Three-point shooting: More
There are lots of reasons why Stephen Curry is the best shooter of all-time. His range starts a couple of feet inside of the halfcourt line. He can get his shot off at any time with his quick release and ability to shoot off the dribble. Perhaps what’s most impressive is his efficiency despite his volume.
Last year, Curry had a “down” year. He took 10 three-pointers per game and shot “just” 41 percent from deep. He still hit 324 treys over the course of the year.
Curry should be shooting more three-pointers per game. He should also be aiming for 50 percent three-point shooting. Yes, I understand how much more difficult that second one is.
Curry is the type of shooter whose “bad” shots are better than most players’ good ones. I’m not advocating for Curry to hog the ball and take ill-advised shots. What I am saying is that he shouldn’t feel like he needs to pass the ball up when he has a good look.
He’s normally not shy about shooting the ball. Still, there are times when he should be looking to attack more instead of giving the ball up at halfcourt. A contested Curry three is still a better shot than a wide-open Zaza Pachulia jump shot.
Curry is one of those rare players who could actually increase efficiency with volume. He is a rhythm player. Feeling the ball gets him going.
If Curry can take 12 three-pointers per game, it’s not unreasonable to think that he could make five or six. Shooting 50 percent from beyond-the-arc would be one of the more spectacular things he could do. Unfortunately for him, this means he would have to cut down on his end-of-quarter heaves.
Steph Curry should look to take a few more three-pointers per game. It would be incredible if he could find a way to also increase his career-high three-point percentage from 45 percent to 50 percent.