Even after years of seeing the Splash Bros together, it’s still fun to talk about their shooting prowess.
Steph Curry and Klay Thompson were listed at the top of The Ringer’s ranking of best shooters in the league, which is less of a surprise than it would be if the ranking was any different.
Thompson, at No. 2, has never shot below 40% from 3 over a season in his career and is near the top of single-season records.
Author D.J. Foster writes:
Thompson has shot over 40 percent from 3 in each of his first eight seasons, something only he and Steph Curry have accomplished in NBA history. Since the league started tracking catch-and-shoot 3s in 2013-14, Thompson has never finished less than second in total spot-up 3s made.
Part of that is from playing on such a dynamic system, but Foster notes that Thompson “can quickly let his shot fly regardless of where the pass hits his hands—a skill we’ve never seen mastered to this extent.”
As the game changes toward 3-and-D wings, Thompson is still unmatched in his stardom at the role, as much as others try to follow suit.
Speaking of a player who changed the way the game is played, Curry was No. 1.
“There’s simply no case for anyone else being the greatest shooter in the league right now … or ever. Curry is more prolific than Steve Nash and Steve Kerr and more efficient than Reggie Miller and Larry Bird, and he gets shots in a greater variety of ways than all of them.”
If Nash’s offenses in Phoenix began pushing the league toward a 3-point style, Curry’s system in Golden State doubled down on and perfected it.
He ushered in the high-volume 3-point-shooting era, leading the league in 3-point makes and attempts for five straight seasons. And he broke boundaries on how deep you could jack a 3 without giving your coach an aneurysm. In a time where the NBA has never seen so many great shooters, Curry remains head and shoulders above his peers.
And in case you wanted a reminder of just how lethal the Golden State Warriors had been during their dynasty, the third-best shooter on this list was Kevin Durant.
The definition of a good shot can vary wildly from player to player. For Durant, it’s a good shot if he’s, oh, somewhere inbounds.
It does not do to dwell on the past, but a lineup with, in Foster’s words, an MVP who has a good shot whenever he’s “somewhere inbounds,” a wing whose hot streaks are “unlike any shooter’s in the league,” and “the greatest shooter in the league … ever” was a sight to behold.
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