How Derek Harper Could Have Been A Rich Man In Today’s Game

The installation of the three-point line in 1979 was one of the largest changes to any of the 4-major US sports, almost undebatable.

But even though it’s a recent trend that continues to grow, there were obviously some players who were not appreciated for being ahead of the times.

Star players of the mid-range era like Reggie Miller or Steve Kerr always come to mind, but even they still made a career for themselves worth recognizing without putting the league average numbers into perspective.

One of the best examples of this was Derek Harper.

After being drafted in 1983, Harper was a decent role player, totaling 25 minutes per game off the bench for his first three seasons.

Over that span, of his 7.5 field goal attempts per game, only 0.6 of them were beyond the arc. In 1986, his field goal attempts jumped from 7.5 to 12.9, mostly because he attempts 2.8 shots from beyond the arc that season. Harper became the team’s sharpshooter, knocking down threes at a 35.8% clip.

What Harper did not realize however is the ripple effect his role on a winning team would have, even if the winning in Dallas was only a two-year stint with no Finals appearances.

The Maverick’s idea of a three-point specialist was not a genius idea that nobody ever thought of, because frankly, nobody was exceptionally skilled at it, since the three did not even exist ten years before.

That being said, the fact that his role led the explosion of three-point attempts for the Mavericks as they began to succeed proved the philosophy could work.

When we look to today’s NBA however, the Houston Rockets just barely surpassed the Mavericks’ 1984 season total, as the Rockets totaled 3,721 attempts from deep.

That’s only inflation of 740%, which is not bad considering the league average inflation from 1984 to 2019 is 1,000%. So, let’s look at the pioneers in comparison to the Rockets team, who has been at the forefront of the analytic shift in basketball.

Harper led the change in the Mavericks’ franchise due to his ability to hit an under-appreciated shot, which in today’s game could have given him a much bigger payday, closer to the likes of Danny Green or Fred VanVleet.