Predicting Who Might Reach the NBA's Rare 50/40/90 Shooting Mark in 2014-15
What makes a great NBA shooter?
Part of it has to do with mechanics: square body, L in the elbow and a smooth release with hand following through all the way into the cookie jar.
Part of it has to do with calm countenance and cool nerves: being able to can it with a hand in your face and the clock dropping to zero.
But if there’s one benchmark universally accepted as a true marksman’s mark, it’s 50 percent from the floor, 40 percent from three-point range and 90 percent from the stripe for an entire season—50-40-90 in basketball stat-speak.
How rare is this statistical trifecta? It’s been hit only 19 times since the three-point line was first adopted in 1979 (12 times, if you count only those players who logged more than 250 minutes in said season), according to Basketball-Reference.com.
So who, if anyone, has a chance—a realistic chance—to join these rare, righteous ranks this season? These are the three candidates we settled on.
All apologies (and a much-deserved honorable mention) to the Los Angeles Lakers’ Steve Nash. Four-time 50-40-90 entrant though you’ve been, we’re not sure there’s enough gas left in the tank for one more trip up this mountain.
| Season | FG% | 3P% | FT% | |
| 2012-13 | .510 | .416 | .905 | |
| 2013-14 | .503 | .391 | .873 | |
| 2008-09 | .476 | .422 | .863 |
As the last player with more than 250 minutes to hit 50-40-90, Kevin Durant—who joined the pantheon in 2012-13—has to be foremost on our list.
The good news: At just 26 years old, Durant is still conceivably years away from his statistical prime.
The bad news: With KD expected to miss 4-6 weeks recovering from a fractured right foot, rust is sure to be a real factor when the NBA’s reigning MVP finally hits the hardwood.
It was only in the last two seasons that the sinewy superstar finally crested 50 percent from the field for the Oklahoma City Thunder. And while his three-point clip has for the most part trended steadily upward since his rookie season, only twice has Durant eclipsed the 90 percent free-throw mark.
Still, we’re not the only ones who stand to be in KD’s corner.
Thunder head coach Scott Brooks said following Durant’s first three-feat:
"It's hard to average two points in this league let alone coming close to leading the league and shooting 50-40-90. He's a very efficient player and a prideful worker. His progression as a player has been fun to coach. He's coachable, and he will always be a top player with his talent and the work he puts in.
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Much will depend on how Durant approaches his return. Will he immediately be the KD we’re used to seeing, with his seamless mix of spot-ups, pull-ups and steamrolling slashes? Or will it take him a handful of games to find his groove, compelling him to settle more for more difficult contested jumpers?
Had he not suffered his setback, we’d be talking about KD being as close to a 50-40-90 lock as there is in the league. As it is, we’re left to see if the MVP can somehow redefine what it means to make up for lost time.
| Season | FG% | 3P% | FT% | |
| 2006-07 | .502 | .416 | .904 | |
| 2013-14 | .497 | .398 | .899 | |
| 2009-10 | .481 | .421 | .915 |
One of the league’s most consistent and longstanding 50-40-90 threats might also be this trio’s biggest long shot.
After notching his first and only entry back in 2006-07, Dirk Nowitzki hasn’t quite been able to duplicate his fantastic feat. The most glaring of shortcomings: Dirk scaling the 90 percent free-throw mark only thrice in 16 seasons.
It’s not uncommon for a veteran sniper to become a more reliable free-throw shooter with age. But that still leaves quite a bit of work from the field, where the Dallas Mavericks cornerstone has finished above 50 percent just twice.
“Why even include him on this list?” you may be asking. Because if there’s any player we think has a chance to age like a fine German Riesling, it’s the ground-bound, unstoppable-shot-wielding Dirk.
And don’t discount the effect Chandler Parsons could have on an offense coming off a top-three finish in efficiency. Bolstered by another playmaker at his side, Nowitzki should get clean looks aplenty. At that point, it’s just a matter of knocking them down.
| Season | FG% | 3P% | FT% | |
| 2013-14 | .471 | .424 | .885 | |
| 2012-13 | .451 | .453 | .900 | |
| 2011-12 | .490 | .455 | .809 |
Quick, without thinking, who’s the best shooter in the NBA?
You said Stephen Curry, didn’t you? Oh, his name is literally bolded four lines above this sentence. You would’ve said it anyway.
How close was Curry to joining the 50-40-90 Club a season ago? Fifteen measly percentage points from the free-throw line, where the Golden State Warriors’ sharpshooter finished at a still-stellar 88.5 percent (not to mention a mere handful of field goals).
Needless to say, we like Steph’s chances this time around.
Just how picture-perfect is Curry’s form? ESPN The Magazine’s David Flemming tackled this exact question in an exquisite profile from back in April:
"Keeping that elbow in as his body rises, Curry seamlessly transfers the kinetic energy from his coiled lower body, first to the vertical portion of his shot and then to the levers (arm, wrist and fingers) that control the force and trajectory of the ball. The more economical his movement, the more efficient and accurate his shot.
But perfect mechanics aren't enough. They must be so ingrained in his muscle memory that his motion can be flawlessly repeated in nearly all circumstances. That alone, says Warriors coach Mark Jackson, is what sets Curry apart from both peers and predecessors.
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Key to Curry’s record-book assault will be regaining his 50 percent-plus clip from the field, something he’s done just twice in five seasons.
The installation of Steve Kerr’s triangle-inspired offense should help in this respect, why with Golden State coming off a season in which it finished a disappointing 12th in overall offensive efficiency.
You’ve all heard the saying, “A rising tide lifts all boats.” That’s exactly what we should expect from Kerr’s space-savvy system, with Curry, Klay Thompson and the rest of the Warriors brass benefitting from the myriad open looks that should arise as a result.
Thompson’s development as a scintillating scorer in his own right can’t be overlooked. As he begins to draw more attention from opposing defenses, the more space Curry will have to operate. And anyone who’s watched him play knows how little space that guy needs to make people pay.
A Tri-ing Feat
Given the league's ever-increasing emphasis on the analytics of space and shooting, it's worth wondering whether we might start seeing an influx of 50-40-90 members. Klay Thompson, Bradley Beal, LeBron James—all are young and mechanically adaptive enough to make them more-than-worthy candidates.
Just count us among those who wish it to remain a club as exclusive as it's always been. That, after all, and as with any hard-to-breach hot spot, is what makes it so cool.
