just because the mid-range shot is being phased out and more 3's are being taken doesn't make it better basketball.
No, that's exactly what it means. 33% FG from 3 is essentially 50% from 2. If Bass can hit even 33% from 3, the shot is already more effective than his mid-range shot. This leads to a more efficient offense. Your original post called the 3 point shot the least efficient shot. That's just objectively false no matter how you feel about the purity of being a big man.
The only negative to 3 point shots are more misses, which can potentially lead to more fast break opportunities. On the other side, longer shots mean longer rebounds, which means more offensive rebounds so it balances out.
He hit 38% of his shots from 16-23 feet. Bass takes 29% of his FGA from 16-23 feet in his career. If he replaces some of that 29% with the corner 3 from 22 feet and manages ~30-33% from this area, it becomes a far more potent weapon than his ~40% 16-23 foot shot. Typically Bass actually shoots 45-47% from 16-23 foot, but 30-33% from 3 is just as good as this percentage considering the point values. When you consider the superior floor spacing, it's a no brainer that Bass should substitute some of that 29% FGA from 16-23 feet in 3PT land.
55% of Bass's FGA comes from 10-23 feet for his career. Those are all jump shots. If you are going to be a jump shooting big, you should be trying to develop at least the corner 3 to mix around with. This isn't going to take away from his post/inside opportunities. The 3PT shot will come from this 55% number. Replacing a jump shot for another jump shot. Just a more effective/efficient one as long as he can actually hit it.
Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner, and long shots = long rebounds which often serve to trigger the fast break. Most offensive rebounds, when they happen (which is a rarity in today's game), typically occur around the basket. An offensive rebound is rarely gathered near the 3 point line, and, the more times you miss, the more transition opportunities you give to your opponent, which means that you have to constantly sprint back on defense, which starts to tire your guys out, which further drops their shooting percentages, which lead to more misses, which lead to more long rebounds, which gives the opposition more break chances, and the whole thing feeds itself. That was the principal emphasis of Showtime and every other fast break team, and by taking 3s instead of posting up, slashing, or cutting to the basket, you don't put any fouls on the other team, so you don't get any free throws, which, aside from the dunk or layup, is the highest percentage shot in the game because no one is sticking a hand in your face. Perimeter shooting, for the most part, comes and goes, and if you're relying solely on guys to make a million jump shots, then you're bailing out the defense, and what happens when you go cold? You need to be able to get offensive rebounds and free throw attempts so that your offensive droughts are minimal. Didn't you ever see Bird's teams play? Basketball is won in the paint, not on the 3-point line. Most of these great 3 point shooters are so one dimensional that they can't even dribble or get to the hoop if someone runs them off the line. It's like they're allergic to the midrange game and the paint. One of the ways Miami neutralized San Antonio's 3 point barrage at times in 2013 was when they made Danny Green put it on the floor - something that he's still a considerable ways away from even looking comfortable doing it

. The 3 point shot is streaky, but free throws are forever

haha
