Most Efficient Shooters in NBA History

Amid all the many arguments in basketball circles these days, there is one unquestioned truth. Stephen Curry is the king of the 3-point era. The Golden State Warriors’ uberstar ranks third in longballs, fifth in success rate and eighth in attempts in NBA history. Does that make Curry the greatest shooter ever? After all, he also shoots better than 90 percent at the free-throw line, right?

Yet if best means most efficient, as many would contend, then not so fast there. The 3-ball is the highest-risk, highest-reward shot in the game. While Curry sinks more than his share of them, he also misses more often than anyone. If the primary goal of every shooter is to maximize opportunities, then we need a metric that compares points scored to point potential. 

Well, it just so happens that we’ve got one. It’s called Shooter Efficiency Rating (SER), which measures all-around excellence and a lot that goes with it, i.e., accuracy, shot selection, self-awareness and ability to draw fouls. The formula: points scored / ((3FGA x 3) + (2FGA x 2) + FTA). If a player converted half of his shots in each of the three point values, for example, the result would be a .500 SER. (The league average was .476 in the 2018-19 season.)

We set some arbitrary guidelines to balance the field. A player had to attempt at least 15 percent of his field goals from beyond the arc with a minimum 37 percent success rate. That eliminated Larry Bird, LeBron James and Michael Jordan, to name a few. He also had to be a regular or thereabouts (24.0 minutes or more per game) for the brunt of his career. Sorry, Steve Kerr and Tim Legler, but we want some volume here.

With this criteria in mind, here are the top 25 most effective shooters.

Experience: 13 seasons (1998-2011)

Teams: Sacramento Kings, Indiana Pacers, New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets, Toronto Raptors, Dallas Mavericks 

Career statistics: 17.0 points per game, .450 field-goal percentage, 401 3-point percentage, .895 free-throw percentage 

Career SER: .4817

Bottom line: Peja Stojakovic was a classic rhythm shooter. When the Croatian had it, no stroke was sweeter. If not for a bum back, the 42-year-old might still be hoisting 3’s today.

The only blemish on his resume: Stojakovic didn’t fare nearly as well in the playoffs as the regular season.

Experience: 13 seasons (2006-present)

Teams: Orlando Magic, Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers

Career statistics: 12.9 PPG. .448 FG%, .413 3P%, .890 FT%

Career SER: .4823

Bottom line: J.J. Redick is pickier than a keto diet, a perfectionist who works on his shot around the clock.

He’s known for his quick draw — his hands are in the shooting position even before he receives the ball, which allows him to pull the trigger before opponents can react when it arrives.

Experience: 15 seasons (1989-2004)

Teams: Seattle SuperSonics, Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons

Career statistics: 10.5 PPG, .460 FG%, .411 3P%, .858 FT%

Career SER: .4841

Bottom line: Remember the pint-sized guard with the oversized “3” on the back of his Sixers uniform? The number fit Barros well.

In the 1994-95 season, he erupted for one of the most efficient 50-point games ever — 21 field goals in 26 tries.

He averaged 20.6 points on a downright silly .490/.464/.899 slash line in what would be his career season.

Experience: 18 seasons (1996-2014)

Teams: Seattle SuperSonics, Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, Miami Heat

Career statistics: 18.9 PPG, .452 FG%, .400 3P%, .894 FT%

Career SER: .488

Bottom line: Ray Allen is one of 46 qualifiers to shoot 40 percent or better from downtown in their careers, but even that exclusive status doesn’t do him justice.

Ray-Ray has nearly 1,000 more such attempts than Reggie Miller, who’s a distant second on the list.

He’s also No. 7 in career free-throw percentage.