Stephen
“Chef” Curry of the Golden State Warriors is arguably the greatest 3-point shooter
in NBA history. While that may seem like a generalization, Curry has been reinforcing
this idea since the 2015-2016 NBA season began in October. Numerous pundits and
basketball “gurus” have argued that Curry is changing the game of basketball
and claiming his spot amongst the greats. In order to evaluate whether Curry is
indeed the best shooter ever, we will look at both statistical and anecdotal
evidence.
From
a statistical perspective, it is evident that Curry is the best 3-point shooter
in NBA history. One telling statistic is 3-point field goals made in one
season. Even though is only 27 year old and has only been in the NBA for six
seasons, he has the top three places of 3-pointers made during a season. He
broke his own record on February 27, 2016, by making 288 3-pointers. More
impressive is the fact that he broke that record with 24 games remaining to
play in the season. Curry is also tied with the most 3-pointers made in a
single game with 16. Curry also holds the record for most 3-pointers made in
the NBA postseason, as last season he made a remarkable 98. This is 40 more in
one NBA postseason than Reggie Miller, who is in second place.
(As
a side note, I did not mention 3-point field goal percentage above because
there minimum requirement is 5 shots. Thus, because the sample size is so
small, the statistic is not relevant or insightful.)
Clearly
the numbers back up the idea that Curry is an elite, if not the greatest,
3-point shooter ever. It is easy for the average basketball fan like myself to
believe Steph is amazing. But what do NBA Hall of Famers and greats believe?
Magic Johnson, a consensus top-5 basketball player in the history of the sport,
has said: “If @StephenCurry30's game winning
3-pointer doesn't prove he's the greatest shooter we've ever seen, I don't know
what will!” When Lebron James, another major authority in
basketball, was asked about Steph Curry, he said “Never before seen someone like him in the history of ball!”
Reggie Miller, a consensus top 3-point shooter in NBA history, has praised
Curry as well. In a December interview with the New Yorker, Miller said:
He
still has a lot of chapters to write … but, right now, you could certainly
consider him among the top five shooters of all time. The streak that Steph has
been on since last season rivals the greats of the game. It’s hard to say he’s
better than Larry Bird or he’s better than Steve Kerr, his coach, because those
guys did it for much longer. But for this short a period he’s in that group.
And he keeps improving. If he can beat his own record for most threes in a
season, then you’ve got to consider him one of the best ever.
Overall, while it is hard to prove that Stephen
Curry is outright the definitive best 3-point shooter in NBA history (as
judging is semi-subjective) it is evident he is a great player.
First off, the gif is awesome. Really enjoyed this article because of how relevant he is in the sports arena and how we could be seeing the best player ever unfold in front of us. The support that a lot of past hall of famers and current players show towards his style of play says a lot about him as a player and a person.
ReplyDeleteJust when I thought the league was evolving to belong to the hybrid point-forward position, Curry comes along and shakes everything up. It is awesome watching him work, and it seems like no matter what defenses try to do, there is no way of stopping him. I think he is truly admirable because shooting is not an attribute like height or build or speed that are natural. Shooting is a learned skill that takes thousands of hours of practice to develop muscle memory and comfort. Great piece Micah
ReplyDeleteVery interesting article to read. I love steph curry and i think hes moving forward to being one of the best to ever play. He is an amazing 3 point shooter and hes only moving up in the NBA.
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