The game of basketball today is arguably at its peak in terms of skill and talent. Whether you’re a 6-foot guard like Damian Lillard or a 7-footer like Joel Embiid, skill is not specific to positions or physical attributes of players anymore. The biggest skill that has separated today’s game from other eras has been shooting. The game has evolved from the old days of needing to have an inside presence or post player consistently dominating the game. You can debate all you like about which era of basketball is superior but there’s one thing you can’t argue & that’s the evolution of shooting. The game has more pace, skill, and spacing today because of the jumper.
Names like Reggie Miller, Ray Allen, Kevin Durant, Dirk Nowitzki, have contributed to the growth of shooting in today’s game but none have been more impactful than the all-time 3-point king Steph Curry. Curry’s impact on the game along with his splash brother Klay Thompson will forever go down as a turning point in the way the game is played. Although 3-point shooting is a major factor in evaluating your ability to shoot, it’s one big category under the overall term of shooting. When you mention shooters you also have to include their ability in the midrange, the degree of difficulty of their shots, and the various ways they can efficiently shoot their shot.
We curated a list of the greatest shooters to ever play the game of basketball factoring in those elements above.
HONORABLE MENTION: Peja Stojaković, JR Smith, Kyle Korver, JJ Redick, Chris Paul, James Harden