The explosion in three-point capturing ushered in by Stephen Curry, alongside fellow splash bro Klay Thompson, has actually modified the sport everyone knows and love over the previous decade. As soon as Golden State proved that you can win a championship taking part in largely on the perimeter offensively, the complete league tried to comply with swimsuit in duplicating that mannequin. Whereas nobody has been in a position to do it fairly like Golden State, what it produced was loads of guys jacking up threes all willy-nilly and setting new data at breakneck velocity. All that mentioned, it’s completely wild to assume that Draymond Green will go down in NBA historical past as a extra prolific three-point shooter than Larry Bird.
Nope, that’s no typing error, Inexperienced has leaped over Larry Legend on the all-time three-pointers made record. With out context, that every one feels like the most important oxymoron in NBA historical past. However having performed his total profession on this period the place all people jacks up threes at will, Inexperienced has surpassed a participant who’s thought of one of many purest shooters ever to step on a basketball courtroom.
Chicken is one among solely two gamers to win The Affiliation’s annual three-point contest 3 times. Former Chicago Bulls sharpshooter Craig Hodges is the opposite, however Chicken was so good at it, that he took the primary three contests the NBA ever held. The Boston Celtics nice additionally took house three consecutive league MVP awards within the mid-Eighties as effectively. There was simply one thing about Chicken and the No. 3.
Larry Legend was probably the most feared shooters of the 80s and was recognized for trash-talking opponents — calling his shot Babe Ruth fashion, then telling you about it afterward. However having performed in an period the place the additional you have been from the basket, the more serious that shot was thought of, he’s grow to be considerably of a footnote, statistically, in lots of three-point capturing metrics. However whenever you return and watch Bird, it’s easy to see why he was considered as such a menace from wherever on the courtroom.
None of that is meant to downplay Inexperienced as a result of, realizing his fashion, it should’ve come as a shock to most discovering out he’d made 650 (and counting) threes throughout his profession. For youthful followers who’ve solely heard Chicken’s identify talked about from time-to-time, extra context all the time helps. Makes an attempt per recreation inform a big a part of this story. Inexperienced has averaged 2.6 3-point makes an attempt per recreation thus far. Chicken didn’t even common two makes an attempt per recreation again within the day, ending his profession at 1.9.
It’s a case of two totally completely different eras, nevertheless it’s nonetheless loopy to see Inexperienced cross Chicken on this record. The best way he’s shooting it this year (over 43 p.c behind the arc), Inexperienced will cross a number of extra shooters earlier than it’s all mentioned and accomplished. This takes nothing away from what Chicken completed, he simply got here alongside at a time when there was nonetheless an emphasis on getting high-percentage seems to be and never displaying your vary. Had Chicken come alongside a number of a long time later with such a wide-open recreation, there’s no telling the form of gaudy numbers he would’ve dropped on his ops.
