Predicting the Winner
To reiterate, the 3-point contest features two rounds. Of the eight participants, the three with the highest scores will move on from the first to the second round.
Amongst the participating 3-point snipers; Beasley, Markkanen, and Towns are the most comfortable shooting standstill threes. While all the players are top-tier marksmen, it's worth noting that off-the-dribble shooters have typically performed worse.
However, Beasley is more of an in-game shooter. He lives off spot-up opportunities using his high release point combined with impressive elevation. In his first contest, he may wear out sooner rather than later. As for Markkanen, he's a knockdown shooter but doesn't strike fear into his 3-point contest opponents. His game isn't predicated on the three-ball.
Both Brunson and Mitchell fall under the same category. They shoot 3-pointers but don't rely on the deep ball. Brunson would rather drive to the rim or score in the mid-post. While Mitchell is best attacking downhill.
The favorite, Lillard, has participated in his fair share of 3-point contests. While he could easily score above 25 in either round, the next three candidates are likely hungrier to bring home the trophy.
The trio of Haliburton, Towns, and Young are competing in Sunday night's All-Star game. But before, each player will vie for the crown of the best shooter in the final round of the contest.
Towns elevates the least of any participant, ridding himself of the likelihood of shooter fatigue. He's also won the contest, thus the experience factor is there. Although he hasn't come away victorious, Young has now participated three times in the 3-point contest. The third time could be the charm for the Hawks star, but another Eastern Conference guard has what it takes.
While it's always a coin flip, Haliburton is the choice to bring home the hardware in Indianapolis. Doing it for his home crowd, the Indiana superstar has just what it takes to be crowned the 3-point champion.
Just a year ago, Haliburton scored 31 points in the first round of the contest. Unfortunately, he put up just 17 in the following round. This time around, look for Haliburton to display more consistency as he's participated once before.