Portland Trail Blazers: Ranking CJ McCollum in the NBA’s best shooters

Shooter #4 – Damian Lillard

McCollum’s Blazer teammate Damian Lillard is one of the greatest volume shooters in the NBA, and has done things from the three-point line that have never been seen before.

His shooting from depth in the 2019/20 season was something to behold. No player has ever made that many threes beyond 30-feet, and Lillard did at over 40 percent as well.

Few players can shoot off the dribble as Lillard can – he can pull up in an instant, and gets large amounts of separation for a small guard.

Not only can he shoot the three at great volume and strong efficiency, but he is also one of the best free-throw shooters in NBA History. He creates contact so well and goes to the line at some of the league’s highest rates.

Dame has eliminated a lot of the midrange from his game, but still hits these at around 42 percent.

Lillard is also just getting into his prime as well. Hitting the magic mark of 40 percent from three for the first time in the 2020 season, he joins Michael Jordan and Curry as the only two players to achieve this on 30 points per game.

Career stats
Mid-range – 42 percent
Three pointer Percentage – 37.3 percent
Free Throw Percentage – 89.0 percent
True Shooting Percentage – 58.0 percent

Shooter #3 – James Harden

One of the most polarizing players in NBA History, James Harden is one of the greatest scorers to ever play. Harden’s ‘ Morey-Ball ‘ style of play may not be the same as it was now he has left the Houston Rockets, but his amazing shot creation abilities won’t change.

Harden, like Lillard, is one of the best free-throw components in the NBA. He hits them at a spectacular rate too.

Harden’s greatest skill though, is his three-pointer. Mainly off the dribble as a stepback or sidestep, he attempted more threes per game than any player in NBA History in the 2018/19 season.

Though his three-point efficiency will never rival his contemporaries, this doesn’t mean he isn’t a great shooter. Only Curry has ever made threes at the rate Harden has, and now he is on the Brooklyn Nets, he will have spacing alongside him that he’s never had before.

Career stats
Mid-range – 40 percent
Three pointer Percentage – 36.3 percent
Free Throw Percentage – 85.9 percent
True Shooting Percentage – 61.1 percent

Shooter #2 – Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant is a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer and one of the top five scorers in NBA History. Very few players have scored at the levels he has, at the efficiency he has.

Durant and Curry, are the only two players in NBA History to average close to the magical 50 / 40 / 90 marks in their career. Durant is automatic from any spot on the floor, and has all the tricks in the book.

At six-foot-ten, his shot is unblockable, and he can hit off the dribble as easily as he can off the catch or coming off a screen.

Durant never changed his game when the three-point revolution came. His mid-range game is so good that he didn’t need to.

Durant is an all-time great, who is not only the second-best shooter in the NBA, but he is one of the best shooters ever.

Career stats
Mid-range – 45 percent
Three pointer Percentage – 38.2 percent
Free Throw Percentage – 88.2 percent
True Shooting Percentage – 61.3 percent

Shooter #1 – Stephen Curry

Stephen Curry is the greatest shooter in NBA History, so by default, he is the greatest shooter in the NBA at the moment.

No player has ever shot threes like Curry; he changed the game forever. His combination of off-ball movement, and confidence to pull up from any part of the floor, make him a freak of nature.

Usually, at the top of efficiency leaderboards, you have guys like Steve Kerr, who averaged 8 points per game in being the all-time leader in three-point shooting. But Curry, sits very close to the top of the leader-board, even though he averages a whopping 25 a game for his career.

Curry is also the all-time leader in free throw percentage at an amazing 90.7 percent.

His three-level scoring is some of the more impressive that’s been seen in this league. At 32, he isn’t done yet either.

Career stats
Mid-range – 44 percent
Three pointer Percentage – 44.3 percent
Free Throw Percentage – 90.7 percent
True Shooting Percentage – 62.3 percent