Golden State Warriors: Is Stephen Curry the NBA’s best shooter ever?

The case for Larry Bird

Larry Bird is one of basketball’s founding shooters. Generations later, even casual fans recognize his name. His shooting arguably paved the way for today’s flamethrowers.

Surprisingly, Bird’s 3-point numbers are meek compared to Steph’s. He shot 37.6 percent over his career, and averaged 0.7 deep shots per game. Bird never hit higher than 42.7 percent from beyond the arc in a season.

Even in his highest-volume year, Larry nailed just 1.3 treys per game. These numbers wouldn’t be anywhere near the top in today’s NBA.

Before rushing to declare Larry overrated, let’s examine his overall shooting numbers and bear in mind that it was a very different league at the time. Bird averaged 24.3 points per game on 49.6 percent shooting over 13 seasons. He opted primarily for the mid-range game, which explains his underwhelming 3-point numbers in an NBA where people where players were hesitant to launch.

Despite this qualifier, Larry Legend’s overall shooting falls short of Steph’s. Volume matters, and Curry dominates in this regard. Steph also shoots a much higher percentage than Bird.