When former Golden State coach Mark Jackson said that Stephen Curry just might be the best three point shooter of all-time, I thought he was being a little hyperbolic, but after watching Curry progress over these last couple of years, I’m starting to think Jackson’s statement is true.
Curry has only been in the league for six years and has already made 1,191 3-point field goals. This puts him at 50th overall in NBA history after just six years of competition. The record of most career 3-pointers was set by Ray Allen at 2,973.
If Curry stays at his current pace, he will pass Allen in 9 years. Allen is not currently playing in the league but has not officially retired yet either, so his record could potentially increase.
However, Curry has broken the record for most 3-pointers made in a season twice already. He broke the record in the 2012-13 season with 272 3-point field goals and broke it again this season with 286 3-point field goals. Allen held the record at 269 before Curry, but it took him nine years to break it. Curry did it in four. He has also become the youngest player in history to score 100 3-point field goals in the playoffs.
The reason why I think Curry will go down as the greatest three point shooter of all time is his breaking records in the first six years of his career, which took other shooters like Ray Allen and Reggie Miller much longer to break.
Ray Allen has what I thought was the quickest shot release that I’d seen, but I think Curry’s release might be even faster than his. What makes Curry so special is his ability to get the shot up with the defender completely in his face and still knock it down on a consistent basis. In almost every game he plays, Curry has at least one or two moments that make you want to rewind the game and watch it again.
I found it hard to believe that the Warriors could make it to the NBA Finals because I felt they relied on the 3-point shots too much. But Curry has been shooting 40 percent from the 3-point line in this year’s playoffs, and if he continues to shoot this well, the Warriors are going to be tough to beat.
NBA fans across the nation have been able to witness history by watching Steph Curry this year, who I think will be considered the best three point shooter of all-time.
frbonner@indiana.edu
