The Three Point line was introduced to the NBA in the year 1980. Players and coaches saw it as a gimmick; the average three point attempts per game in 1980 was just 2.77 shots. Lets see how that has changed over time.
We can see an obvious increase in the number of three point attempts from 1980 to 2019, with just 2.77 attempts in 1980 and a whopping 32.0 attempts in 2019.
What also strikes the eye are three points from years, 1995-1997. The nba actually moved the three point closer during those years, and eventually moved it back in 1998.
This animated graph shows Three Point Attempts vs Three Point Percentages from the years 1996 to 2019. We can see a shift to the top right (higher field goal percentages and higher three point attemps the later the year is.)
The change in three point shots is more apparent when looking at three points made.