As I sit down to analyze the current NBA landscape, one question keeps popping up in basketball circles: who truly deserves the crown as the league's best shooter? Having followed the NBA religiously for over fifteen years and having played college basketball myself, I've developed a keen eye for shooting mechanics and consistency under pressure. The evolution of shooting in today's game is remarkable—we've moved beyond just three-point specialists to players who can score from anywhere with unbelievable efficiency.
When I think about elite shooting, Stephen Curry immediately comes to mind, and frankly, he's in a class of his own. The numbers don't lie: last season, he shot 42.7% from beyond the arc on 11.7 attempts per game, which is just insane when you consider the degree of difficulty on most of those shots. But what sets Curry apart isn't just his percentage—it's his movement without the ball, his ability to create space in split seconds, and that quick release that seems physically impossible to block. I've studied his footwork frame by frame, and there's simply no one who prepares to shoot while in motion quite like he does. Following Curry, I'd place Kevin Durant at number two. At 6'10", his high release point makes his shot virtually unblockable, and he's consistently around 38-40% from three while taking difficult, contested jumpers. I've always admired how he maintains his form even when fatigued—that's the mark of a true professional.
The third spot goes to Klay Thompson, who holds the NBA record for most threes in a game with 14. Though he's coming off significant injuries, his catch-and-shoot mechanics remain textbook perfect. Damian Lillard occupies my fourth position—his deep range has literally changed how defenses have to scheme against him, regularly shooting from 30+ feet with impressive accuracy. Trae Young rounds out my top five; love him or hate him, his floater game combined with his three-point shooting makes him incredibly dangerous. Now, here's where it gets interesting—my sixth through tenth spots include players like Kyrie Irving (perhaps the best ball-handling shooter I've ever seen), Devin Booker (whose mid-range game is reminiscent of Kobe Bryant), Duncan Robinson (purely for his movement shooting), Desmond Bane (an emerging force), and Buddy Hield (one of the quickest releases in the league).
What fascinates me about shooting in today's NBA is how it reflects the broader theme of growth amid challenging expectations, much like what we see in team rebuilds. This reminds me of something I recently read about rebuilds having "a lot of room to grow coupled with not-so-pleasant expectations"—and honestly, that perfectly describes the journey of many shooters. They face tremendous pressure to perform, with analysts and fans ready to criticize every slump, yet this environment forces them to develop incredible mental toughness. The best shooters maintain confidence through shooting slumps, much like teams in rebuilding phases trust their process despite external predictions of failure.
Looking at the current season, I'm particularly impressed by how younger players like Tyrese Haliburton are entering the conversation with his 40% three-point shooting on high volume. The art of shooting continues to evolve, with players now expected to make shots off movement, off the dribble, and with defenders in their faces. In my playing days, we focused mostly on spot-up shooting, but today's elite marksmen need to master all forms of shooting to truly rank among the best. While statistics provide objective measures, having watched hundreds of games live, I put significant weight on clutch performance—how players shoot when the game is on the line. That's why Curry remains my undisputed number one; when it matters most, there's nobody I'd rather have taking the final shot.