2020-21 NBA Season: Top 5 3-point shooters in the league
Having a consistent and lethal 3-point shooter can give any team in the NBA a huge advantage. The way the league's scoring dynamic has changed over the years to value solid perimeter scorers has seen the rise of increased 3-ball attempts. Leading the way over the decade has been the Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry, who is among our list of the best 3-point shooters in the NBA for the 2020-21 season.
The best 3-point shooters in the 2020-21 NBA season
1. Stephen Curry
Over the past decade, Stephen Curry has developed into one of the NBA's greatest-ever shooters and tops our list of the best 3-point scorers in the league. He has made 43% of his career shots from beyond the arc, which helped the Warriors to three NBA Championships and the point guard to two MVP trophies.
Curry has wowed the Warriors' faithful with countless displays of unbelievable shooting accuracy over the years. He has made a name for himself by taking outrageous shots from anywhere on the offensive half of the court and pulling up immediately after coming off the screen to sink a 3.
At times in his career, Curry has been un-guardable. Therefore, without his "Splash Bro" Klay Thompson this year, it will take an even bigger effort from Curry and possibly his best shooting performance yet to lift the Warriors out of the bottom of the NBA's Western Conference.
2. James Harden
Joining Curry on our list of the 2020-21 NBA season's top 3-point scorers is James Harden. Also a serial scorer with the basketball, Harden has led the league in points for the past three seasons. As a result of this, the shooting guard is one of the most feared players to mark in the league due to his array of talent and his technique from beyond the arc.
Harden has not shied from running the offense in Houston and enjoys having the ball in his hands. His dribbling ability makes him untouchable and he's quick to jump into his shooting motion, where he consistently draws contact and makes 4-point plays.
Starting the decade as a rotation player for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Harden has ended it leading a unique, small-ball offense in Houston. The Rockets have relied on his, among others', long-range shooting ability to carry them to several successful finishes in the West, including when they topped the conference in 2018.
Often cited as a ball-hog, there is no doubt that the 30 year old's ability to create shots for himself is second to none. Because of this, James Harden is the league's all-time unassisted 3-point scorer.
3. Damian Lillard
Coming off the back of a career year in the league, Damian Lillard is third on our list of top shooters for the 2020-21 NBA season. Along with Curry, Lillard has helped to revolutionize the art of shooting from long distance. The Portland talisman's shot is flawless when he pulls up from the logo to drain a 3 and has truly redefined the acceptable distance from which to shoot.
Not only did Lillard record 30 points a game last season, he also attempted the most 3-pointers of his career, shooting 10 a game and averaging 40% in the process. If the Trail Blazers are to succeed this year, they will rely on Damian's ability to come up in the clutch, taking on shots most defenders wouldn't expect to have to contest.
4. Buddy Hield
Buddy Hield's rate of fire from the 3-point line has increased significantly over the past few seasons as the shooting guard has improved that aspect of his game. Last year, Hield shot almost 40% from the arc on 9.6 attempts per game. This earned the 28 year old a call up to the NBA All-Star weekend 3-point contest, which he duly won.
In his opening game of this season, Hield attempted 11 3s, therefore giving Kings fans a glimpse of what could come to be. If Sacramento wants to challenge for a lower seed in the Western Conference playoffs, they will be relying on Hield's proficiency from 3-point range to continue to improve.
5. Duncan Robinson
The last slot on our list is taken up by one of the Miami Heat's sharpshooters, Duncan Robinson. Having averaged 44.6% on 8.3 3s per game, Robinson was one of the top performers shooting from distance in the NBA last year. The Miami Heat relied upon Robinson's shot-making abilities throughout their run to the NBA playoffs and will continue to do so if they are to repeat their success this season.
Robinson's proficiency from beyond the arc also earned him a call up to last season's 3-point contest. Now that the NBA 2020 season has begun, Heat fans will be excited to see that Robinson is expected to be one of the team's point leaders on the floor to aid Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. So much so that on Christmas Day this year, Robinson tied the record for most 3s made on December 25th with seven.