Mavericks' 3-point shooting overhaul isn't as significant as it seems

The Dallas Mavericks certainly made some moves around the margins this summer to address their 26th-ranked 3-point shooting percentage from last season, but in reality, these moves may not end up being that significant whatsoever.

Dallas started the offseason by trading for Marcus Sasser and Santi Aldama, both of whom are solid shooters, but are not elite by any means. Sasser shot 41.5 percent from outside last season and has flashed the ability to make 3-point looks off the dribble. Despite this, he was buried in the Detroit Pistons' guard rotation. He averaged just 12 minutes per game in 38 appearances.

Sasser and Aldama must prove their shooting can translate in new roles

It should also be noted that Sasser dealt with some injuries, but the point is he hasn't played a significant role on the Pistons outside of his rookie season, and there are certainly questions about how big a role he'll have in Dallas. Sasser could be Dallas' bona fide backup point guard come opening night, but depending on how Dusty May and this new coaching staff view him, he could also be a player that barely sees any clock at the end of the bench.

On the other hand, Aldama has proven to be a solid shooter on good volume throughout his career, which is certainly a weapon if Dallas ever wants to play a five-out offense. However, he's a career 34.6 percent shooter from outside, meaning he's a viable threat that opposing big men will have to respect — but he isn't going to shoot the lights out in every game.

Risacher and Biberovic may not even have significant roles

New addition Zaccharie Risacher is also a slightly above-average 3-point shooter, and while he certainly projects to have a role for Dallas, how big of a role that will ultimately be will likely be dictated by his shooting and Max Christie's play. 25-year-old Tarik Biberovic may be the best shooter Dallas added based on how he shot the ball in the EuroLeague, but there's a caveat with him as well.

Biberovic is only on a two-year, $6 million deal, and he'll have to prove he can crack Dallas' rotation on a roster that is already loaded with wings. He'll also have to dispel the recent trend of elite shooters from Europe not being able to translate the same level of efficiency from outside once they get to the NBA. These are definitely achievable feats for Biberovic, but they are factors that are far from guaranteed.

Dallas should shoot better, but how much of a jump will they take?

Dallas also added Jett Howard on a two-way contract, and Howard is a solid 3-point shooter on the wing, but can only be active for up to 50 games for the Mavericks as of right now. He also hasn't proven to be efficient enough in other areas of his game to carve out a significant role through three seasons, so it's highly doubtful he plays a significant role, barring a ton of injuries on the wing.

The Mavericks should have hope that their 3-point shooting will improve from last season as they head into this year. Kyrie Irving's return will help this issue drastically, but it's hard to see Dallas taking a jump to being an elite 3-point shooting team right away. They lost Klay Thompson, who draws a ton of gravity on the perimeter, and many of their new additions haven't proven to be snipers on consistent volume at the NBA level.

Only time will tell to see how effective Dallas' new additions are from a 3-point shooting perspective, but there are more uncertainties than certainties as far as these new additions are concerned, which should raise question marks as to how much Dallas actually improved their 3-point shooting this summer.

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