While the 2025-26 NBA season may now be in full swing, there isn’t enough of a sample size to live and die by the numbers. Still, there are some data points worth highlighting, one of which belongs to the reigning champions’ long-range marksman, Oklahoma City Thunder wing Isaiah Joe.
Isaiah Joe Is Shooting Threes At A Historic Rate
Since joining the Thunder in 2022, Joe has hit 41.3 percent of his 3-point shots. It’s the sixth-best mark among players who have appeared in at least 200 games during that time (per Stathead). And to start this season, Joe continues to kiss the nylon at an excellent rate (42.3 percent).
But what really stands out is the number of attempts Joe is taking. He’s averaging 8.7 3-point attempts per game, which is tied for 10th in the entire NBA. However, Joe only plays 24.5 minutes per game. So, this statistic is missing some key context.
When adjusting for pace, Joe is neck and neck with Stephen Curry for the top spot (minimum five games played). Joe attempts 17.1 threes per 100 possessions while Curry is at 17.3. To put some color on those numbers, that means nearly 20 percent of the Thunder’s possessions with Joe on the floor include him shooting a three.
Historically speaking, if Joe continues to fire threes at the same clip he has to start the season, it would be the third-highest volume season on record (second if he surpasses Curry).
So, Joe shoots a lot of threes? Cool, but why write an entire article about it?
Two key variables separate what Joe is doing from pretty much every other such season in NBA history. First, there’s his efficiency. As it stands, Joe’s 42.3 percent clip from downtown is the highest conversion rate of any player among the top 10 in 3-point attempts per 100 possessions since 1996 (when play-by-play started tracking). Second — and even more interesting — is how Joe launches all these threes.
Look at some of the other names on the chart above. James Harden, Stephen Curry, LaMelo Ball. These are guys who spend a lot of time with the ball in their hands and manufacture a lot of their triples off the dribble. For instance, in 2017-18, 78.8 percent of Harden’s threes came from pull-ups (per NBA.com).
Meanwhile, only 14.9 percent of Joe’s attempts have been from this shot type. In fact, of all the top-10 volume shooting seasons since 1996, only Marreese Speights (that case really needs to be investigated) and CJ Miles attempted a lower percentage of threes off of pull-ups and neither of them played as many minutes per game as Joe is.
How Is Joe Taking So Many Threes?
The distinction between pull-up and catch-and-shoot threes is relevant because it’s much easier to launch the former than the latter since you don’t need the assistance of a teammate.
Looking at the tracking data, 92 percent of Joe’s 3-pointers are open or wide open, which is the exact percentage of open or wide open threes he was taking last year. So, it isn’t like Joe is just chucking up shots. These are high-quality looks.
His teammates, namely Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Ajay Mitchell, are doing a great job of finding Joe after collapsing the defense with a drive into the paint. Of Joe’s 22 made threes, 14 of them came from a pass by Gilgeous-Alexander or Mitchell (63.6 percent). Last year, that frequency was just 25.6 percent.
A key ingredient here is Jalen Williams has yet to play this season as he recovers from offseason wrist surgery. So, Joe is able to spend a larger portion of his minutes with Gilgeous-Alexander on the floor (12.7 percent more of his minutes are alongside Gilgeous-Alexander, per PBP Stats).
When Williams inevitably returns, Joe probably won’t get as much time with the best driver in the sport. Or, maybe, the Thunder see this trend and make pairing Joe and Gilgeous-Alexander one of their top priorities. In any event, Joe’s historic volume/efficiency season is worth monitoring, especially since, just last year, Malik Beasley almost won Sixth Man of The Year with an (arguably) less impressive shooting tear.
All data for this article was pulled by Fran Huzjan (@FHuzjan on Twitter).