Is Three-Point Shooting Key To The Bulls Young Core's Development?

Three-point shooting has become one of the most important parts of basketball. The NBA has increasingly become a game defined by spacing, volume and efficiency from beyond the arc, making the ability to shoot threes a prerequisite for many players hoping to become successful offensive pieces.

For the Chicago Bulls, that makes three-point shooting an obvious area of emphasis as the team begins building around Matas Buzelis and Caleb Wilson. However, it may be worth asking whether three-point shooting is really as pivotal to the development of those two players as it is often made out to be.

The answer is complicated.

There is no question that Chicago would benefit tremendously from Buzelis and Wilson becoming reliable three-point shooters. The more dangerous they are from the perimeter, the harder it becomes for defenses to load up against them. With that being said, becoming a 40% three-point shooter shouldn't be the measuring stick for whether either player is developing properly.

Wilson provided a glimpse of his shooting ability during Summer League, knocking down seven of his 11 attempts from three in his first game against Memphis. That performance was encouraging, particularly because questions about his perimeter shot were always going to follow him into the NBA.

Still, Wilson doesn't need to shoot 40% from three during his rookie season to have a successful year.

If Wilson shoots 33-35% from three while averaging around 17 points and seven rebounds, defending multiple positions and consistently getting to the basket, that would still represent tremendous progress. His ability to create advantages should matter far more than whether he reaches some arbitrary shooting percentage.

There are also plenty of ways for a player to create spacing without standing behind the three-point line.

Wilson's athleticism gives him the ability to create what could be considered vertical spacing. If he runs the floor, attacks the rim, cuts behind a defender or rolls hard toward the basket, he forces defenses to account for him in different areas of the court. That can open opportunities for teammates even if Wilson isn't knocking down threes.

The same principle applies to Buzelis.

Buzelis becoming a reliable three-point shooter would be a massive development for Chicago, but his offensive growth shouldn't be limited to his perimeter shooting. If he becomes better at attacking closeouts, finishing at the rim, cutting, passing and creating his own shot, he becomes a much more difficult player to defend.

In fact, those skills could eventually make his three-point shot even more dangerous.

If a defender knows Buzelis can attack the basket, that defender has to close out harder. If Buzelis can then punish that closeout by getting into the paint, Chicago has created an advantage without needing him to immediately become an elite three-point shooter.

This is also where Norman Powell's addition becomes particularly important.

Powell gives Chicago a proven perimeter threat who has established himself as one of the NBA's premier three-point shooters. Defenses will have to respect him on the outside, which can provide valuable space for Buzelis and Wilson to operate. The Bulls don't need every young player to immediately become an elite shooter when they have veterans capable of providing some of that spacing.

Of course, this isn't an argument that three-point shooting doesn't matter. It absolutely does.

The Bulls should continue developing Buzelis and Wilson as shooters and hope Wilson's Summer League performance was a sign of things to come. The more players Chicago has who can knock down threes, the easier it will be to build an efficient offense around its young forwards.

But the bigger question shouldn't be whether Buzelis and Wilson are shooting 40% from three.

It should be whether they are forcing defenses to react.

If Wilson can get downhill, attack the rim, run in transition and defend at a high level while developing his three-point shot, that's meaningful development. If Buzelis can become a three-level scorer who can punish closeouts and create for himself and others, that's meaningful development too.

Three-point shooting is one of the best ways to create offensive advantages in today's NBA. It just isn't the only way.

For the Bulls, the ultimate goal shouldn't be turning Buzelis and Wilson into three-point specialists. It should be turning them into complete offensive players who make defenses uncomfortable.

If the threes come along with that development, even better.