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Stephen Curry: Greatest Shooter In NBA History?

By Gerald Bourguet

Apr 7, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) reacts after scoring against the New Orleans Pelicans during the second quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 7, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) reacts after scoring against the New Orleans Pelicans during the second quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /
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Stephen Curry
April 2, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) shoots the basketball against Phoenix Suns forward P.J. Tucker (17) during the fourth quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Suns 107-106. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

Catch And Shoot:

The easiest and most basic way to measure a shooter is by their release in catch-and-shoot situations. The game of basketball is predicated on ball and player movement. Offenses that are iso-heavy typically don’t do well in this league and if you can’t knock down open — or even contested — looks provided by teammates, well, what kind of shooter are you?

For starters, then, by taking a look at his remarkable 2014-15 season, Curry more than passes this most basic measure of his value as a shooter.

According to Basketball-Reference.com, Curry ranks third in true shooting percentage (a measure that takes two-point field goals, three-point field goals and free throws into account) at 63.8 percent, trailing only Kyle Korver’s 69.8 percent and Tyson Chandler‘s 69.1 percent.

Curry also ranks second in the NBA in effective field goal percentage (a measure that takes into account the fact that three-point field goals are worth more than two-point field goals) at 59.3 percent, trailing only DeAndre Jordan‘s absurd 71.0 percent.

Per NBA.com, Curry shoots 45.5 percent on catch-and-shoot looks, which isn’t an overwhelmingly impressive mark. But his effective field goal percentage on such shots is 65.1 percent, indicating just how accurate he is on catch-and-shoot attempts from three-point range.

On shots with zero dribbles, Curry knocks down an astonishing 46.8 percent of his three-point attempts, and his three-point percentage on catch-and-shoot attempts is 48.3 percent. The fact that he takes those kinds of shots at a frequency of 20.9 percent is a further testament to his effectiveness as a pure shooter.

Among players who have played at least 50 games and attempt at least two catch-and-shoot three-pointers per game, Curry ranks second in the NBA in percentage — trailing only Korver’s 50.4 percent.

You don’t have to be a genius to figure this one out, you simply have to watch the Golden State Warriors play: if you leave Stephen Curry open from behind the three-point line, you’re going to have a bad time.

Next: Off The Dribble

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