NBA Pure Shooter: In the modern NBA, shooting is essential to success. In essence, any player who isn’t a centre must shoot at least 35 percent from beyond the arc in order to avoid being a defensive liability. The top shooters in the league miss about 45 percent of their three-point attempts.
The greatest NBA pure shooter on each squad will be discussed once we go through each one. The shooter with the greatest field goal or three-point percentage isn’t always the best “pure” shooter, however, the latter statistic is often emphasised. Rookies were not included.
The Top NBA Pure Shooter On Every Team
1) Atlanta Hawks: Bogdan Bogdanović
Bogdan Bogdanovic, the best NBA pure shooter for the Hawks, may have been lighting it up for Serbia, the silver medalist, if you watched any recent non-Team USA FIBA World Cup games. Bogdanovi shot a career-best 43.8 percent from three-point range in 2020–21. He hit an outstanding 40.6 percent from three-point range the previous season.
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2) Boston Celtics: Malcolm Brogdon
Last season, the Celtics made the most and best use of the three-point shot in the league, placing second in both three-point attempts and making and sixth in three-point percentage. Malcolm Brogdon, who had incredible shooting splits last year (48-44-87), is their greatest outside shooter. In his seven-year career, his three-point shooting percentage from last season was the third above 40 percent.
3) Brooklyn Nets: Mikal Bridges
Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson, two of the Nets’ most recent arrivals, are the team’s two top shooters (45-39-84), with Bridges being the most accurate of the two. Bridges’ shot isn’t as fundamentally solid as Johnson’s, but that’s only because of his bizarre wingspan, which makes his release point somewhat higher than other players. It would be fascinating to see whether Bridges maintains his high shooting efficiency even as a primary offensive player this season after raising his shooting volume from 13.6 FGA in Phoenix to 18.6 FGA in Brooklyn.
4) Charlotte Hornets: LaMelo Ball
The Hornets posted the second-lowest three-point percentage in the NBA last season, along with the league’s worst offensive rating, so it’s not surprising that identifying the greatest pure shooter is a challenge. LaMelo Ball, who attempted 10.6 times a game and made 37.6 percent of his threes, was my choice in the end. The ball should have more open looks this season due to Miles Bridges’ comeback and the addition of Brandon Miller, so it wouldn’t be shocking to see him flirt with a 40 percent 3-point shooting in 2023–24.
5) Chicago Bulls: Zach LaVine
Zach LaVine’s jump jumper is one of the most attractive in the NBA in terms of shooting aesthetics. His height is unrivalled, and he has incredibly flawless lines. All of this adds up to him being among the league’s top three-level go-to scorers. LaVine’s effective shooting (49-38-85) helped him lose an easy 24.8 PPG last season. Chicago shot and hit the fewest three-pointers in the NBA last season, despite having LaVine, and will want to improve in 2023–24.
6) Cleveland Cavaliers: Darius Garland
Speaking of fluid shooting motions, Darius Garland has a lovely release. Similar to Steph Curry, who gets a lot of backspin and arc on every shot, it is more of a set shot. On six tries a game during the previous season, he hit 41% of his three-point efforts. After adding Max Strus and Georges Niang, the Cavaliers should shoot more threes this season (despite having Garland and Donovan Mitchell, they were only 24th in three-point attempts).
7) Dallas Mavericks: Seth Curry
Given that Kyrie Irving’s shots are frequently more fiercely contested, it was difficult to select between him and Curry. Curry’s statistics, though, are simply too impressive. In any season when he played more than two games, his three-point shooting percentage has never been lower than 40.5 percent. Although I may not always concur, Seth Curry at least has a case for saying that he is the Curry family’s finest shooter.
8) Denver Nuggets: Michael Porter Jr.
9) Detroit Pistons: Joe Harris
Bojan Bogdanovi and Joe Harris, two of the top wing shooters in the world, are on the Pistons. Harris is the superior shooter of the two from a purely shooting perspective, having twice led the NBA in three-point percentage (47.4 percent in 2018–19 and 47.5 percent in 2020–21) and averaging 41.9 percent or above in six of his nine NBA seasons. The Pistons will need Harris to stay healthy in order to give their young guards, Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey, room to attack the rim. Injuries have limited Harris in prior years.
10) Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry
One more? The greatest shooter in NBA history is undoubtedly his team’s best pure shooter. Curry’s shooting is as good as ever despite always having his opponents’ full focus. Early in his career, Curry’s opponents weren’t accustomed to the Warriors’ fast-paced style of play, his extensive ball-handling, or the distance at which he would shoot and score three-pointers. He now constantly has defenders draped over him and almost ever has a second or an inch of room to even square his shoulders. It is irrelevant. Still, he managed to shoot 42.7 percent from three last year.
11) Houston Rockets: Fred VanVleet
When you consider that Houston finished dead last in the league in three-point shooting in 2022–23 (32.7 percent), Fred VanVleet’s lack of a knockdown shooter compared to some of the other players on this list isn’t all that unexpected. FVV has shot above 37 percent from beyond the arc in five of his seven NBA seasons, despite shooting a career-worst 34.2 percent from three last year. The Rockets are hoping that Jabari Smith Jr., Dillon Brooks, FVV, and Jalen Green can raise their average or below-average shooting.
12) Indiana Pacers: Buddy Hield
Did you know that for the last five seasons, Buddy Hield, not Steph Curry, Damian Lillard, or James Harden, lead the NBA in made three-pointers? Buddy has 1,381 made threes, 120 more than Curry, who is in second place. With Tyrese Haliburton running the show at Indiana, Hield, who shot an impressive 42.5 percent from three last season on 8.5 attempts per game (3.6 made per game), should have plenty of open looks.
13) Los Angeles Clippers: Kawhi Leonard
The Clippers finished third in the NBA in three-point percentage last season because of their excellent three-point shooting. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George (44-38-85) are fighting it out to be the best pure shooter, but Kawhi is more reliable year after year and much better within the arc thanks to his devastating mid-range pull-up. Despite the fact that Leonard’s shot isn’t as smooth as some of the other players on this list, it still creates a tonne of backspin and tickles the twine about as good as any shot in the league.
14) Los Angeles Lakers: Austin Reaves
The Lakers now have a few reliable shooters in Austin Reaves, Taurean Prince, D’Angelo Russell, and maybe Max Christie after finishing in the bottom four in the NBA in three-point attempts, made, and percentage previous season. Reaves is now the team’s top sharpshooter, making 44.3 percent of his three-point attempts in the playoffs while shooting 39.8 percent during the regular season on far higher volume (5.5 per game as opposed to 3.4 per game).
15) Memphis Grizzlies: Luke Kennard
One of the reasons Memphis traded for Luke Kennard at the deadline was because of their below-average three-point shooting performance the previous season. In the NBA, Kennard is maybe the best shooter. He has twice been the NBA’s greatest three-point shooter, with a career-high 49.4 percent last year. He has never had a career three-point percentage below 39.4 percent.
16) Miami Heat: Duncan Robinson
Duncan Robinson’s prolonged cold streak was a contributing factor in the Heat’s poor accuracy from three-point range last season (27th in the league), as he shot a pitiful 32.8 percent from beyond the arc, well below the league average. Fortunately, Robinson had a stellar playoff, shooting 44.2 percent more accurately than the rest of the Heat. The Heat will be hoping that in 2023–2024 Robinson returns to his typical 40 percent shooting rate.
17) Milwaukee Bucks: Khris Middleton
The Bucks were 10th in percentage last season and ended fourth in three-point attempts and makes. Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez, Malik Beasley, and Grayson Allen are a few of their talented shooters. Allen’s career shooting statistics are comparable to Middleton’s, but Middleton is posting those statistics as one of the offense’s go-to players. In five different seasons, he had a field goal percentage of at least 40%.
18) Minnesota T’Wolves: Karl-Anthony Towns
There isn’t much room for dispute on this subject. Karl-Anthony Towns is one of the best shooters in basketball. He has made at least 40% of his threes in four of his eight professional seasons, and in five of his eight seasons, he has shot at least 50% from the field. Although KAT has made some ridiculous boasts on podcasts this summer, he truly deserves the distinction of finest big-man shooter in NBA history.
19) New Orleans Pelicans: Trey Murphy III
With Trey Murphy III, CJ McCollum, Brandon Ingram, and Jordan Hawkins, the Pelicans have a lot of quality shooters despite being in the middle of the pack as a team from three-point range. But out of all of them, Murphy is the most robotic. Murphy was on the verge of becoming an excellent role player, so it’s unfortunate that he recently tore his meniscus and will lose time this season.
20) New York Knicks: Jalen Brunson
The Knicks earned the third-best offensive rating in the NBA despite shooting average from both inside and outside the arc last season. Jalen Brunson, a tremendously proficient shooter (49-42-83), was the driving force behind that outstanding offence. Brunson demonstrated his potential as an All-Star-caliber lead guard on a second-round playoff squad during his rookie campaign with the Knicks. This season, he plans to improve his performance.
21) Oklahoma City Thunder: Isaiah Joe
Although Isaiah Joe is arguably the least well-known shooter on our list, he can bomb just as effectively as the rest of them. He finally earned the go-ahead to shoot threes last season, and he made the most of it, averaging 5.4 attempts and a 40.9 percent success rate. He will be a crucial rotation player for a youthful Thunder squad that is loaded with playmakers.
22) Orlando Magic: Joe Ingles
In order to improve their shooting, the Magic recruited Joe Ingles this offseason (on a somewhat eye-opening salary). The Magic were one of the worst shooting teams the previous season. The dude can still shoot the ball, but Ingles isn’t the defender or playmaker he was with the Jazz a few years ago. Last season, Ingles was a very effective shooter, connecting on 40.9 percent of his three-point attempts.
These are the top NBA Pure shooters on every team. Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
