Jeff Van Gundy just said Steve Nash is the greatest shooter in NBA history?...

[ehizzy3]

wasn't pistol pete an insane shooter too?

 

[julius]

Jerry West, George Gervin, Alex English, Steve Kerr, and Drazen Petrovic were insane shooters, too. Petro was awesome in New Jersey.

He shot over 50% twice from 3pt, and had a career 51% on FG overall.

Also, why put Bird at a "lesser degree". He owned the 3-pt contest when he participated in it, played when the 3-pt line was 23'6" and still shot 40% many years, and is a career 50% FG shooter and 89% from the FT line.

His career 3 point % is 37%. Nash's career # pg FG% is 43%, and he shot over twice as many 3's.

Ray Allens % is 40%, but he shot over 4300 MORE three pointers.

The three point line is currently 23'6". Nash and Allen only had 1 year where the 3 point line was ker-flewy. Neither one really benefited significantly from the shortening of the line.

Not saying he wasn't a good shooter, he was a better SCORER than Nash or Allen though. Better PLAYER than either one of those were/

 

[PapaG]

His career 3 point % is 37%. Nash's career # pg FG% is 43%, and he shot over twice as many 3's.

Ray Allens % is 40%, but he shot over 4300 MORE three pointers.

The three point line is currently 23'6". Nash and Allen only had 1 year where the 3 point line was ker-flewy. Neither one really benefited significantly from the shortening of the line.

Not saying he wasn't a good shooter, he was a better SCORER than Nash or Allen though. Better PLAYER than either one of those were/

43% is wicked. Kerr is the all-time leader at 45% over a career.

Actually, Pistol Pete was a career 67% shooter from three, but he only played one season with the rule and was a scrub at that point because of his knees.

 

[PapaG]

How many people knew that Wesley Matthews is 53rd all-time in 3pt %? I sure didn't. Only 1% lower than Ray Allen.

 

[julius]

43% is wicked. Kerr is the all-time leader at 45% over a career.

Actually, Pistol Pete was a career 67% shooter from three, but he only played one season with the rule and was a scrub at that point because of his knees.

thats why I brought up the # of shots they took. Kerr was a solid 3 point shooter but he shot 1600. Ray Allen shot that in his first 6 years. And then shot another 5500.

 

[PapaG]

thats why I brought up the # of shots they took. Kerr was a solid 3 point shooter but he shot 1600. Ray Allen shot that in his first 6 years. And then shot another 5500.

I get what you're saying, but if the qualifier is 'greatest shooter', then Kerr has to be up there. It was the other parts of his game that kept him on the bench, but in terms of shooting, he's the best I ever have watched play.

 

[julius]

I get what you're saying, but if the qualifier is 'greatest shooter', then Kerr has to be up there. It was the other parts of his game that kept him on the bench, but in terms of shooting, he's the best I ever have watched play.

I see what you're getting at. I think though, that a player who's specialty is 3 point shooting, vs a great shooter, makes it hard to single out one or the other.

I mean, I'd take Kobe Bryant shooting a jumper before I'd take Kerr, in similar circumstances.

Meaning, having the best player guarding you, etc..

 

[julius]

Oh god, I just said a complimentary thing about Kobe Bryant. I think I'm going to be sick.

 

[PapaG]

Oh god, I just said a complimentary thing about Kobe Bryant. I think I'm going to be sick.

Haha! Take it back!

 

[Run BJM]

Just read this blurb from ESPN the other day:

Just four years into his career, Stephen Curry has already established himself as the most unstoppable long-range threat since ... forever. Consider that the Warriors guard is on pace this season to become the first player to shoot more than seven threes a game and make at least 44 percent of them. Meanwhile, only Steve Kerr (45.4 percent) can top Curry’s 44.3 percent career three-point mark -- and he had the benefit of three seasons with the shorter 22-foot line.

Even more astounding is how Curry gets his shots: (off the dribble. Curry is shooting 44.8 percent this season (from long range, and 42.2 percent of those conversions have been unassisted, the toughest kind to make. The players who shoot as often as Curry and have similar rates of unassisted makes -- guys like Chris Paul (46.9 percent), LeBron James (44.8 percent), Brandon Jennings (39.4 percent) and Kobe Bryant (38.5 percent) -- are all far less accurate from long range.

When you consider accuracy, frequency and degree of difficulty, the only comparable shooting profile to Curry’s belongs to Steve Nash. But while he is also an off-the-dribble shooter, Nash shoots far fewer threes per 48 minutes -- peaking at 4.7 in 2007-08 -- and has hit Curry’s career rate of accuracy just three times in his 17-year career.

Nash is no Curry. No one is -- because NBA fans have never seen a shooter this good.

http://espn.go.com/blog/playbook/trending/post/_/id/14277/crazy-crap-analytics-can-prove

Also read another article a few weeks back detailing how Curry is such an anomaly not just because hes putting up historically great 3 pt %'s, but his % on unassisted 3's is wayyyyy off the charts.

 

[PapaG]

Just read this blurb from ESPN the other day:


http://espn.go.com/blog/playbook/trending/post/_/id/14277/crazy-crap-analytics-can-prove

Also read another article a few weeks back detailing how Curry is such an anomaly not just because hes putting up historically great 3 pt %'s, but his % on unassisted 3's is wayyyyy off the charts.

I was going to add Curry to my list, but wanted to wait a few more years before he is an "all-time" shooter. He is the best shooter in the NBA right now, no doubt.

 

[speeds]

Dunno if anyone has noted Nash's insane eFG% yet.

He's 16th in eFG% all-time. With the exception of two low-volume shooting guards (Brent Barry & Steve Kerr), it's Nash and a bunch of centers. He has no business being there. 56% for a point guard is ridiculous.

Nash is also the best free throw shooter of all time. He trails Mark Price by .0004% at the moment but has nearly a thousand more makes.

That being said I don't think he is the best shooter ever. His numbers are fantastic but he has rarely been guarded by the best opposing player, rarely had to deal with double-teams, and rarely had to be the main scorer on his team.

 

[BigGameDamian]

wasn't pistol pete an insane shooter too?

Yep so was Steve Kerr.