Obviously, basketball is about shooting the ball, so ideally a player should be precise with their shots from the field, be it from short, medium or long distance. Over the years the game has evolved and today the vast majority of players, regardless of their position, are proficient shooters.
However, there are currently several starters who miss too many shots and therefore have a mediocre field goal percentage, exposing the shortcomings of a player who perhaps shouldn’t be in the game. NBA, or at least should not be a starter, unless it contributes a lot in other aspects of the game. So, without further ado, here are the 10 worst field goal percentages of current NBA starters (minimum 1,000 career missed field goals).
10 R.J. Barrett (41.8%)
Rowan Alexander Barrett Jr. was the third overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, and in his first three seasons he has performed well, though definitely not as well as expected. In the 2021-22 season, Broadway Barrett averaged 20 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game, which is pretty decent, but his field goal percentage was 41.8%, which is just disappointing. . RJ Barrett has what it takes to shine in the NBA, he just needs to polish some aspects of his game.
9 Terry Rozier (41.7%)
After not playing much for the Boston Celtics, Terry Rozier has shown he can start on an NBA team. In 205 starts for the Charlotte Hornets, he averaged 19.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.8 turnovers per game, with a Player Efficiency Rating of 16. 6.
However, Rozier has yet to improve his field goal percentage, which is 41.7% in his seven-year career.
8 Jordan Poole (41.6%)
Jordan Poole is coming off his first season as an NBA starter, with none other than the champion Golden State Warriors. He certainly didn’t start in the playoffs, but in the regular season he started 51 games, averaging 30 minutes per game.
Poole had a field goal percentage of 44.8%, much better than the 38.1% he had shown in his first two seasons. Still, his career shooting percentage still leaves a lot to be desired, but it will surely improve with time.
7 Gary Trent Jr. (41.6%)
Without a doubt, this 23-year-old has a great future, probably not as bright as Luka Doncic or Trae Young, but he will definitely be a superstar one day. Gary Trent Jr. averaged 18.3 points per game in the 2021-22 season, which is great, but he needs to improve other aspects of his game, like defense and especially his shooting accuracy.
In 204 career games, Trent Jr. has a 41.6% field goal percentage and continues to show no signs of improvement. If the Toronto Raptors shooting guard can improve his accuracy, he could easily score 20-plus points a game.
6 Fred VanVleet (40.4%)
Fred VanVleet is coming off the best season of his career, setting career highs in points per game (20.3), rebounds per game (4.4), assists per game (6.7), Player Efficiency Rating (17.3), Boxing over/under ( 3.6) and Value Over Replacement Player (3.5), Steady Freddy even made his first All-Star appearance.
However, VanVleet still has a low field goal percentage for an NBA starter, making 442 of 1,097 attempts from the field, for 40.4%, which is almost equal to his career percentage.
5 Lonzo ball (40%)
Some fans think that Lonzo Ball is one of the most overrated players in the NBA today, which may be true if we look at his stats, especially his field goal percentage. Lonzo Ball has 1,117 shots from the field in 2,790 attempts, for a field goal percentage of 40%.
However, this point guard has been improving slightly over the years, since in his rookie season he had a field goal percentage of 36% and in the 2021-22 season he had 42.3%.
4 Saddiq Bey (39.9%)
Saddiq Bey has only played two seasons in the NBA, but he has already missed more than 1,000 shots from the field, 1,098 to be exact.
The Detroit Pistons forward has a lackluster 39.9% shooting percentage, but he’s still averaging 14.3 points per game for his career, 16.1 last season, making it clear that Bey shoots a lot. he fails a lot, but still scores a good amount of points. Saddiq Bey is only 23 years old, so he has a lot of room for improvement.
3 Justin vacation (39.8%)
Experienced shooting guard and small forward Justin Holiday has always been a below-average shooter, and his 39.8% field goal percentage reflects that. Not to mention that he is a lousy long-range shooter, as his 3-point field goal percentage is 36.5%.
Still, Holiday has managed to stay in the NBA for nine years, even starting in some seasons, including 2021-22, in which he started with both the Indiana Pacers and the Sacramento Kings, with whom he had a 34.8. % field goal percentage in 25 games.
two Smart Marcus (38.2%)
Believe it or not, Marcus Smart has the second worst field goal percentage among current NBA starters. Throughout his eight-year NBA career, Marcus Smart has made 1,815 field goals in 4,747 attempts, that is, 2,932 missed field goals, for a mediocre field goal percentage of 38.2%.
At least Smart wasn’t too bad in the 2021-22 season, as he had a 41.8% field goal percentage, averaging 12.1 points, 5.9 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game
1 Devonte’ Graham (37.2%)
Devonte’ Graham of the New Orleans Pelicans is the current starter with the worst shooting percentage of his career, with a horrendous 37.2%. The 27-year-old point guard has made just 990 field goals in 2,663 attempts.
One would hope that with experience Graham would improve his game, but the opposite is true, as he had a 36.3% field goal percentage in the 2021-22 season. Despite that, Graham is averaging 12.8 points per game, which is pretty decent.