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We know who the best is already. Who is the 2nd best shooter in NBA history?

Klay Thompson.

Ray Allen.

If you put Ray Allen on the Warriors, in this era, his numbers would be very very high.

Klay playing in Ray’s era and on Ray’s teams and we probably wouldn’t even be talking about him.

Michael Jordan is the #1 shooter of all-time, because Curry is not clutch in the NBA Finals.

lakerz12 wrote:Ray Allen.

If you put Ray Allen on the Warriors, in this era, his numbers would be very very high.

Klay playing in Ray’s era and on Ray’s teams and we probably wouldn’t even be talking about him.

Interesting

Klay but prime ray is a more dynamic and better player.

But just shooting, korver and reddick deserve mentions. Both had 4-5 straight years of like 42-46% shooting. Slightly better than klays best stretch.

Curry has made some insane circus shots throughout his time but I still say Bird is number 1.

Kerr is a better shooter than Curry. You judge pure shooting ability by who you would bet you life on in a 1 vs 1 in an open gym shooting competition, not how they did in NBA games which involves tons of other factors like handle, ability to separate, etc.

Shooter is a more diverse category than 3pt shooter. We know the GOAT 3pt shooter. The GOAT shooter is a different story.

Klay is only an 85% free throw shooter. The gulf between him and the 90% guys is actually massive. It's like the difference between Walter White's meth and Gale Boetticher's. It might not look like a lot, but it is.

MJ, KD, Bird. Not sure why "Best shooter" gets reduced to "Best at catch and shoot threes"? Do people also think the best passer title should go to the player who can do the best drive-and-kick passes and nothing else? Best defender is the best at rim protection and nothing else? There's a lot more to shooting than hitting assisted threes. Guys like Bird and KD have a million shots in their arsenal

SNPA wrote:Shooter is a more diverse category than 3pt shooter. We know the GOAT 3pt shooter. The GOAT shooter is a different story.

The GOAT shooter is really not a question either. Curry has the all-time record for FT%, and also the 3rd highest all-time TS% as well. He absolutely dominates 3-point shooting, and on top of all of this can score both off the dribble or catch and shoot. He dominates almost every major shooting category except mid-range, where he is still a great mid-range shooter even if he doesn't take as much there. On top of that he can hit other "close range shots" with floaters, trick shots, etc.

There's no one that comes close to this well-rounded performance in shooting nor in his singular dominance of multiple areas (FT, 3pt).

Sark wrote:Klay is only an 85% free throw shooter. The gulf between him and the 90% guys is actually massive. It's like the difference between Walter White's meth and Gale Boetticher's. It might not look like a lot, but it is.

People who keep saying Klay is the 2nd best shooter really only pay attention to 3's. Klay is a great 3-point shooter but he is not all-time great at other types of shooting. He should not be considered the 2nd best shooter.

narmerguy wrote:

SNPA wrote:Shooter is a more diverse category than 3pt shooter. We know the GOAT 3pt shooter. The GOAT shooter is a different story.

The GOAT shooter is really not a question either. Curry has the all-time record for FT%, and also the 3rd highest all-time TS% as well. He absolutely dominates 3-point shooting, and on top of all of this can score both off the dribble or catch and shoot. He dominates almost every major shooting category except mid-range, where he is still a great mid-range shooter even if he doesn't take as much there. On top of that he can hit other "close range shots" with floaters, trick shots, etc.

There's no one that comes close to this well-rounded performance in shooting nor in his singular dominance of multiple areas (FT, 3pt).

Steph doesn’t have the highest 3% in his own family.

Obviously I’m being a bit facetious but the point stands. Shooting is more diverse than 3’s and FT’s.

Steph has a tremendous case, I have no issue with someone picking him, but it really comes down to a more nuanced debate IMO. For example, Steph is a one motion shooter, which has advantages but it also has disadvantages for some shots.

Also, we’ll see if Steph holds the FT% record when he retires. Keeping that % as he physically declines isn’t a guarantee.

IMO it's a toss up between Klay and Ray, and even then it's hard to gauge other generations due to pace and the sheer amount of 3s they shoot now.

narmerguy wrote:

Sark wrote:Klay is only an 85% free throw shooter. The gulf between him and the 90% guys is actually massive. It's like the difference between Walter White's meth and Gale Boetticher's. It might not look like a lot, but it is.

People who keep saying Klay is the 2nd best shooter really only pay attention to 3's. Klay is a great 3-point shooter but he is not all-time great at other types of shooting. He should not be considered the 2nd best shooter.

Klay has a turnaround fadeaway but diversity is just one of several importantthings to consider imo. Curry's 3point shooting is so good he could still have been the greatest with a slightly less but still efficient midrange game. It's subjective but I think when judging "best shooter" having a transcendent shooting skill beats being green on every type of shot, if however, that was the criteria then Bird and KD should be top.

Mr. 40-50-90 himself, Steve Nash.

I really cant vote here, too hard to pick, I have no opinion.

I would say Durant is the best shooter in the NBA history considering his arsenal.

Who is 2nd best is a great question. Maybe Bird? West and Nash have a great arguments as well.

Always disappoints me to not see Stojakovic mentioned in these conversations. It's too bad the foot and back injuries started creeping up right around the time he was entering his prime years. He's one of those players who should've still been effective into his late 30's, but was basically reduced to being a role-player as soon as he went to New Orleans and got hit with the injuries.