Lately, I ran into a discussion about how basketballers barely take long shots and are often looking to break through for dunking. I'm from the Netherlands, and there is this sport called "korfball" which is pretty similar to basketball. The word "korf" translates to something which is pretty similar to a basket.
In korfball, you're not allowed to walk when you're in possession of the ball, which results in having to pass the ball around at a very high rate to be able to break through. The defending team tries to find a balance between holding back (preventing break throughs) and blocking shots.
More important, korfballers do not care too much about not being able to break through, as (at a high level) their accuracy is crazy and they score the vast majority of their long shots. Their accuracy pushes defenders to give away less space, which opens up possibilities for breaking through.
Here is a video to get a feel of their typical accuracy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygoIb7EXWnY&t=2m35s
My question is as follows: why don't basketballers simply take the "long" shot as soon as they approach the three-point line? At that distance, they are rarely so strongly defended that their shots would get blocked. I often see attempts of players trying to break through, aborting mission and taking the shot from a closer (and strongly destabilised) position. Why not take your time and shoot from a couple of meters back? Korfballers shoot (and score) from much greater distances all the time.
Even more, assuming that basketballers can have an equal accuracy, scoring from the three-point line will push the defenders forward, creating more space for their beloved dunks.
Some data to support my question:
A basketball weights 650 gram, whereas a korfbal weighs about 500 grams. A neglectable difference, if you ask me.
Radius of a korfbal, korfbal "basket" and their ratio (the lower, the more difficult): 11 cm, 15 cm, 1.36
Radius of a basketball, radius of the hoop and their ratio (the lower, the more difficult): 12.5 cm, 22.8 cm, 1.82
The basketball net is at a height of 3 meter, whereas a korfbal "basket" is at a height of 3.5 meter.
The 3-pointer line is at a distance of 6.75 meter, whereas korfbal players regularly take shots in the range of 15-10 meter
Lastly, there is a board behind the basketball net which makes scoring easier
Interested in hearing your opinion!