ASSIGNMENTS
The shooting always came easy for Korver. But even a specialist can't only play on one end.
"If you don't play defense, you don't get to play in the fourth quarter," the 12-year pro says. "And that's just the reality of the NBA. Everyone tries to say no one plays defense in the NBA, and those people don't know that much about the NBA. You have to play defense if you want to play a lot of minutes."
Korver credits Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau most for his defense improvements. Bowen said he learned its importance with Pat Riley's Miami Heat, while Webster figured it out under former Blazers coach Nate McMillan.
Temple, meanwhile, was a defensive ace in college but has made strides because of his underdog path.
"Defense is the biggest thing for guys coming out of the D-League because they're not bringing you up to score," he says. "If you were that good a scorer, you'd be in the league already."
It's a way to a meal ticket, especially with so many stars playing out on the perimeter. When Green was a teammate of superstar point guards Allen Iverson with the Philadelphia 76ers and Chris Paul with the Los Angeles Clippers, he earned his playing time by locking down the opponent's best perimeter scorer.
Doing that meant the stars could be stars, which in turn meant more open looks for Green on the offensive end.
"Those guys take a lot of pressure off you offensively because they draw so much attention," says Green, who came into the league with Korver on the 2003-04 Sixers. "Nine times out of 10, when you catch the ball, you were wide open because you're playing with stars. Defensively I'd have a lot more energy because I didn't expend a lot of energy offensively since I was getting open looks. You just do everything you can to make it tough on the guy you're guarding."
That's how it's supposed to work, a role that Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors performed so well he may end up on an All-Star team this season. He allows point guard Stephen Curry to run the show and reaps the benefits as one of the NBA's most prolific shooters as well as a strong defender.
PREDICTING THE FUTURE
Not all elite perimeter defenders double as elite shooters, of course. The Memphis Grizzlies' Tony Allen falls into the slasher role, while the Boston Celtics' Avery Bradley can help run the offense.
But more and more players are being taught these roles.
The Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Temple's first professional team, averaged 45.4 three-point attempts a game last season as they tried to find the next specialist for the Houston Rockets, their NBA affiliate. Rockets general manager Daryl Morey is known for his philosophy of eliminating midrange jump shots in favor of higher-yield attempts either from inside the paint or beyond the arc.
"When I came up in the NBA, it was all about midrange, all about midrange," Korver says. "Coaches wanted you to get a couple close in before stretching it out. And it always kind of frustrated me because, for me, three-pointers were easier shots than a lot of those midrange shots. It's farther back, but it's just kind of what I do."
Teams now are taking 5.9 three-pointers per game more than in Korver's second season. Defenses are focusing on shooters, as are general managers. Korver will top $50 million in career earnings by the end of this season, with two years and about $11 million remaining on his contract.
Still, ask any of these players and they'll warn against becoming too narrowly focused. Specialization is a product of both team and player, but with only 10 men on the court at any given time, everyone must be capable of handling larger roles. Understanding the place and time often comes with maturity.
"In this league, there are so many opportunities," Webster says. "There may be a night that you go out there and one of your players gets hurt and now you're forced to do something you're not used to doing. ... There's a time and a place to work on your craft ... and there might be a time when you're forced to come out of your comfort zone."
Still, three-pointers aren't going away. And the players who can shoot and defend it are setting themselves up for long careers. Expertise is a commodity, even on the hardwood.
"I would always rather be amazing at one thing than be decent at a bunch of things," Korver says. "I wanted to be great at shooting threes. That's why I'm here."
