After all, Doc said:

“I got on him, and I rarely do, about the threes, because even though he was wide open, it’s really tough. I mean, he was wide open and he took two [during the 4^th quarter], but we had just taken two quick ones. But he’s got an incredibly high basketball IQ. He’s been phenomenal in the locker room. So, I’m just happy to have him.’’

So now we have a situation that may be getting out of hand for not only Rasheed Wallace and Doc Rivers, but for the Celtics in general.  As discussed in the Globe article Wallace is Unable to Zero In, Wallace continues to struggle with his 3-point shooting, which has dropped to 22 for 78 for just 28.2% rate this season.  But then why did he hoist up 8 more threes in the Orlando game after being told by Doc to take it easy with the threes only two days earlier?

Hey, if you want to give Rasheed some credit for listening to Doc, go ahead.  You can point to the fact that Rasheed actually did shoot fewer threes than he normally does.  Since 64% of his shots this season have been taken from beyond the arc, the fact that only 50% of Sheed’s shots in the ORL game were from three could be considered heeding Doc's warning.  Also, he only took 8.5 threes per 36m versus his average of 9.8 – perhaps he actually is taking Doc’s orders to heart!

THE MAKING OF ANTOINE WALKER REDUX?

Rasheed Wallace is a great outside shooter, especially for a big guy.  In fact, during the November 11^th Utah game, Wallace joined the elite club of  6’ 10+” bigs that have made 1,000 career three point shots, which now numbers 4 total players.  Rashard Lewis leads the pack, with the retired Cliff Robinson and Dirk Nowitzki ahead of Sheed.

The odd thing is that Rasheed has never come close to taking threes at the rate he has this season.  For his career, Sheed has only taken 3.1 threes per 36m (or 2.9 attempts per game).

So what gives? Is it the Celtics style of play that is forcing Sheed outside?  Perhaps, but as shown in the chart below, Rasheed has been inching more and more toward becoming a 3 point shot specialist over the last few years.

Sheed became a bonafide 3-point shooter in his 7^th season when he was with the 2001-02 Trailblazers.  That season, his threes attempts increased to 4 threes attempted per game, and it has stayed above 3 threes per game ever since.  The next milestone occurred in 2005-06 when the precedent was set wherein at least 40% of his shots came from “international waters”.  It has increased each season subsequently.  To add insult to injury, he’s actually taking more threes than 2-point shots this season.

To familiarize you with the Celtics as well as their short romance with Obie-ball, the following table was constructed from www.basketball-reference.com.

Comparing Wallace to former Celtics, two names come to mind.  Do I hear “James Posey”?   And then there’s Antoine Walker.

The funny thing is, despite the threes, Rasheed will not draw comparisons to Antoine Walker – another Celtics power forward that had a penchant for the 3-point shot.  Walker was a volume shooter, and not a very good 3-point shooter at that.  Wallace obviously has blended into the team chemistry well enough to distribute the ball nicely, and he rarely forces shots.   Walker, on the other hand, would seemingly be out of position when he "let 'er fly" from beyond the arc.  What Sheed does share with Walker is that they have poor overall shooting percentages from beyond the arc.

If Wallace keeps to his current shot selection distribution, you can see that he will not only keep company with former Celtics James Posey, but also our current “in-House” 3-point specialist.  Unfotunately, even Eddie House has been off his normal percentages this year.   But the Celtics have the best in the business in Ray Allen.  Allen has also been surprisingly good at varying his shots, with a mix of transition buckets and mid-range jumpers to add to his repertoire - all always acccurate of course (except come some playoff games).

So Rasheed’s response to his current shooting slump is simply this:

“I ain’t worried about it, honestly.  I probably rushed about two or three of them [3-point shots]. Other than that, it’s good looks, they’re just not going for me. I’m not worried about my offense now. It’s still early in the season, I know I won’t be shooting like this for the duration of the season. . . . It’s just a matter of making some shots. Everybody goes through it, no matter if it’s 2-pointers, 3-pointers, or foul shots - everybody goes through slumps every now and then. But the key, or the heart of that player will determine how he plays. I’m not the type to let the threes get me down. I’m missing a couple threes so I don’t want to do this any more - no. I’m out there playing basketball.’’

From that statement, don’t expect any change in his game as long as he spaces the floor the way he’s been able to, and the opponents keep leaving him open.  He’s a career 34% shooter, and in reality, that just isn’t good enough to be shooting threes on this Celtics team.  Ask Brian Scalabrine, with his career 38% 3-point shooting while with the Celtics, who seems to be just above the line in terms of shooting proficiency.

So the question becomes, does Rasheed ease his trigger finger, or will this future hall-of-famer become the tall long-range sniper he believes he is?

Notes: * The 3pt attempted/36m record is restricted to players that average greater than 20 minutes per game.