Stephen Curry once used 3-pointer as a weapon. Now the shot has 'revolutionized' the NBA.
As a boy – not yet even 10 years old – Steph Curry recognized the importance of the 3-point shot.
"I was undersized and playing with older kids," Curry once told Paste BN Sports. "The reason I was on the team that young was because I could shoot 3-pointers and be a weapon. It takes a lot of skill, repetition and practice to be good at it and consistent. There are other shots and other ways to be effective on the court. But as young as 9, 10, I noticed that was a weapon."
Not even young Steph, with a 3-point shooting father (Dell) and important inspirations (Ray Allen, Reggie Miller) could have imagined what the 3-point shot would do for him, his career, basketball and the NBA.
No one could.
Curry is two 3-pointers from breaking Hall of Famer Ray Allen’s record of 2,973 made 3s while doing it in just a tad more than half the games and minutes Allen played.
One man (Steph Curry) with one shot (the 3-pointer) influenced the trajectory of basketball and the NBA in an unprecedented manner.
There are several ways to illustrate that. Let’s start with one.
In 2015-16, Steph Curry made an NBA-record 402 3-pointers, and just 15 seasons prior in 2000-2001, 17 teams did not make at least 400 3s.
"Not only has Stephen influenced the game of basketball with his 3-point shooting, he’s revolutionized it," Hall of Famer and three-point aficionado Reggie Miller told Paste BN Sports. "There’s only a handful of guys in the history of basketball who can say that. Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar) in college with the dunk rule, Wilt (Chamberlain) and Shaq (O’Neal) with the power post game, MJ (Michael Jordan) with the illusion of floating on air, Allen Iverson and the 'culture,' Magic Johnson being a 6-9 point guard.
"Stephen changed how a whole league approaches the game today, being able to shoot the basketball is at an all-time high because of Curry."
As Golden State coach and well-known 3-point shooter Steve Kerr once explained, the 3-point shot was once more luxury than necessity.
Today, it is a mandatory — not just in the NBA but for all levels and positions in elite basketball.
"The coach would tell the players who could shoot the 3 and who couldn’t shoot the 3," Allen said, recalling his early days in the NBA. "Those are the only people that would shoot the 3. If you shot the 3 and couldn’t shoot the 3, he’d pull you out."
That's not the case now.
Curry entered the league in 2009 just as the 3-point revolution began to blossom. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, players such as Allen, Miller, Steve Nash, Peja Stojakovic, Rashard Lewis, Stephen Jackson, Gilbert Arenas, Raja Bell, Mike Miller, Kyle Korver, Jason Richardson and J.R. Smith among others shot the deep ball with regularity.
But the revolution needed a leader. Any shooter who came of age in the 1980s understood the value of the 3. It was an equalizer. If you couldn’t dunk, you could make a 3-pointer. That was Dell Curry, who played one season with Allen in Milwaukee, and he passed that knowledge to his sons, Steph and Seth.
"Perhaps that’s the most inspiring thing about him he’s just the average-sized player," Curry’s college coach at Davidson, Bob McKillop, told Paste BN Sports. "He doesn’t fly through the air with the greatest of ease, and he talks a lot and shows a lot about the work ethic he has. The combination of being an average-sized basketball player and also having an incredible work ethic is an inspiration to a lot of young players. 'Perhaps I can do that.' To me, that’s how he has changed the game by giving hope to so many."
Curry had the perfect mindset, skillset and background. It was on display at Davidson, and whatever questions existed about his NBA future evaporated his rookie season when he averaged 17.5 points, made 2.1 3s per game and shot 43.7% on 3s. Keep in mind it helped Curry that the Warriors were coached by Don Nelson, who embraced offensive innovation. He played in an environment that allowed him to flourish.
Curry increased his attempts from about 4.6 his first three seasons to 7.7 3-point attempts in 2012-13, and by 2015-16 — when he set a single-season record for most 3s made (402) — Curry shot more than 10 3s per game.
This season — an MVP start so far at 27.0 points per game for the 22-5 Warriors — Curry makes 5.4 and attempts 13.4 3s per game, good for 40.1%. If he maintains those averages for at least 75 games, he will break his record for most 3s made in a season and James Harden’s record for most 3-point attempts per game.
By the end of the season, Curry could hold six of the 10 best single-season marks for made 3s. He also holds the record for most games with at least 10 3s made at 22, which gave credence to the idea he had the chance to break Allen’s record Saturday in Philadelphia when he needed 10.
"We’re all witnesses to what Steph Curry has done in his career and the way that he’s changed the game," Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James told reporters. "He’s a once-in-a-lifetime basketball player."
It’s more than just volume and accuracy (he has made at least 40% of his attempts in 12 of his 13 seasons).
Curry changed how teams play offense by creating even more space, which altered how teams defend.
Opening the court gave Curry and his teammates more room to attack the rim. The middle wasn’t clogged and freed players to create — driving to the basket for their own shot or driving to the basket, attracting multiple defenders and passing the ball to an open player — perhaps a player beyond the 3-point line.
"I’m convinced the game is a war for space," McKillop said. "If you can control space, you’re going to win a lot of games and the 3-point shot is one where you could win that war for space."
Curry is responsible for creating even more space by extending the distance from which he shoots. Shooting at the 3-point line was the norm, and he shattered convention. Threes from 30- and 40-feet — logo 3s from near half court — are no longer viewed as wild, unacceptable shots.
"There’s no doubt he’s extended the zip code," McKillop said.
Curry has attempted more than 40 3s from at least 30 feet this season, and the league is filled with players who take deep 3s: Trae Young, Donovan Mitchell, Fred VanVleet, Luka Doncic, Devin Booker, LaMelo Ball, Eric Gordon and Garrison Matthews.
Conversely, mid-range shots have declined, labeled an inefficient shot except for those mid-range assassins such as Chris Paul, Kevin Durant and DeMar DeRozan. And the 3-ball had an impact on lineups.
"The league had to adjust," Allen said. "They won championships, and no one could beat them with a slow big on the floor. They had to put smaller guys who could shoot on the floor. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery."
It just wasn’t where Curry attempted 3s, it was also how: off the dribble, catch-and-shoot, off screens, in transition and on fastbreaks.
Whenever. However. Wherever.
"He was the first great shooter I remember who shot so many 3s off the dribble, on pick-and-rolls and from so deep," TNT analyst and former NBA coach Stan Van Gundy said. "Now, everyone has followed his lead — unfortunately not with nearly the accuracy except for a few."
Kerr was an executive with the Phoenix Suns during the Mike D’Antoni-coached era with Steve Nash directing a fast-paced offense with 3-point shooting. When Kerr took the Warriors job, he knew what style he wanted to play but underestimated what Curry could do for an offense.
"I knew I wanted to shoot a lot of 3s," Kerr said. "The trend was heading in that direction. In Phoenix, I saw the power of putting multiple shooters on the floor. When I arrived in Golden State, knowing I had Steph and Klay, I wanted to play with pace and shoot a lot of 3s.
"But what Steph taught me, I had my sights set too low. He shot 3s that every coach that I’ve ever had his voice was echoing in my head, ‘bad shot, bad shot.’ It took me a couple of months to realize that’s a good shot. He’s Steph Curry, he’s shooting 43% on those shots, and a 43% 3-point shot is a good shot no matter what it looks like.
"Steph taught me I needed to redefine what’s a good shot and what’s a bad shot, and he’s clearly done that to the point now where the other night he took 17 3s, and I don’t even blink."
So much of Curry’s game is measurable: points scored, 3s made. But aesthetics can’t be quantified. Curry’s game is joyful, playful, poetic and entertaining. People attend Warriors games not only to watch Curry play but also go through his pregame routine that culminates with some wild shot — from the stands, from the tunnel — and Curry scurrying back to the locker room.
Curry is still recording his legacy. Perhaps another MVP. Maybe another championship. Definitely more 3s.
His impact will last long beyond his playing days.
"He has inspired a young generation of point guards who now view the position differently," Kerr said. "I see that in a lot of young point guards. There’s a handle and range on the shot that is pretty distinctly Steph-related."