In his freshman season at Arizona, Koa Peat shot just 7 of 20 from 3-point distance. He also had little impact in seven big-time showdowns, scoring 7 against UCLA, 6 against Alabama, 4 against UCF, 6 against Kansas, 2 against Texas Tech and just 4 points in each of the UA's games against Iowa State.
Arizona forward Koa Peat looks for room to shoot around Kansas guard Tre White n the first half of their Big 12 game in Tucson on Feb. 28, 2026.
Those low figures don't mean that Peat won't get drafted next month and become a reliable NBA shooter for a decade or so. The three elite Arizona prospects I most compare to Peat all had similar shooting struggles while in Tucson.
Andre Iguodala shot 9 of 44 from 3-point range as a UA freshman. He went on to make 1,081 3-pointers in the NBA.
Aaron Gordon shot 16 for 45 from 3-point distance as a UA freshman (and just 45% from the foul line). But with work and proper NBA development, Gordon has gone on to make 823 3-pointers after being just 13 for 48 (25%) in his fourth NBA season. Hard work pays off, right?
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Richard Jefferson was no one's idea of a 3-point threat at Arizona. He shot a mere 12 for 33 as a UA freshman, but went on to develop into a dependable NBA distance shooter, making 1,042 3s, almost 2½ per game.
Even power forward Luke Walton, who shot 11 for 55 from 3-point range as a UA freshman, worked on his game to the point that, in the NBA, he shot 558 3s and made 32% of them.
Now it's up to Peat to put in the work that Iguodala, Gordon, Jefferson and Walton did. I wouldn't bet against him.
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