A look at Miami Heat guard Wayne Ellington taking on the 3-Point Contest

This year’s NBA All-Star 3-point contest will be nothing short of exciting, as it includes Miami Heat guard Wayne Ellington.

Saturday, February 17 marks the return of the NBA State Farm All-Star Saturday Night.

Airing on TNT at 8 PM ET, the festivities will include the JBL 3-Point Contest, as the second of three events to take place. The contest will be in its usual format: eight players, including the Miami Heat’s Wayne Ellington; one minute for each player to shoot from the five locations on the court; 25 balls, including nine money balls worth two points; with the top three scores moving on to the championship round, and then repeating the process all over again.

This Year’s Participants

• Eric Gordon, Houston Rockets: Gordon is the 3-point contest defending champion. However, he is shooting just 33.4 percent from behind the arc this year, down about 4 percent from last season and low enough for worst in the contest.
• Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors: Shooting the best out of this year’s field at 45.5 percent is Thompson, who won the competition in 2016.
• Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards: This is Beal’s second appearance in the contest, his first being four years ago. He is shooting 37 percent this year, down 3 percent from 2014. However, Beal is also shooting about two more 3’s per game.
• Tobias Harris, Los Angeles Clippers: Harris has been on the move this season, but his 3-point shot has not been affected much. He is shooting 40.2 percent from deep.
• Kyle Lowry, Toronto Raptors: Shooting 38.9 percent from 3-point range, this will be Lowry’s third contest.
• Wayne Ellington, Miami Heat: Ellington was shooting better from 3-point range earlier in the season, but is currently still hitting an impressive 38.7 percent on the year.
• Paul George, Oklahoma City Thunder: Close behind Thompson is George, shooting 43.2 percent and making the most 3’s per game out of all the contestants at 3.3 per game. George is on a five-game streak of making five or more 3-pointers.
• Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns: In his third season in the league, Booker will compete in his first 3-point contest, while shooting 38.3 percent.

Ellington’s chances to take the trophy

Ellington is attempting 7.6 3’s per game, and while struggling lately, he shot very well in November and December. During that time, his average 3-point shooting percentage was about 43 percent. Although he might not be the favorite, this is really anyone’s game.

If there is one thing to note about the 3-point shooting contest, it would be that it is not always about who has the best shooting percentage, as much as who gets into a rhythm.

Next: As the Miami Heat struggle, things come together for Goran Dragic

Good luck to Ellington, who has all of Heat Nation’s support behind him.