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Evaluative Claim on Why Steph Curry is the Best Shooter Of All Time

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Stephen Curry is the greatest shooter who has ever played the game of basketball. One reason he is considered so great is because of the accuracy in which he makes his shots. The NBA 3-point shot is 24 feet away. The average percentage of this shot across the league is 35%. When Steph shoots an average distanced three, he makes it 44% of the time. When players shoot from 30-35 feet away, which is considered a long distance three, the NBA average is 22%. When Steph Curry decides to shoot from this range, he averages a staggering 48%. He is also currently 3rd on the NBA’s all time 3-pointers made list. It took him 655 games to do this, while the retired Jason Terry, who is number 4 on that list, took 1,410 games. While he is making threes at an astonishing rate, some may think that he is then the 3rd best shooter, or somewhere up on that list, but not definitively #1. But he is in a situation that is unlike the 2 shooters above him, he is still on an NBA team. Reggie Miller and Ray Allen, the only players that have made more threes, retired in 2005 and 2014 respectively. They each have 18 completed seasons under their belt, while Steph is still considered to be in the prime of his athletic ability in his 11th season. Assuming he played the same amount of seasons with the same pace of 3-pointers made, he would finish his career with 4,076 threes made. Ray Allen currently holds the record with 2,973. His style of play is also very unique compared to other shooters. Both Reggie Miller and Ray Allen, as most shooters, were primarily catch-and-shoot players. Steph’s ability to shoot off the dribble or create his own shot is unlike ever before. He has remarkable handling ability, composure, and the clutch gene all shooters need in order to be feared. In addition, Curry also holds the record for the most 3-pointers made in a single season, at 402. In fact, he’s played 3 seasons that belong in the top 4 for most threes made in a season. He has made the most threes out of anyone else in a season 5 different times, the next most being 3 by Ray Allen. One advantage Steph has had throughout his career was the genetics and knowledge passed down from his father, Dell Curry, who was considered one of the best shooters at the time of his NBA career. Through all stages of his basketball career, he was given key pieces of information and strategy that allowed him to develop his game the way he has. Steph also played on a Golden State Warriors team that consistently had at least 3-4 other all-star caliber players, which makes it hard for teams to focus defensively on one guy. Other players in the past, such as Magic “Ervin” Johnson, have needed to be not doubled, but triple teamed at times while teams going against the Golden State Warriors cannot afford to do so. While he has had a few helpful factors in his NBA career, he belongs to a very exclusive club of former and current NBA players called the “50-40-90” club or the “180” club. This group of players are the only ones to shoot 50% from the field, 40% from three-point territory, and 90% from the free throw line. This club represents players who were able to shoot at a high percentage from all areas of the floor. Often times, a player will reach this feat in 1 or 2 of the categories, but only 7 players have ever been able to shoot well enough for all 3 since the NBA began using a 3-point line in 1979.