Throughout the 2017 NBA Finals, savvy offensive players hunted down Stephen Curry, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, all poor to middling defenders, on countless possessions because their involvement on defense meant better scoring odds for the opposition: Offenses in the 2010s are predicated on screens and spacing in order to generate mismatches and open shooting opportunities. While some players utilize their opportunities not with triples, but with timely cuts to the basket (see: Wade, Dwyane), the shift in the meta towards three-point shooting and spacing as an offensive priority has made solid to elite deep shooters incredibly valued. When an offense has a superstar that it revolves around to generate scoring opportunities (see: Harden, James), the other players on the court must be skilled at utilizing the opportunities given to them.
The idea of the three-and-D wing is that their offensive value is rooted in their ability to stretch the defense and hit timely catch-and-shoot three-pointers.
League-wide interest has spiked in wing players who prioritize two different skills: three-point shooting and defense. However, the number of individuals who can consistently threaten world-class athletes from 24 feet away from the basket is limited. Think John Wall and Bradley Beal on the Washington Wizards. For most NBA teams, one or two players possess the ability to initiate offense or create in a way that crucially threatens the defense from the wing.
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