Basketball Fatigue Impact on Kinematic Parameters and 3-Point Shooting Accuracy: Insights across Players’ Positions and Cardiorespiratory Fitness Associations of High-Level Players

This study investigated the impact of basketball-induced fatigue on 3-point jump shooting accuracy, the ball’s entry angle (EA) into the hoop, shot release time (RT), their relationship with player positions in high-level basketball, and the correlation between cardiorespiratory fitness markers and potential shooting performance changes. Guards (n = 13), forwards (n = 13), and centers (n = 12) underwent physiological assessments. Sequentially, they performed 15 jump shots (PRE), a basketball exercise simulation (BEST) involving 24 × 30 s circuit activities, and a repeated shooting test (POST). The study design was double-blind. The results revealed significant differences (p ≤ 0.05) in RT, EA, and successful shots (SSs) between PRE and POST in each group. The percentage changes from PRE to POST conditions across guards, forwards, and centers were for RT: 25.34% 95%CI: 1.7–48.98, 19.73% 95%CI: −1.9–41.36, 14.95% 95%CI: −5.23–35.13; for EA: −3.89% 95%CI: −14.82–7.04, −3.13% 95%CI: −12.9–6.64, −3.47% 95%CI: −14.19–7.25; and for SS: −14.42% 95%CI: −36.5–7.66, −16.76% 95%CI: −40.81–7.29, −19.44% 95%CI: −46.7–7.82, respectively. Post-test differences (p ≤ 0.05) highlighted greater fatigue impact on RT, EA, and SS from guards to centers. Additionally, significant correlations (p ≤ 0.05) were found between the ventilatory threshold, mean HR during BEST, and changes in RT, EA, and SS. This study highlights the substantial impact of basketball-induced fatigue on 3-point shooting parameters across player positions and the interplay with cardiorespiratory factors post-fatigue. Tailored training, considering heart rate, is crucial to optimizing shooting performance.