Stephen Curry 3-point record: Donovan Mitchell leads NBA players most likely to capture Warriors star

Stephen Curry did it.

In victory over Knicks, Warriors superstar overtakes Ray Allen on the NBA’s all-time 3-point scoring list and now stand alone on the top of the mountain with plenty of gasoline left in the tank to prolong his lead.

THAN: Inside Curry’s 3-point record

Curry may one day make the list of unbreakable records, but we asked Sporting News staff to try to put that thought aside and answer the question: Who will break the record Stephen Curry’s record of 3 points on the field?

NBA League Pass: Sign up to unlock live out-of-market games (7 days free trial)

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 created the 3-second boat in his young career? Donovan Mitchell.

He’s not necessarily known as a “shooter,” but Mitchell has a few things going for him. One, he was enlisted in the army at a relatively young age of 21 and has been quite healthy so far in his career. Second, he’s been both an accurate 3-pointer (36.1%) and a high-volume 3-pointer (2.7 shots per game) since entering the NBA.

Consider this:

• Mitchell holds the NBA record for most 3s taken in a player’s rookie season.
• Only one player (Damian Lillard) hit three more goals than Mitchell in the first two seasons of his playing career.
• Only Two players (Lillard and Buddy Hield) have performed three times more than Mitchell in the first three seasons of a player’s career.
• Only three players (Lillard, Hield and Klay Thompson) each hit three more than Mitchell in the first four seasons of a player’s career.
• Only four players (Lillard, Hield, Thompson and Curry) has hit three more shots than Mitchell in the first five seasons of a player’s career…and he’s not even halfway through his fifth season.

You will get points.

There’s even a chance no one will ever be able to hit Curry’s record, but at the rate he’s hitting it, Mitchell can give him a run for the money.

THAN: Will Curry’s record be broken?

Gilbert McGregor (@GMcGregor21 ): Before reading Scott’s answer, a specific name came to mind.

Then I read Scott’s answer, and that particular name repeated throughout. I couldn’t help but go with Buddy Hield, who was at the top of the 3-player list made through the first three seasons, four seasons… and five single-player seasons (thanks, Scott.)

In fact, despite the fact that Hield comes to the league as a 23-year-old rookie and turns 29 this season, there’s something about the way the game is about an age-old shooter. Hield has a green light that allows him bring them up.

I mean, seriously, he’s tried 10 plus 3 in each of the last two seasons.

A career 3-point shooter 40.1% of his career, Hield passed the 1,200 figure a quarter of the way through his seventh season. Whether he stays in Sacramento or finds himself in a different situation, we know what Hield is up to each night.

He’s been making 3.7 3s per game for the past four seasons and if he keeps doing that… he could hit the 3,000 mark in a span of six seasons. Whoever gets past Curry is probably going to have to go over 4,000 which, in a way, leads me to believe that no one can really do it.

But it’s also possible that Hield chained up a few seasons making more than four games, and that changes everything completely.

THAN: “Inside the NBA” crew reacts to Curry’s record

Jordan Greer ( @jordangreer42 ): Originally, I was going to pick Trae Young because he was outpacing Curry in terms of 3-pointers at the end of their fourth NBA season. Young is only 23 years old and shoots from deep at a high level, so he will be near the top of the all-time 3-point leaderboard when his career comes to an end.

But I couldn’t convince myself that Young (or anyone else) would outrun Curry. I think we can finally stare at a record of the sort that is unbreakable alongside Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game and John Stockton’s 15,806 assists.

Consider this: Ray Allen spent 2,973 3-pointers in 1,300 games. Curry has surpassed him in less than 800 games, and he shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, Curry is currently averaging at the top of his career when it comes to hitting and completing three shots per game. The increase in shots from outside the arc doesn’t hurt his effectiveness, as he is shooting 40% more on 3 pointers in 2021-22.

You also have to take into account how Curry will age. The older version of Curry will still be one of the deadliest shooters in the league. Kyle Korver drilled more than 100 3-pointers per season through his late 30s and he was mostly limited to catch and shot opportunities. Curry in his past would have had no problem transitioning into that role and occasionally throwing in creative balls.

Will Young, Luka Doncic or some teenage prospect who hasn’t even entered the NBA have access to Curry’s total? Maybe, but I’m taking Curry across the yard here.

THAN: NBA world reacts to Curry’s all-time 3-point lead

Carlan Gay ( @TheCarlanGay ): Like Jordan, I think Curry’s 3-point record will be an unbreakable feat. You never mean never, but there’s a 0.01% chance that we’ll be there and covering the NBA when someone gets close enough to catch Curry.

That being said, I want to put the Devin Booker name in the race.

Booker’s journey to the record was like Ray Allen’s to me. Booker is an accurate 3-point shooter, but he’s more than that – he can level the score on all three levels. As he gets older, though, I can see him prolonging his career as a three-ball threat.

It’s a part of his career that’s still a long way off when he’s only 25, but with over 800 3s already, Booker should find himself somewhere near the top of this list before it’s all said and done. .