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Checking In on James Posey & James Jones

Posted by Neil Paine on December 22, 2010

In early November, we had a reader point out that James Posey & James Jones were having historic seasons -- namely, the two Jameses were 1-2 all-time in terms of the highest single-season percentage of shot attempts coming from beyond the 3-point arc. A month and a half later, I thought we'd check in once again on that pair, to see if they're still on a collision course with history.

Among players who took at least 4 field-goal attempts per team game, here are the guys who saw the biggest proportion of their shots come from behind the 3-point arc:

Player Year Age Tm G MP FG FGA 3P 3PA 3pa/fga
James Jones 2011 30 MIA 30 681 69 154 60 135 87.7%
James Posey 2011 34 IND 26 523 57 154 47 135 87.7%
Damon Jones 2008 31 CLE 67 1336 151 363 115 276 76.0%
Mickael Pietrus 2011 28 ORL 19 418 45 115 34 87 75.7%
Damon Jones 2006 29 CLE 82 2089 190 491 140 371 75.6%
Kyle Korver 2005 23 PHI 82 2667 317 759 226 558 73.5%
James Posey 2006 29 MIA 67 1914 159 395 117 290 73.4%
Steve Novak 2009 25 LAC 71 1161 176 396 119 286 72.2%
Dan Majerle 2000 34 MIA 69 2308 170 422 110 304 72.0%
Damon Jones 2005 28 MIA 82 2576 331 726 225 521 71.8%
Steve Blake 2011 30 LAL 28 560 48 125 40 89 71.2%
Dee Brown 1999 30 TOR 49 1377 187 495 135 349 70.5%
James Posey 2010 33 NOH 77 1731 126 345 81 242 70.1%
Walter McCarty 2004 29 BOS 77 1900 203 523 137 366 70.0%
Keith Bogans 2008 27 ORL 82 2198 241 588 148 409 69.6%
Chuck Person 1998 33 SAS 61 1455 143 398 95 276 69.3%
Dan Majerle 1999 33 MIA 48 1624 118 298 68 203 68.1%
Rudy Fernandez 2011 25 POR 27 531 68 183 42 124 67.8%
Brent Barry 2007 35 SAS 75 1631 202 425 128 287 67.5%
James Posey 2008 31 BOS 74 1821 173 414 106 279 67.4%

What's really crazy is that through Monday's games, Posey and Jones have exactly the same # of field goal attempts and exactly the same number of 3-point attempts!

Here are are the highest 3PA/FGA rates, relative to the league average:

Player Year Age Tm G MP FG FGA 3P 3PA 3pa/fga lgAvg +/- Lg
James Jones 2011 30 MIA 30 681 69 154 60 135 87.7% 22.3% 65.4%
James Posey 2011 34 IND 26 523 57 154 47 135 87.7% 22.3% 65.4%
Dan Majerle 2000 34 MIA 69 2308 170 422 110 304 72.0% 16.7% 55.3%
Damon Jones 2006 29 CLE 82 2089 190 491 140 371 75.6% 20.2% 55.3%
Kyle Korver 2005 23 PHI 82 2667 317 759 226 558 73.5% 19.6% 53.9%
Damon Jones 2008 31 CLE 67 1336 151 363 115 276 76.0% 22.2% 53.8%
Dee Brown 1999 30 TOR 49 1377 187 495 135 349 70.5% 16.8% 53.7%
Joe Hassett 1982 26 GSW 68 787 144 382 71 214 56.0% 2.6% 53.4%
Chuck Person 1998 33 SAS 61 1455 143 398 95 276 69.3% 15.9% 53.4%
Mickael Pietrus 2011 28 ORL 19 418 45 115 34 87 75.7% 22.3% 53.3%
James Posey 2006 29 MIA 67 1914 159 395 117 290 73.4% 20.2% 53.2%
Damon Jones 2005 28 MIA 82 2576 331 726 225 521 71.8% 19.6% 52.2%
Dan Majerle 1999 33 MIA 48 1624 118 298 68 203 68.1% 16.8% 51.3%
Walter McCarty 2004 29 BOS 77 1900 203 523 137 366 70.0% 18.7% 51.3%
Dan Majerle 1998 32 MIA 72 1928 184 439 111 295 67.2% 15.9% 51.2%
Steve Novak 2009 25 LAC 71 1161 176 396 119 286 72.2% 22.4% 49.8%
Steve Blake 2011 30 LAL 28 560 48 125 40 89 71.2% 22.3% 48.9%
James Posey 2010 33 NOH 77 1731 126 345 81 242 70.1% 22.2% 47.9%
Keith Bogans 2008 27 ORL 82 2198 241 588 148 409 69.6% 22.2% 47.3%
Craig Hodges 1990 29 CHI 63 1055 145 331 87 181 54.7% 7.6% 47.1%

We're about 1/3 of the way into the 2011 season, and obviously there's still time for the Jameses to ease up on their long-range bombing tendencies... But one plays for Jim O'Brien and the other is being spoon-fed open looks by LeBron James & Dwyane Wade, so it looks like these records are in real danger of falling.

9 Responses to “Checking In on James Posey & James Jones”

  1. P Middy Says:

    It's the age of the specialist. 5 of the guys on the 3fga/fga list are from this season!

  2. Jason J Says:

    Not a single player on that list from the '94-'97 shortened three point line years. What was Don Nelson doing!?!?

  3. Neil Paine Says:

    I know, right? Check out the league averages through the years:

    Year FGA 3PA 3PA/FGA
    2011 67743 15113 22.3%
    2010 200989 44622 22.2%
    2009 199054 44583 22.4%
    2008 200501 44544 22.2%
    2007 196073 41671 21.3%
    2006 194315 39313 20.2%
    2005 197626 38748 19.6%
    2004 189802 35492 18.7%
    2003 192109 34912 18.2%
    2002 193263 35074 18.1%
    2001 191664 32597 17.0%
    2000 195220 32614 16.7%
    1999 113379 19080 16.8%
    1998 189538 30231 15.9%
    1997 188594 39943 21.2%
    1996 190675 38161 20.0%
    1995 180423 33889 18.8%
    1994 186951 21907 11.7%
    1993 190295 19824 10.4%
    1992 193391 16898 8.7%

    Teams are actually shooting more from deep now than they did with the shorter distance, and that's been true every year since 2006-07.

  4. LURid Says:

    Also crazy: every single field goal James Jones has made so far this season has been assisted (as of the last update at 82games, at least):

    http://www.82games.com/1011/10MIA7.HTM

  5. Neil Paine Says:

    99% of his attempts have been jump shots, too.

  6. P Middy Says:

    and JJ is shooting 44% from 3. Get that man the ball!

  7. Greyberger Says:

    He's like Ricardo the Busboy, destroying everybody at Pop-a-shot.

  8. Roby Says:

    6 of the 20 seasons were turned in by 4 Heat players (Majerle, Posey, J. Jones, D. Jones) and

    Posey did it with 4 different teams!(2 won rings)

    It's funny that Posey, a career 35% 3-point shooter seems to shoot almost exclusively beyond the arc. He is not in the same vein of some of the great marksmen like Kerr, Rice, and Legler, yet he seems to only jack up 3's. It is odd to me.

  9. Jason J Says:

    He's filling a role. Just because he might not be the best three point shooter on a team, it's still better from Wade, Pierce, Rondo, Paul, etc. to be the ones creating plays while he spots up. Division of labor. Of course it's his D that keeps on the floor in the first place.