Stephen Curry did.
In a win over the Knicks, the Warriors superstar surpassed Ray Allen on the NBA’s all-time 3-point field goal list and is now alone on the top of the mountain with enough gas in the tank to extend your advantage.
MORE: Inside Curry’s 3-point record
Curry might one day find himself on the unbreakable record list, but we asked our Sporting News staff to try to put that thought aside and answer the question: Who will break Stephen Curry’s 3-point field goal record? ?
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Scott Rafferty (@crabdribbles ): I’m sure Trae Young and Luka Doncic will be a popular answer here, so I’ll go in a slightly different direction.
Do you know who has made a lot of 3s in his young career? Donovan Mitchell.
He’s not necessarily known as a “shooter,” but Mitchell has a couple of things going for him. One, he was recruited at a relatively young age of 21 and has been fairly healthy up to this point in his career. Two, he has been an accurate (36.1 percent) and high-volume (2.7 marks per game) three-point shooter since he set foot in the NBA.
Consider this:
- Mitchell holds the NBA record for the most 3s in a player’s rookie season.
- Only one player (Damian Lillard) has made more 3s than Mitchell in the first two seasons of a player’s career.
- Only two players (Lillard and Buddy Hield) have made more 3s than Mitchell in the first three seasons of a player’s career.
- Only three players (Lillard, Hield and Klay Thompson) have made more 3s than Mitchell in the first four seasons of a player’s career.
- Only four players (Lillard, Hield, Thompson and Curry) have made more 3s than Mitchell in the first five seasons of a player’s career … and he’s not even halfway through his fifth season.
You understand.
There’s a chance no one will come close to touching Curry’s record, but at the rate he’s going, Mitchell could give him a shot for his money.
MORE: Will Curry’s Record End Up Unbreakable?
Gilbert McGregor (@ GMcGregor21 ): Before reading Scott’s response, a specific name came to mind.
Then I read Scott’s response, and that specific name was recurring throughout. It’s impossible for me not to go with Buddy Hield, who is at the top of the list of triples made during the first three seasons, four seasons … and five single-player seasons (thanks Scott).
Yet in reality, even though Hield came into the league as a 23-year-old rookie and turns 29 this season, there’s something about the way a shooter’s game ages. Hield has the kind of green light that lets you lift them up.
I mean, seriously, he’s tried 10 plus 3 in each of the last two seasons.
Hield, a 40.1 percent career 3-pointer, has surpassed 1,200 3-pointers in a quarter of his seventh season. Whether he’s staying in Sacramento or finding himself in a different situation, we still know what Hield will do each night.
He’s hitting 3.7 3-pointers a game over the past four seasons and if he continues like this … he could hit the 3,000 mark in about six seasons. Whoever overlooks Curry will probably have to exceed a figure of more than 4,000, which, in a way, leads me to believe that no one can do it.
But there is also the possibility that Hield will have a few seasons of winning more than four a game, and that changes things completely.
MORE: “Inside the NBA” team reacts to Curry’s record
Jordan Greer ( @ jordangreer42 ): He was initially going to pick Trae Young because he is on track to be ahead of Curry in terms of hit 3s at the end of his fourth NBA season. Young is only 23 years old and shoots at high volume from deep, so he should be near the top of the all-time 3-point leaderboard when his career ends.
But I can’t convince myself that Young (or anyone else) will surpass Curry. I think we could eventually be looking at a record that belongs in the unbreakable category along with Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game and John Stockton’s 15,806 assists.
Consider this: Ray Allen hit 2,973 3s in 1,300 games. Curry outscored him in less than 800 games and has shown no signs of slowing down. In fact, Curry is currently averaging his career highs in 3s made and attempted per game. The increase in shooting from beyond the arc has not affected his efficiency, as he is shooting more than 40 percent on 3s in 2023-22.
You should also take into account how Curry will age. An older version of Curry will continue to be one of the league’s deadliest shooters. Kyle Korver was hitting more than 100 3s each season in his thirties, and he was mostly limited to catch-and-shoot opportunities. Curry past his prime should have no trouble transitioning into that role and bringing the occasional creativity on the ball.
Could Young, Luka Doncic, or some teenage prospect who hasn’t even made the NBA even come close to Curry’s total? Maybe, but I’ll take Curry to the field here.
MORE: NBA World Reacts As Curry Becomes All-Time 3s Leader
Carlan Gay ( @CarlanGay ): Like Jordan, I think Curry’s 3-point record will end up being an unshakable feat. You never mean never, but there is a 0.01 percent chance that we will be there and cover the NBA when someone comes up to catch Curry.
With that said, I would like to include Devin Booker’s name in the run.
Booker’s journey to record feels a bit like Ray Allen’s to me. Booker is an accurate three-point shooter, but he is more than that – he can score on all three levels. However, as he gets older, I can see him extending his career as a three-ball threat.
That part of his career is still a long way off, as he’s only 25 now, but with over 800 triples under his belt, Booker should find himself somewhere near the top of this list before all is said and done. .
