The 50 greatest players in NBA history, ranked by win shares
By Cal Durrett
Greatest NBA Player #28: Ray Allen-145.08
Appearing at number 24 on this list is sharpshooter Ray Allen. Allen isn’t necessarily the first player that comes to mind when talking about the top 30 players in NBA history, but he rates out to be one in terms of win shares. Allen has drawn comparisons to another shooter on this list, Reggie Miller, whose game served as a template for Allen.
Of course, Allen proved to be a superior shooter, connecting on 40% of his career threes en route to passing Miller on the all-time list of made threes before he too was surpassed by Steph Curry. Allen wasn’t just a 3-point shooter, however, and he possessed more ability to create offense with the ball in his hand as opposed to just running off screens. At his best, he averaged an impressive 26.4 points per game in Seattle before later being traded to the Celtics.
There, he didn’t have to be the best player on the floor, and his ability to play off-ball allowed him to be a seamless fit next to Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. He would win a championship in 2008, nearly win another in 2010, and then leave for Miami.
Playing next to three all-stars in Miami allowed Allen to feast on open jumpers, and he played a huge role on the 2012–13 Heat team that repeated. All in all, Allen’s sharpshooting combined with his scoring ability contribute to him being as high as he is in win shares—too high for many, but still an all-time great to be sure.