'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Perimeter shooting is becoming an integral part of modern age NBA basketball, and to a large extent, the teams possessing efficient shooters from long-range nowadays, pose a greater threat to the opposition than the ones who don't.
Coaches and players have tapped into the aforementioned tectonic shift and are encouraging the fact that 3 is always better than 2. Led by generational shooters like Curry, Thompson of the Warriors, the affinity to take shots from the distance and get better returns for slightly higher risk, is on an upward scale.
The change can be attributed to various factors - one them could be the Warriors dynasty being based on long-range shooting - but what the ongoing season has proven without a doubt, is that the growing significance of a shot from the deep is undeniable.
With more than half of the season done and dusted, we have at our disposal, some concrete analytics on the front being discussed. This piece will deal with the individual accomplishments of some exceptional talents in terms of three-point shooting, and to be precise, total Three-pointers made in the 2018-19 season.
Let's skim through the Top 5 Players with the most made three-pointers this season so far.
Note: The following standings are subject to change in the future as the regular season progresses.
#5 Kemba Walker - 165
There are no two ways to say this. Kemba Walker is an offensive beast with proven ball handling wizardry.
He is averaging a career-high 24.6 points per game this season and will share East's backcourt with Kyrie Irving, come All-Star weekend. Although he shot relatively better in the past couple of seasons from three-point land, his efforts from deep this season are still good enough to bag him 165 made three-pointers across the 52 games he has played so far.
Kemba has attempted a heap of 460 threes this year and still managed to maintain a decent 36% conversion rate. His awe-inspiring ability to beat the defender off the dribble makes it easier for him to create space for an uncontested trey every now and then.
#4 Buddy Hield - 180
Buddy has led the charge on the offensive end for the Kings for quite some time now. His quickness and agility coupled with the skill to get quick buckets is something which often goes unnoticed.
At 26 years of age, this season can be considered a breakout campaign for Hield as he averages a career-high 20.5 ppg, shooting a dazzling 46% from the distance. Of all the players in this list, he has attempted the least number of threes (391) and pulled through to make 180 of them at an astronomically high-efficiency rate.
He is the leading scorer for Sacramento this year, shooting an impressive 48% from the field and 84% from the foul line.
Some of his highlights include a blazing 8-of-13 show from downtown in a hard-fought loss against the Warriors this past month, followed by a one-legged buzzer beater against the Pistons for a 103-101 win.
#3 Paul George - 184
Paul George's 27.6 points per game average is his career-best by a fair margin, and it's paying dividends for the city of Oklahoma. His dramatic re-signing with OKC in the offseason has resulted in the formation of a dynamic duo with Westbrook with every passing game.
The most recent showing of his blistering long-range shooting came in a win against the Bucks when he dropped 8-of-12 from deep and finished with 37 points in a valiant effort against a quality team.
George is shooting a career-best 41% from downtown across the 50 games he has played in OKC this season, able to attempt around nine shots from the distance almost every game.
He is 184-of-449 in terms of three-pointers, along with a decent 82% conversion from the FT line. He raced past his former-MVP teammate on his way to bagging a spot on the All-Star starting lineup for the Western Conference, owing to his spectacular numbers all-round.
#2 Stephen Curry - 215
Although Curry missed 11 games due to injury, it's just mind-boggling to comprehend the fact that he was still able to knock down triples at such a high rate. Steph is leading the league in three-pointers made per game (5.2), shooting an efficient 45% from the distance.
It's been four times this season already that he has made at least 10 threes in a game, all this while making it seem like a cakewalk.
His shooting prowess resembles the rally he put together when he was crowned the MVP back in '15 and '16, as he looks solid to finish as the greatest shooter in the history of the game by the time he retires.
Recently, he passed Jason Terry for third all-time on the three-pointers made list, now only behind Reggie Miller (2,560) and Ray Allen (2,973). With a field-goal percentage of almost 50%, he looks sharp enough to lead the Warriors to another successful title run as the postseason approaches.
#1 James Harden - 241
The Beard has been on a tear. Plain and simple.
He has become the most unguardable player in the game right now and has transformed into much more than just an offensive machine. His heroics dragged the Rockets out of the hole they were in, and his perseverance throughout the grind has left everyone in awe of what this man is capable of.
Restricting the discussion solely to three-point shooting, for now, Harden has attempted the most threes (652) this season, at the same time being able to afford an imposing 37% conversion from the deep. He has made 241 three-pointers across the 49 games he has played so far, making an average of almost five treys a game.
His average 13 three-point attempts per game show how dependent the Rockets offence is on this man's abilities to consistently keep the scoreboard ticking.
He attempted a season-high 23 threes (and made 10 of them) in a classic Warriors-Rockets bout at the start of the year, sealing the game with a statement dagger eventually.
