Ranking Stephen Curry's 5 best free-throw shooting-percentage NBA seasons
Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors are the talking points of the league right now. After a couple of poor seasons, there were question marks on whether they would ever reach their golden years again.
Although these are early days in the 2021-22 campaign, Curry has had one of his best starts to a season. With an effective FG% of 60, he has been putting up some big numbers - four games with 40+ points. The Golden State Warriors boast a 13-2 record after their opening 15 games.
From the free-throw line, Stephen Curry is shooting 95.8% in 72 attempts. He has always been a reliable shooter from the line, with a career average of 90.8%. On that note, here's a look at his five best free-throw shooting-percentage seasons in which he played a minimum of 50 games:
Stephen Curry's 5 best free-throw shooting seasons
#5 2014-15 – 91.4%
The 2014-15 season was the first time Stephen Curry was named the league’s Most Valuable Player. He made 308 of his 337 free-throw attempts, and led the league with a 91.4 FT%. Curry got more freedom to take his shots under new head coach Steve Kerr as a new era of dominance begun.
Steph Curry's cooking had Steve Kerr stunned in 2015 😂 https://t.co/4gyroPkTQT
For Curry, it was a season to remember. Apart from winning the NBA Championship and the MVP award, he also won the three-point contest in the All-Star weekend.
#4 2020-21 – 91.6%
Stephen Curry returned to the league after a season plagued with injuries as he sought to make up for lost time.
Instantly, he was back to being an explosive scorer, averaging a league-high 32 points per game. In a short 72-game season, he played 63 games and averaged 91.6% from the free-throw line. Curry also made history, joining Ray Allen and Reggie Miller as the only players to score more than 2,500 career three-pointers.
Stephen Curry in the 2020-21 season.
🔹 Scoring title
🔹 Most threes on the season(337)
🔹 38 30+ point games
🔹 11 40+ point games
🔹 Averaged a career high 32 PPG
🔹 5.3 threes per a game(NBA history)
🔹 Warriors went 37-26 when Steph played( 2-7 without him) https://t.co/9B1Id1coio
The Golden State Warriors had a chance to make the playoffs through the league’s new play-in tournament. The Warriors, though, lost the seventh spot to LeBron James’ LA Lakers and the eighth spot to the Memphis Grizzlies. That marked a second year in a row they missed the postseason.
#3 2018-19 – 91.6%
Stephen Curry struggled with injuries during the 2018-19 season. He strained his left groin in a game against the Milwaukee Bucks. and missed 11 straight matches. Over the season, he averaged 27.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.2 assists, shooting at 91.6% from the line.
Steph (31 PTS & 5 3PM) and Klay (26 PTS & 7 3PM) came up big to force a Game 6! 👌
Warriors vs. Raptors, 2019 NBA Finals Game 5 - 1pm ET on NBA TV! https://t.co/BwMtMCQz5O
The Golden State Warriors’ dominance came to an end in the 2019 NBA Finals. They lost 4-2 against the Toronto Raptors, losing 4-2, with Kawhi Leonard denying them a three-peat, winning the Finals MVP award in the process.
#2 2017-18 – 92.1%
The Golden State Warriors were the 2017-18 title winners after sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-0 in the 2018 NBA Finals.
Throughout the regular season, Stephen Curry averaged 26.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 6.1 assists. From the free-throw line, Curry led the league with an FT% of 92.1. He made 278 of his 302 free-throw attempts.
Stephen Curry’s averages in the 4th quarter of the 2017-18 finals:
• 43 Points (10.75 PPG)
• 1 APG
• 2.25 RPG
• 13-29 FG (45 FG%)
• 10-16 3PT (63 3P%)
• 7-7 FT (100 FT%)
• .670 TS%
Elevated his level of play down the stretch https://t.co/ECLWrsvEyv
Curry played only 51 games in the regular season, due to injuries. However, he was healthy for the playoffs after missing the first-round series against the San Antonio Spurs. On his return, Curry contributed effectively at both ends of the floor.
#1 2010-11 – 93.4%
In the 2010-11 season, Curry was playing his second year as an NBA player. The Golden State Warriors finished 12th in the Western Conference with a 36-46 record.
Curry played 74 games in the season, averaging 18.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 5.8 assists. He scored a season-high 39 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder on a 70% shooting night.
Jeremy Lin recalls practicing with and against Stephen Curry as a member of the Warriors back in 2010-11. Like many others, he could conceive young Curry developing into a Top-5 NBA player. https://t.co/KvC7bSvEDf
From the line, he led the league, shooting at a career-high 93.4 FT%. He made 212 of his 227 attempted free throws.