Best Shooter Ever Discussion

[MuggsyB]

I honestly don't think it's debatable.   There are guys that are as good (or arguably better) spot shooters than Steph Curry.  If my life depended on it I would consider Steve Novak  to drain a wide open shot.  But no one, and I mean no one, comes close to Steph shooting off the bounce.  If you watched his performance Saturday, all eight of his trifectas were different and from numerous spots.  Only one of them was a spot triple.  Going one bounce left, right. step-back left, right, catch and drain, high arc over Wemby, etc, etc. We're talking about a once in a lifetime talent imo.  And he also has that a myriad of floaters and can finish at the rim.  He will be sorely missed when he retires. 

[MuggsyB]

Oh....sorry.  Was meant for S-Bar. 

[wadesworld]

And could’ve just been a post in the NBA thread.

I’m not sure who could debate it. So I guess we can shut the thread down.

[warriorchick]

Wrong!!!

This is the best shooter ever.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Pssh, hes a silver medalist aka first loser

[Johnny B]

Derrick Wilson has something to say

[tower912]

Markus Howard, second half against Buffalo.   Or against Creighton.  I know, I know.  I will get angry letters.

Steph is amazing

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

There have been a number of guys who are really good spot up shooters from distance. Steve Kerr, Kyle Korver, Steve Novak all come to mind.

But when you combine the ball handling with the shooting, as well as just the audacity of some of his shots, it's Steph by a bunch. Probably followed by Steve Nash.

[Billy Hoyle]

There have been a number of guys who are really good spot up shooters from distance. Steve Kerr, Kyle Korver, Steve Novak all come to mind.

But when you combine the ball handling with the shooting, as well as just the audacity of some of his shots, it's Steph by a bunch. Probably followed by Steve Nash.

It's easily Steph Curry, but guys who came before the chuck and duck era of the NBA like Bird, Reggie Miller, Dan Majerle, Glen Rice, and Dale Ellis would be right up there with Stef if they played today.

[tower912]

Agreed.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

It's easily Steph Curry, but guys who came before the chuck and duck era of the NBA like Bird, Reggie Miller, Dan Majerle, Glen Rice, and Dale Ellis would be right up there with Stef if they played today.

Larry Bird was a lifetime 37.6% from 3.  Majerle was 35%.

Curry is 42%.  Bird and Majerle were not even in the same ballpark - and you don't even want to look at EFG comparisons.

Rice, Ellis, and Miller were around 40%, but weren't ball handlers Curry is.

[lawdog77]

It's easily Steph Curry, but guys who came before the chuck and duck era of the NBA like Bird, Reggie Miller, Dan Majerle, Glen Rice, and Dale Ellis would be right up there with Stef if they played today.

Dan Majerle?

[MuggsyB]

It's easily Steph Curry, but guys who came before the chuck and duck era of the NBA like Bird, Reggie Miller, Dan Majerle, Glen Rice, and Dale Ellis would be right up there with Stef if they played today.

I jusr see a completely different level from Curry than the guys you mentioned.  Lillard is sort of is a poor man's version of Steph but hasn't been as consistent obviously.  Curry is the only guy that I've ever seen that can drain shots from prime-time distance, off the dribble, or on catch and shoots, from literally any spot on tbe floor , juking right, left, step-back, etc.  His movement off the ball is also a thing of beauty.  His ability to balance and launch so quickly shouldn't be overlooked.

[jficke13]

I jusr see a completely different level from Curry than the guys you mentioned.  Lillard is sort of is a poor man's version of Steph but hasn't been as consistent obviously.  Curry is the only guy that I've ever seen that can drain shots from prime-time distance, off the dribble, or on catch and shoots, from literally any spot on tbe floor , juking right, left, step-back, etc.  His movement off the ball is also a thing of beauty.  His ability to balance and launch so quickly shouldn't be overlooked.

I think Dame also focused on doing something different from what Steph was doing, namely the 4-pt/logo-range shot. There was a huge feature article several years ago about how Dame decided he was going to turn a shot from dang near the moon into something he could hit at 33.1+% rate, and therefore render it a "good" shot, and then he did so. I'm far from a student of the NBA game, but I feel like there's a material difference between Steph-off-the-bounce, and Dame-from-the-logo that doesn't necessarily lend itself to a strict number-to-number comparison.

FWIW I don't have an opinion on whether one is better or harder or more impressive than the other, merely that they strike me as different shots in an important way that is lost if you just describe them as three point shots.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

I jusr see a completely different level from Curry than the guys you mentioned.  Lillard is sort of is a poor man's version of Steph but hasn't been as consistent obviously.  Curry is the only guy that I've ever seen that can drain shots from prime-time distance, off the dribble, or on catch and shoots, from literally any spot on tbe floor , juking right, left, step-back, etc.  His movement off the ball is also a thing of beauty.  His ability to balance and launch so quickly shouldn't be overlooked.

This made me curious.  I looked at Lillard and Stephs stats side by side.  Lillards best 3P% season was 40.1% in 19-20. Currys average is 42.6%. Lillard is considered one of the best shooters of the 2010s and in his best season he couldn't match Currys average. In fact, if you remove Currys 5 game 19-20 season, Lillards best season only beat Currys worst season (.380 in 21-22).

Curry is nuts

[ATL MU Warrior]

Kyle Korver is a criminally under-rated catch and shoot player.  His ability to catch/square/shoot all in one motion with the accuracy he had was something else.

[swoopem]

There’s no doubt Steph is the best. I think Ray Allen might be second

[warriorchick]

Pssh, hes a silver medalist aka first loser

He is the best when you factor in badassery.

[dgies9156]

When you evaluate our best shooters ever, I'd argue it's Markus Howard followed closely by Steve Novak.

[tower912]

When you evaluate our best shooters ever, I'd argue it's Markus Howard followed closely by Steve Novak.

Limited to MU, I agree.   Rowsey probably 3rd.

[cheebs09]

Sam Hauser *ducks*

[rocky_warrior]

Limited to MU, I agree.   Rowsey probably 3rd.

Well, the OP didn't specify 3s.  With those over 100 FGA, Kur at 71.3% is the leader.  Oso at 66.7% not far behind.

[JWags85]

This made me curious.  I looked at Lillard and Stephs stats side by side.  Lillards best 3P% season was 40.1% in 19-20. Currys average is 42.6%. Lillard is considered one of the best shooters of the 2010s and in his best season he couldn't match Currys average. In fact, if you remove Currys 5 game 19-20 season, Lillards best season only beat Currys worst season (.380 in 21-22).

Curry is nuts

Its the James Harden effect, but Harden is even more curious.  He never shot over 38% in a season from 3, but is thought of as a very good 3P shooter purely due to volume.  He has 4 of the top 25 most 3P makes in a season.  He made an absurd 378 in 18/19, second only to Curry's unreal 402 in 15/16...but Harden shot 36.5 from 3 that year and Curry shot 45% in that MVP season

As for Lillard, of the players who have made more than 250 3s in a season, the only people who have done it more than Lillard are Steph and Klay, Dame is tied with Harden.

But Steph's numbers are video game-esque. 

Of the top 10 highest 3PM in a season, Steph has 6. 

Only 3 players have made 11+ 3s in a game more than once.  Klay has done it 4 times, Dame has done it 4 times.  Steph?.....13 damn times.

Steph has more than 800 more 3P makes than the next highest on the career list, which is Ray Allen the most consistent high volume make guy from deep.  Allen's career high was 265 makes in a year.  He'd need almost 4 full seasons of elite volume to catch Steph and he also played 4 more seasons than Steph has at this point.

[dgies9156]

Sam Hauser *ducks*

INCOMING!!!!!!

[Jockey]

Dan Majerle?

That one was a weird inclusion. Jon McGlocklin would shoot him out of the gym. Heck, the Van Arsdale twins were better shooters than Majerle.