RealGM

The finest shooters in the NBA usually round out at something like 40-45% for three-pointers. Steve Kerr holds the record for 3P% in a single season, at 52.4%.

So I was thinking, is it humanly possible for someone to shoot a ridiculously high percentage (say, 60 or 70 or 80%) in the NBA from the three-point line? If a player devoted his entire life to becoming a flawless three-point shooter and refined his shooting form to be perfectly consistent even under pressure, why couldn't they shoot at some absurdly high percentage in the NBA?

In other words, I'm asking why the threshold for three-point shooting (NBA) is at between 45-50%, and whether or not it's even humanly possible to break that threshold in the future.

It's easy. If you were a 60, 70, 80% shooter and I was the coach of the other team, you think I would give you space to shoot the 3? You might as well join Antoine Walker and petition for a 4-point line because there's no way you'll be shooting an open-three. I would put my best wing defender on you and tell him to play the tightest D and not to leave you even if he had to help. He would also have to deny you the ball so you won't get it. You'll have to run around and get tired to get the ball. That is why there'll never be a 60, 70, 80% 3-point shooter unless he only shoots open-threes. And you would also have to be tall or extremely quick to be unguardable from the three-point line. Fatigue definitely plays a role.

Because it is the NBA where chucking from 27 feet before a 6'6" man beast rejects your shot happens.

Most NBA shooters can hit 70%+ in a gym without NBA defenses, and the good ones can hit in the 90% at times. The time a shooter is actually open is much smaller than it appears on tv.

Teen Girl Squad wrote:Most NBA shooters can hit 70%+ in a gym without NBA defenses, and the good ones can hit in the 90% at times. The time a shooter is actually open is much smaller than it appears on tv.

That's true. I was at Key Arena back in '99 when the Bulls came in and watched BJ Armstrong shoot 3's for a good ten minutes and miss only a handful. It's a lot different when there's even a little bit of urgency to get a shot off.

The best shooters can stay relaxed in those tight situations and let all of the mechanics they constantly work to develop take control. The same can be said for good free-throw shooters. A guy like Kerr wouldn't look any different at the line in his driveway than he would in a playoff game in a clutch situation.

some_rand wrote:http://youtube.com/watch?v=zjKk092NupI

I counted something in the neighborhood of 27 for 30 (90%) during that tape. Miller's bad hair-do aside, the dude can shoot. It was like he was shooting into a tunnel and his eyes were always on the rim until the ball went through. That was fun to watch...

I think shooting the 3 ball at 60% is ridiculous. The threshold is probably 55% and it won't be sniffed in today's game. Players just don't work on fundamentals like shooting and moving without the ball/coming off picks like they used to.

I'd first like to see a true 20 point scorer make all his free-throws for the entire year....something like 350-350 in a season.

You're not even being guarded from 15 feet away you should make them all if you focus enough.....but that will never happen either because no one has that kind of will power/concentration.

In the nba no possible way.. it would have to be a bench player imo as any starter is likely to be too fatigued to maintain such a percentage throughout a season, and if he is shooting 60+ as a starter, as mentioned, the defense that player sees would be beyond reproach..
This reminds me of when trajan langdon came to GMU last summer or the summer before.. we were running full, and he and his boy got in.. he was getting eaten up on d(doubt he was even trying hard).. but on O if he got the shot off, it was money..a couple times he stopped just past half court and hoisted.. imean we hit his hand time after time, but still bottom of the net..

You really appreciate a pros abilites and what they had to do to get there when you see them up close

I think it's possible to get to 60% but very hard.

Like Dave Hopla for example. He's shot 99% from the feild over the course of a year a few times. Now if a guy came along with that kind of skill for shooting but had an NBA body/ skills to go with it it might be done.

Although I've seen video's of guy like Kapono go 30 for 30 from behind the arc and wouldn't be suprised if he shot 90%+ in shooting drills and he's only ever got to .515% from 3 so... 65%+ I think is completly out of the question.

As stated, the best shooters can hit 90% when shooting unguarded.

The only way a shooter could get close to that total in game situations would be if they only took shots when they were WIDE open. In which case, they wouldn't be too useful anyway, since good shooters are almost never wide open in a game.

In realistic game scenarios, I'd estimage 55% is about the maximum an NBA player could reach (given a perfect scenario, i.e. an amazing shooter on a great team with many other weapons, especially a wing player that your defender would need to double-off on frequently, plus outstanding shot selection and grace under pressue. Note Kerr had all these things, which helped him reach his record percentage).

As everyone's said, it's harder to hit a shot when guarded.

But I'd point out that good shooters who DO manage to get wide open during a game can probably be expected to knock down ~70% of those shots. It's the stuff under pressure that brings the percentages down.

Steve Kerr was one of the best pure shooters of his era, possibly ever. Combine that with the best scorer the game's ever seen in MJ and he got a lot of open shots.

Kind of off topic but do you guys think it would be interesting for the league to have former NBA players participate in the 3 point contest during all star weekend. The old timers could probably show the new guys a thing or two.

- Jason Kapono
- Dirk Nowitzki
- Damon Jones
- Ray Allen
- Kyle Korver

- Larry Bird
- Jeff Hornacek
- Dale Ellis
- Terry Porter
- Steve Kerr

the nba used to be like europe and not play any defense but the nba also use to play like every night was Suns vs Suns.

So maybe in a slow placed no defense league it could happen. Say if we sent like.. Kapono to Europe or something for a year.

Larry Bird seems to be just about as close as you can get. He could make any shot on the floor, off of either foot.

Jason Kapono shot 86% in a game once raining 8/9 threes in a short span, I think thats as close it can be.

Bankai wrote:Jason Kapono shot 86% in a game once raining 8/9 threes in a short span, I think thats as close it can be.

Kobe Bryant once hit 9 straight 3s in a game

Not a big sample size tho, so it doesn't matter.

The guy is going to have to be able to do more than just shoot. He would probably have to be really tall and really good at coming off screens.

PPAW4Life wrote:I think shooting the 3 ball at 60% is ridiculous. The threshold is probably 55% and it won't be sniffed in today's game. Players just don't work on fundamentals like shooting and moving without the ball/coming off picks like they used to.

I'd first like to see a true 20 point scorer make all his free-throws for the entire year....something like 350-350 in a season.

You're not even being guarded from 15 feet away you should make them all if you focus enough.....but that will never happen either because no one has that kind of will power/concentration.

Impossible in today's league?

Don't forget that of the top 19 players ALL TIME in career 3P%, 11 of them are active players including the all time leader in career 3P%, Jason Kapono. Kapono's 06-07 season was also the 2nd highest seasonal 3P% ever with the regular 3P-line (those mid 90s Kerr season's with the short line don't count IMO), 2nd only to Jon Sundvol who only attempted 92 3s the season he shot 52% (Kapono attempted over 200 when he shot 51%).

The NBA today is at the highest level it has ever been when it comes to top 3 point shooters.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=jM4yqUq8wU0

The perfect shooter.

To whoever mentioned Dale Ellis, he was f'n sick. Even more sick in video games.