The Atlanta Hawks‘ Kyle Korver made his first All-Star appearance this season. On the surface, his numbers didn’t appear that spectacular. At the break, Korver was averaging 12.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. However, he was also putting together a shooting season unlike any other in NBA history:
Kyle Korver Update: Still at 50/50/90 for the season ... though he's just narrowly over the line in all three categories with 26 games to go
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 23, 2015
For much of the year, Korver was shooting better than 50 percent from the field, more than 50 percent on three pointers and higher than 90 percent at the free-throw line. Since the three-point line came into play in 1979, no starter has ever shot 50/50/90 for a full season (Steve Kerr did it off the bench for the Chicago Bulls in 1995-96, but he only attempted 84 free throws all year).
Shooting percentage splits of 50/40/90 have long been considered the gold standard in the NBA–the possibility of Korver hitting 50/50/90 sparked talk that he might be having the greatest shooting season the league has ever seen. Sports Illustrated covered it. The Wall Street Journal and ESPN’s new stat based website FiveThirtyEight.com did as well.
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After a victory in Minnesota on Feb. 9, Korver was shooting .516 from the field, .528 from beyond the arc and .920 at the foul line.
Two days later, he had an uncharacteristically bad night in a surprising loss to the Celtics in Boston. Korver made just one of five three-point attempts and one of two free throws. It was the beginning of a slump.
During the eight-game stretch, Korver shot a combined 22-for-69 from the floor (.319) and 18-for-59 on three-pointers (.305). His season percentages dipped to .488 and .492. But as abruptly as his cold streak began, Korver quickly heated right back up again.
Over his following three outings, he drained 18-of-25 shots (.720) and 14-of-19 threes (.737). Unfortunately for Korver, he then broke his nose against the Lakers in Los Angeles on March 15. Via Baxter Holmes of ESPN.com:
"Korver, the league’s most accurate 3-point shooter this season (50.4 percent), suffered the injury when he caught a shoulder from Lakers forward Ed Davis. Korver held a towel to his head, immediately left the game and did not return. …The 6-foot-7 sharpshooter’s streak of 51 consecutive games with a made 3-pointer also ended, as Korver missed both of his attempts from beyond the arc. That marked the second longest such streak of his career, following his 127-game streak, the longest in NBA history."
It’s not clearly exactly how much time Korver will miss, but the Hawks announced that it will be at least three games:
INJURY UPDATE: Kyle Korver will miss the rest of the road trip (3 games) after undergoing a procedure to repair a broken nose today.
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 17, 2015
His current shooting percentages stand at .496, .501 and .902. Maybe Korver will shoot 50/50/90, maybe he won’t. Either way, he’s still going to end up with the greatest shooting season of all time.
Korver is currently averaging four three-point field goals per game, while making more than half of his attempts. In league history, nobody has ever averaged even two three-pointers per game at a 50 percent clip. On top of that, no one has previously averaged four threes per game, period.
There are only 10 examples of a player making three three-pointers a game, and the highest percentage on the list is Stephen Curry‘s .453 in 2012-13.
Even if Korver finishes at just 48/48/88, he’ll still be the first player to do so while connecting on at least two long-range attempts per game. His current numbers would also make him the first 50/90 (3PT/FT) guy ever, regardless of what his overall field goal percentage is.
The 50/50/90 mark could be a great achievement, but it’s not a necessary one to call Korver’s 2014-15 campaign the best shooting season in NBA history.