What is a good 3-point percentage? (With Examples)

The three-point shot has dominated the basketball world recently, and it’s now more important than ever to be a good three-point shooter. It’s one thing to take a lot of threes, it’s another thing to be able to make three point shots at a high percentage.

Statistics show that for NBA basketball players, a 3-point percentage (3pt%) above 35% is good and a 3pt% above 40% is considered to be elite. A good 3-point percentage in college basketball is above 35% and an elite percentage is anything over 40%. In high school a good 3-point percentage is anything above 32%.

With that being said, a good three-point percentage depends on the position of the player and the level and league being played. Also keep in mind that the volume or number of threes attempted also plays a big factor. (The more three’s attempted the lower the percentage in most cases)

In this article, we will discuss more in-depth on what is considered to be a good 3-point field goal percentage at the NBA, NCAA, & High School levels, as well as talk about some of the greatest 3 point shooters the game of basketball has ever seen.

Let’s get started.

Basketball 3-Point Percentage

There are many factors to consider when discussing what makes a good three-point shooter and what separates them from other players.

One of the most common and effective ways to measure if a player is good at making 3’s is to look at their 3-point percentage and see how many they make vs. how many they take during a game, season and career.

In most levels of basketball, a player or team that shoots about 35% is good. Anything above 35% is considered to be above average or even elite. However, this number may vary by the level of play and number of attempts.

Here is a breakdown of what is considered to be a good and elite three-point percentage at the different levels of basketball.

Basketball 3PT FG% By Level

Level	3P FG% (Good)	3P FG% (Elite)
NBA	33-39%	40% or Above
College	35-39%	40% or Above
High School	30-35%	36% or Above

NBA 3 Point Percentage

According to BasketballRefrence.com the average NBA three-point percentage is 35%. A player who shoots above 35% is considered to be a good three-point shooter and players that shoot above 40% are elite 3-point shooters. (Source: espn.com)

In my opinion here is what I would considered to be the different tiers of three-point percentages in the NBA.

NBA 3-Point Tiers

Level	3P FG%
Below Average	34% & Below
Good	35-39%
Elite	40% & Above

If you would like to learn more about what is considered to be an elite three-point shooter in the NBA, check out this article by Bleacher Report: Metrics 101: Who Are the NBA’s Truly Elite 3-Point Shooters?

College 3 Point Percentage

In college basketball a good three-point percentage is 35% or above. This might be a surprising statistic because it’s very similar to the NBA shooting numbers.

This is because the college three-point line is a little bit shorter than the NBA three-point line making it a little easier to shoot for a higher percentage. The competition isn’t as competitive as well.

Shooters that are able to make their 3’s 40% or more throughout a game or a season are considered to be elite three-point shooters in college.

In general, the best three-point shooters in college basketball are guards and forwards but some centers can also shoot well behind the arc.

High School 3 Point Percentage

As you would expect a good average 3-point percentage in high school is much lower when compared to college basketball and NBA players.

A good 3-point percentage in high school for an individual player is anything that is in the low to high 30’s. If a player is shooting the 3’s and is making 32% or higher this is considered to be good.

With that being said, this number might also vary depending on what level of high school ball is being played. For example, the varsity players will most likely shoot a higher 3-point percentage than the freshmen team would.

How to Calculate Shooting Percentage in Basketball?

Calculating your three-point percentage is pretty straightforward. You simply take the number of 3 pointers made and divide it by the total number of attempts.

You can then either leave it in decimal form or you could multiply that number by 100 and get the actual 3-point percentage.

For example, if LeBron James makes 4 3’s in a game out of 9 attempts. You can calculate his shooting percentage by taking his made 3 pointers (4) and dividing it by number of three’s attempted (9).

This would give you 0.444 and then you could times this by 100 and get 44.4% which would be what his official shooting percentage would be.

Other Important Basketball Statistics

Best 3 Point Shooters of All Time

Throughout the history of basketball there have been a lot of great three point shooters. Here is a look at some of the best basketball shooters and what kind of numbers they put up from out deep.

Who Has the Best 3 Point Percentage of All Time?

According to basketballrefrence.com Steve Kerr has the highest recorded 3-point percentage in NBA history, with a shooting percentage of .4540. However, there have been a lot of great shooters that have put up similar numbers.

Here is a look at the top 10:

Best 3-Pt Field Goal Percentage

Rank	Player	3 Point %
1.	Steve Kerr	.4540
2.	Seth Curry	.4490
3.	Hubert Davis	.4409
4.	Duncan Robinson	.4382
5.	Drazen Robinson	.4374
6.	Jason Kapono	.4336
7.	Stephen Curry	.4330
8.	Joe Harris	.4313
9.	Tim Legler	.4312
10.	Steve Novak	.4301

(Source: Basketball Reference)

As you can see all of these players were all efficient and elite three-point shooters. Now let’s take a look at the players that hold the record for the most total three point shots made over their career.

Here are the career leaders for the most 3-pt field goals made:

Most All-Time 3-Pt Field Goals

Rank	Player	3PTs
1.	Ray Allen	2973
2.	Reggie Miller	2560
3.	Stephen Curry	2548
4.	Kyle Korver	2450
5.	James Harden	2355
6.	Vince Carter	2290
7.	Jason Terry	2282
8.	Jamal Crawford	2221
9.	Paul Pierce	2143
10.	Jason Kidd	1988

(Source: Basketball Reference)

Final Thoughts

An important part of the game of basketball is the three point shot. More and more teams and players are shifting their focus on being able to effectively and consistently make shots from beyond the arc.

These days if you want to be a successful and effective player making three pointers is something every basketball player should work on.

I hope this article provides some clarity on what is considered a good 3-point percentage at the different levels of basketball and that you take into account the different variables we discussed in this article.