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NBA: 30 most unguardable moves in league history

By Dylan Carter

INGLEWOOD, CA - JUNE 1982: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar #33 of the Los Angeles Lakers shoots over Caldwell Jones #11 of the Philadelphia 76ers during the 1982 NBA basketball Finals at The Forum in Inglewood, California. The lakers won the Championship 4 games to 2. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
INGLEWOOD, CA - JUNE 1982: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar #33 of the Los Angeles Lakers shoots over Caldwell Jones #11 of the Philadelphia 76ers during the 1982 NBA basketball Finals at The Forum in Inglewood, California. The lakers won the Championship 4 games to 2. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /
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Stephen Curry
Stephen Curry (Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports) /

30 most unguardable moves in NBA history: 4. Stephen Curry, pull-up 3-pointer

Every conceivable strategy has been devised to deter Stephen Curry’s pull-up 3-point jump shot and not a single one of them has worked consistently. Considering the fluidity of his shooting motion and how effortlessly he can get his shot off despite being contested and off-balance, Curry’s pull-up jumper demoralizes the competition on a nightly basis.

When he pulls up, Curry’s hips, ankles and knees all go into the shooting motion and lock mid-way through the motion to provide power to his upper body. Using his lower body provides upward momentum on the pull-up jumper that allows him to hoist the ball into the basket despite being undersized compared with much of his competition.

Generally, Curry’s heels don’t touch the ground when he releases a triple. His toes serve as a springboard, allowing him to push up and move directly into his lightning-fast shot release. Unlike most of the great shooters before him, Curry barely takes any time off the clock before releasing his threes at a high-volume. The time between Curry raising the ball to shoot and the time that it releases from his fingertips is mere milliseconds, making it nearly impossible to actually contest his jumper.

Curry sits just behind Ray Allen on the all-time 3-pointers made list and by this point, the debate of ‘Who is the greatest shooter of all-time?’ is a non-starter. It’s Curry, who recently surpassed Reggie Miller on that list in 660 fewer regular-season games. Curry’y 62.44 percent true shooting rate bests both Miller (61.39 percent) and Allen (58.01 percent).

Steph can shoot from anywhere past the halfcourt line, get the shot off in no time at all and can do so without much concern about his defender. It’s a truly unstoppable move that results in 1.5 times as many points as almost every other signature shot on the list. Curry’s jumper is unguardable — The only one who can beat him when all cylinders are firing is himself.