Phoenix Suns: Damion Lee left out of 3-point contest despite leading NBA in percentage most of season

Damion Lee isn’t going to lie.

He wanted to compete in Saturday’s 3-point contest during NBA All-Star weekend in Salt Lake City, but the Suns guard wasn’t one of the eight participants chosen despite leading the league in shooting percentage from deep for most of the 2022-23 regular season.

“It is what it is,” Lee said before Tuesday’s game against Sacramento at Footprint Center. “I can’t be upset. I mean, I could be upset, but it’s doesn’t change nothing.”

Tyrese Haliburton (Pacers), Tyler Herro (Heat), Buddy Hield (Pacers), Kevin Huerter (Kings), Damian Lillard (Blazers), Lauri Markkanen (Jazz), Julius Randle (Knicks) and Jayson Tatum (Celtics) are the eight selections.

Randle replaced Anfernee Simons (Blazers), who is out with a right ankle sprain suffered Tuesday against Washington. Randle is shooting 33.8% from 3 this season.

“I got a goal to do that’s bigger than just us right now,” said Lee in talking about competing for an NBA championship this season. “For personal accomplishment, sure, that would’ve been dope to be there to compete, but things happen. You can’t control everything. I can control my effort playing for the Suns, finish out this year strong.”

So, the Suns (32-28), who are 11-4 in their last 15 games, won't have any representation in the skills competition, 3-point shootout, slam dunk contest Saturday or Sunday's All-Star game.

Sources told The Republic the NBA contacted Lee as he’s fifth in the NBA in 3-point shooting percentage at a career-best 43.9%. The four players ahead of him – Malcolm Brogdon (Celtics), Isaiah Joe (Thunder), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (Nuggets) and Luke Kennard (Grizzlies) – aren’t in the competition, either.

Hield has the highest 3-point percentage of the eight 3-point competitors at 42.6%.

Lee didn’t want to get into specifics about why he wasn’t chosen.

As Lee put it, he heard “rumblings” on the selection process.

“I guess didn’t have, I don’t know if it wasn’t enough attempts or enough makes,” said Lee, who is averaging 3.7 attempts from 3 and 1.6 makes, numbers that are lower than the eight 3-point competitors.

Last month when Lee was shooting 48.4% to lead the league in 3-point shooting percentage, his former Warriors teammate and brother-in-law – two-time 3-point contest champion Stephen Curry – thought Lee was a lock for the competition.

"Oh, for sure,” said Curry, who is considered the greatest shooter ever. “Usually you want the guy shooing the highest percentage and whatever that volume question is. I think he qualifies there.”

Then earlier this month, Suns teammate Chris Paul said Lee, who was still the NBA leader in 3-point percentage at 47.2%, should be in the contest.

“We’re going to get D-Lee in it then,” Paul said.

Paul noted how Cam Johnson didn’t get chosen last year despite being one of the NBA’s top 3-point shooters.

“If D-Lee is leading the league in 3-point percentage, it doesn’t make sense,” Paul said.

Lee wound up not getting the invite.

"I just want to win games," Lee said. "If it happened like that and we won enough games and I got in and I shot it well enough, and it happened. If not, I get a couple of extra days for my mid-season break and we go from there."

Looking at the field, it appears to be a mix of All-Stars in Lillard, Tatum, Haliburton and Markkanen, who plays for the All-Star weekend host Jazz, and players who get up – and make – a slew of 3s.

Lillard checks both boxes as he’s second in the NBA in 3-point attempts per game (11.2) behind Curry and third in makes per game (4.2).

Tatum is averaging 9.3 attempts and Simons is at 9.2. Hield is attempting nine a game while Herro is at 8.1.

In terms of makes, Hield is averaging 3.8 a game, Simons is at 3.5, Tatum stands at 3.3 while Markkanen and Herro are making three a game.

Randle is averaging eight attempts from 3 and 2.7 made field goals from deep.

The 3-point contest has always had star power in it, but part of the draw is seeing someone who isn’t an All-Star win it like Tim Legler (1996), Steve Kerr (1997), Quentin Richardson (2005), Jason Kapono (2007, 2008), Daquean Cook (2009), James Jones (2011), Marco Belinelli (2014), Eric Gordon (2017), Joe Harris (2019) and Hield (2020).

Have opinion about current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on Twitter at @DuaneRankin.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix Suns' Damion Lee left out NBA's 3-point contest