Stephen Curry is well on his way to exhausting superlatives. He has shattered decades worth of conventional wisdom about what constitutes a good shot so many times in such a consistent manner, that the only surprising element in watching him is when he fails to send our jaws to the floor.
His accuracy has spoilt us to the point that when Curry misses a long-ranger, it comes as a surprise. No one ever thought they'd hear a crowd let out a collective sigh and moan upon a player missing a thirty-feet bomb. He’s making the inexplicable a commonplace occurrence on a nightly basis.
Curry’s game is predicated on getting his own shot from almost anywhere inside the half court line, and he's disrupted the entire ecosystem of the sport in a league still trying to adjust to the ripple effect of his presence.
Here is a look at 5 reasons why Stephen Curry is a statistical anomaly unlike any we've seen before:
#1 Lightning quick release
Dr. James Naismith put up peach baskets in Springfield in 1981 but it would take another half decade before the jump shot was invented by Kenny Sailors. The jump shot was borne out of necessity to get the back over the outstretched hands of the defense. That has been the conventional method for ages. Honed and tweaked over the ages and passed down generations.
Stephen Curry has no use for conventional wisdom. In becoming a trend setter, he's taken the game back to its roots by developing a lethal jumper which is almost a set shot, instead of a jump shot.
The NBA rules dictate that if there are 0.3 seconds left on the clock, the only form of shot which will be allowed is a tip in or an ally oop. This rule has been set because it's not considered feasible for a player to catch and shoot in that limited time.
According to Sports Science, Curry can get his shot off in just under 0.4 seconds. The average release time of a jump shot in the NBA is 0.54 seconds, by when Curry’s shot is already 12 feet airborne. This allows him to let if fly over the outstretched hands of giants with just a sliver of daylight.
#2 Creates his own shot off the dribble
In any given NBA season over the past few years, it’s a safe bet that over 80% of 3 pointers are assisted. Almost 3/4th of 3s are taken without a dribble.
This, of course, gives the defense time to rotate and close out on the shooter. Basketball being a game of inches and seconds, every little moment and space can make the difference between a made shot and a brick.
As anyone who's seen Curry play will attest to the fact that he has an uncanny ability to launch a long rlong-rangeoff the dribble. So much so that to him it’s almost like a layup.
It is no surprise that Curry lead the NBA in 3s taken and made off the dribble. Here's a look at the number of 3 pointers taken off the dribble in the 2014-15 NBA season:
Most Made Off-the-Dribble 3-Pointers in 2014-151. Stephen Curry, 147 (43 percent)2. James Harden, 110 (36 percent)3. Damian Lillard, 103 (33 percent)4. Chris Paul, 90 (40 percent)5. Lou Williams, 88 (31 percent)
Most of the prominent snipers in the game are spot up shooters. Curry breaks the curve by creating a number of looks off the dribble.
#3 Unreasonably accurate from distance
Long range heaves are called prayers and Hail Marys for good reason. Shooting beyond 28 feet is something one attempts when the clock is running out or when one wants to be benched on the next dead ball.
Again, Curry has taken the table of statistics and broken every strand of logic tying it together. He's shot 42 of 78 from 28 to 43 feet, a figure perhaps more mind-boggling than any other trait of him as a player.
For context, DeAndre Jordan is leading the NBA in field goal percentage, as his shot attempts are all within an arm's reach of the basket if they aren't dunks. This season, he's shooting an Effective Field Goal % of 70.4%. Quite impressive. Almost as impressive as Curry's EFG from 28 to 43 feet, which stands at 80.8%.
Let that sink in. A long-range heave from Curry from way downtown is statistically more efficient than a DeAndre Jordan dunk or layup attempt.
Curry takes and makes these shots with impunity, regardless of the stakes. Here's when he drove a stake through the heart of the OKC Thunder from just inside the half-court line.
#4 Well-honed shot mechanics
Stephen Curry’s father Dell Curry was an amazing shooter in the NBA himself. Along with passing down his genes, Dell gave Steph every opportunity to pursue the sport. Steph developed a feathery touch at a young age, but he used to release the ball from his chest.
Dell had Steph change his shot to release the ball above his head, but it wasn’t a cake walk. Curry recalls, "I really couldn't shoot outside the paint for like the first three weeks. All summer when I was at camps people were like, 'Who are you, why are you playing basketball?' I was really that bad for a month and a half [before] I finally figured it out."
Now when he shoots, his shooting arm is consistently within 85 to 95 degrees vertically. And he releases the ball before the peak of his jump. 3 pointers shot by Curry average a maximum height of 16.23 feet, almost a foot higher than the league average. The league average would also be skewed by the league average player height, while Curry stands at 6’3”, the league average height is 6’7”.
His shot over the outstretched wings of Anthony Davis in the 2015 playoffs with 4 seconds left is a prime example of his deadly form.
#5 Stats boosting stats
Curry didn’t just wake up in 2014 and discovered he can shoot lights out from anywhere. He always had the ability, and each year that he sets new records adds more credibility to his stroke and gives him more free reins to ply his reign of terror.
Ray Allen held the record for the most 3s made in a regular season with 269 3s in the 2005-06 NBA season. Curry has now knocked him off that lofty perch. And knocked him down two rungs for good measure.
Stephen Curry occupies the top 3 spots on the list of seasons with most 3 pointers made, having knocked Allen down to 4th spot. For context, Ray Allen's next best season in terms of 3 point makes is only good enough to make the 14th spot on the all-time list.
It’s a safe bet to say that Curry is going to occupy a few more spots on the list before his career is said and done.
