The explosion in three-point taking pictures 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 possibly can win a championship enjoying largely on the perimeter offensively, the whole league tried to comply with swimsuit in duplicating that mannequin. Whereas nobody has been capable of do it fairly like Golden State, what it produced was lots of guys jacking up threes all willy-nilly and setting new data at breakneck pace. All that mentioned, it’s completely wild to suppose that Draymond Inexperienced will go down in NBA historical past as a extra prolific three-point shooter than Larry Chook.
Nope, that’s no typing error, Inexperienced has leaped over Larry Legend on the all-time three-pointers made listing. With out context, that each one appears like the largest oxymoron in NBA historical past. However having performed his whole profession on this period the place all people jacks up threes at will, Inexperienced has surpassed a participant who’s thought-about one of many purest shooters ever to step on a basketball court docket.
Chook is considered one of solely two gamers to win The Affiliation’s annual three-point contest 3 times. Former Chicago Bulls sharpshooter Craig Hodges is the opposite, however Chook was so good at it, that he took the primary three contests the NBA ever held. The Boston Celtics nice additionally took residence three consecutive league MVP awards within the mid-Nineteen Eighties as nicely. There was simply one thing about Chook and the No. 3.
Larry Legend was one of the vital feared shooters of the 80s and was identified for trash-talking opponents — calling his shot Babe Ruth model, then telling you about it afterward. However having performed in an period the place the additional you had been from the basket, the more severe that shot was thought-about, he’s turn into considerably of a footnote, statistically, in lots of three-point taking pictures metrics. However whenever you return and watch Chook, it’s simple to see why he was considered as such a menace from anyplace on the court docket.
None of that is meant to downplay Inexperienced as a result of, realizing his model, 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 Chook’s identify talked about from time-to-time, extra context at all times helps. Makes an attempt per sport inform a big a part of this story. Inexperienced has averaged 2.6 3-point makes an attempt per sport up to now. Chook didn’t even common two makes an attempt per sport again within the day, ending his profession at 1.9.
It’s a case of two completely completely different eras, nevertheless it’s nonetheless loopy to see Inexperienced move Chook on this listing. The way in which he’s taking pictures it this yr (over 43 % behind the arc), Inexperienced will move a number of extra shooters earlier than it’s all mentioned and carried out. This takes nothing away from what Chook completed, he simply got here alongside at a time when there was nonetheless an emphasis on getting high-percentage seems to be and never exhibiting your vary. Had Chook come alongside a number of a long time later with such a wide-open sport, there’s no telling the sort of gaudy numbers he would’ve dropped on his ops.
