During the offseason, Nets coach Kenny Atkinson told Lopez to be ready to become a three-point shooting specialist during training camp. On November 2, 2016, Lopez recorded 34 points and 11 rebounds in a 109–101 win over the Detroit Pistons. He hit four three-pointers during the game, matching his career total for three-pointers made; he also made multiple three-pointers in a game for the first time in his career. On November 15, he recorded 30 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks in a 125–118 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. He became the Nets' franchise leader in blocked shots, passing George Johnson's 863 blocks. On December 28, he scored 33 points and hit a career-high five three-pointers in a 101–99 loss to the Chicago Bulls. On January 25, 2017, he had another 33-point effort while setting a career high with seven three-pointers in a 109–106 loss to the Miami Heat. On February 15, 2017, he scored a season-high 36 points and tied his career high with eight blocks in a 129–125 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. On March 1, he scored 24 points in a 109–100 win over the Sacramento Kings. It was only Brooklyn's 10th win of the season, as Lopez surpassed 10,000 points with the Nets. He became the second player in Nets history to score 10,000 points—his 10,014 points seeing him sit behind only Buck Williams (10,440) on the franchise list. On March 26 against Atlanta, Lopez became the Nets' career leader in field goals, passing Buck Williams. Lopez got the seven field goals he needed to pass Williams' team record of 3,981. With 25 points against the Boston Celtics on April 10, Lopez passed Williams to become the franchise's career leading scorer.