UNC Alumni in the NBA: Theo Pinson’s three-point renaissance

Theo Pinson is achieving newfound success in the NBA G-League as he’s off to a hot start for the Long Island Nets

Theo Pinson was never known for having a sweet shooting stroke or impeccable accuracy from beyond the arc at the college level.

No, the former University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill guard/forward and national champion made a name for himself through his multifaceted skill-set that contributed mightily to UNC’s success during his four-year collegiate career.

While at UNC, Pinson could do just about everything: Attack the basket on ferocious cuts and drives, operate as a facilitator from the post, grab rebounds over larger opponents and initiate the primary break, guard positions one-through-five, and run the Tar Heels’ potent offense, ultimately controlling the game on both ends of the floor on a nightly basis.

As a senior, the 6-foot-6 wing put up averages of 10.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.1 steals over the course of 37 games, proving that he really could do it all — except shoot.

That is, until now.

As a member for the Long Island Nets, the G-League affiliate of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets, Pinson has thrived while operating as a key cog in a high-scoring offense (115.6 points per game, fourth-highest in the league), leading the Nets to a hot 11-5 start to the season.

Playing 34.6 minutes a night as a starter, Pinson is recording averages of 18.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.8 blocks on a per-game basis.

His numbers are undeniably impressive, as they indicate that the former UNC do-everything wing’s skillset was translatable to the next level and that he’s quickly made serious strides despite only being a year removed from amateur basketball.

But those numbers don’t tell the whole story: Not only is Pinson stuffing the stat sheet, but he’s also discovered newfound success from beyond the arc.

Through his first 16 games as a pro, Pinson is leading the Long Island Nets in both three-pointers made (45) and attempted (120), as well as three-point accuracy (37.5 percent). When looking at his standing compared to the rest of the league, his 45 makes are good enough for seventh-most overall this season.

This is, quite obviously, a drastic shift from what fans saw from the Theo Pinson of old, who got his points primarily from dunks and layups, never straying too far from the basket.

In 122 games as a Tar Heel, Pinson shot a paltry 46-of-179 from downtown, never making more than 18 threes in a season and never eclipsing his single-game high of three 3-pointers made.

As a Net? He’s already made 45 threes in far fewer games and has eclipsed three 3-pointers made in nine of his 16 games. Thursday against the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Pinson has a solid chance of surpassing his college total for three-pointers made, a feat that is simply amazing considering where his shot was only months ago.

But where did this blistering outside shooting come from?

Typically, a player finding his shooting touch at the next level can be attributed to gradual improvement in his outside shooting at the college level, even if it was unspectacular. However, this isn’t the case for Pinson. He didn’t get better year-over-year as a shooter at UNC. Really, he got worse: 26.9 percent, 29 percent, 23.7 percent, and 22.6 percent over his four-year college career.

Perhaps a sign for hope was that his free throw shooting improved greatly year-over-year, with the wing improving from 61.1 percent from the line as a freshman to 81.8 percent as a senior. After all, he is shooting an impressive 87.5 percent from the line as a Net, leading the team in free throw accuracy.

Considering that many sports talking heads in the past have touted the connection of free throw accuracy and three-point shooting, perhaps fans should’ve believed in Pinson eventually figuring things out as a shooter.

Perhaps Pinson’s improved accuracy can be attributed to alterations in his shot mechanics, ones that often featured an off-balance hop and shaky upper-body movement. A summer of working with professional trainers and shooting coaches could certainly transform a player’s shot in a matter of months.

Theo Pinson’s emergence as an outside shooter likely can’t be attributed to one thing over the other, as it could be a multitude of factors that contributed to his speedy improvement.

Whatever the case, one thing is certainly clear: Theo Pinson can shoot, and his potential as a professional is ultimately higher because of it.