The Warriors drained 28 three-pointers in their 122-112 preseason win over the Kings.
They previously made a franchise-high 27 threes in a playoff game against the Thunder on May 8, 2021 and a regular-season game against the Blazers on April 9, 2023.
While the 28 threes won't count as a franchise record since it was a preseason game, the Warriors executed the run-and-gun offense that made them the most exciting team of the late 2010s and early 2020s, giving head coach Steve Kerr a lot to be excited about ahead of the 2024-25 campaign.
After Wednesday's game, Kerr acknowledged that the Warriors have the personnel, unlike the previous few seasons, to be able to attempt over 50 threes per game on a nightly basis.
"We're not a team that gets to the free throw line much," Kerr said, via 95.7 The Game. "So, it'd be hard for us to win games unless we shoot a high volume of threes. What I like about this team, even though we lost Klay [Thompson], we have more shooting depth. We have more guys who can step in and make threes from one night to the next. So, it'll be a big part of our team for sure."
To Kerr's point, Golden State's shooting depth was bolstered by the offseason pickups of Buddy Hield and De'Anthony Melton, who combined to shoot 10-of-16 from three on Wednesday. Furthermore, Jonathan Kuminga (4-of-7) and Brandin Podziemski (2-of-4) shot the deep ball confidently after being inserted into the starting lineup. The two youngsters are expected to take on a much larger role in the Warriors offense in light of Thompson's exit, a point Kerr has stressed repeatedly.
Speaking of Kuminga, the 22-year-old was shocked when informed that the Warriors would have set a franchise record if Wednesday's game was a regular-season affair.
Last season, Kuminga attempted only 2.2 threes per game, converting on 0.7 of those shots. The fourth-year forward realizes he needs to improve his deep-range shooting to find his footing on the team.
Before Wednesday's game, only one team in NBA history — regular season, preseason or playoffs — had ever made more shots from deep over 48 minutes. On Dec. 29, 2020, the Bucks shot 56.9 percent (29-51) from beyond the arc against the Heat to set the record. Only two other teams had made at least 28 shots from deep — the Rockets (Feb. 2, 2021) and the Jazz (Feb. 22, 2021).
With the pace at which teams launch threes, it won't be long before a team hits the 30 3PM mark.
