Ray Allen and the 15 Best Jump Shooters in the NBA Today

Swish.

Is there a more beautiful sound in basketball? Well, maybe the roars of the crowd, but watching jump shots tickle the twine can sometimes be just as exciting as an alley-oop or a pretty pass.

The best jump shooters in the NBA seem to have endless range. Even when they launch shots from well beyond the three-point arc and you think to yourself “there’s no way that’s going in,” sure enough the ball falls as if it had a tracking beacon for the net.

Sometimes players make difficult shots look so effortless, it’s as if they are shooting the ball into a swimming pool instead of a hoop just 18 inches in diameter.

The endless hours of practice, practice, and more practice (along with great shooting form) have made Ray Allen and the following 15 shooters the best in the NBA today.

(Note: Although the list is numbered, the shooters are not necessarily in a particular order).

1. Ray Allen

Ray Allen’s quickfire release on his jumper would make him one of the best dueling cowboys had he lived in a different time. Throw in confidence, consistency and perfect form to go with that lightning quick release and the end result is one of the best shooters we’ll ever see in NBA history.

For his career, Allen has shot 45.2 percent from the field, an astounding 40 percent from three-point land and 89.4 percent from the free throw line.

Despite playing with bone spurs in his ankle during this year's playoff run, the 36-year-old sharpshooter has still managed to knock down clutch shots playing through the pain.

A future Hall of Famer, Allen has one of the prettiest strokes in the NBA. Hopefully he can get healthy enough to play at a high level for years to come, because as a jump shooter, Allen is one of the most fun to watch.

2. Steve Nash

Few shooters in the NBA are more consistent than the ageless wonder, Steve Nash.

Although Nash is obviously more of an unselfish passer who would rather set up teammates to score, he’s shown the ability to be a dynamic scorer as well. Phoenix Suns fans may wish he asserted himself more in games this season, because the team desperately needed his scoring output.

People often forget, but against his former team the Dallas Mavericks in the 2005 playoffs, Nash exploded for 48 points (his playoff career-high).

Whether he’s running into a transition three-pointer or fading away on a jumper as he darts through the lane, Nash makes every shot he takes look downright simple.

His career shooting numbers of 49.1 percent from the field, 42.8 percent from three-point land and 90.4 percent from the free throw line are nothing short of stellar.

Suns management will hope to retain him as he becomes a free agent this summer, but if he’s looking for a championship ring, he may find himself wearing a different uniform next season.

3. Kevin Durant

You don’t become the NBA’s three-time scoring champion by being a bad jump shooter.

With a wing span that reportedly reaches 7’5”, the Durantula is a unique physical specimen.

Although his gangly arms prevent him from being able to wow at the bench press, he’s been able to train his lengthy limbs to shoot one of the best jumpers in the game today.

With seemingly unlimited range and the ability to drain jumpers even with a man in his face, Durant is one of the purest shooters in the NBA.

4. Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant can certainly get a bit trigger-happy at times with his usually deadly jumper. He’s no stranger to having a 7-for-23 shooting night and even went a paltry 9-for-31 earlier this season against the Washington Wizards.

Nevertheless, Bryant has been one of the game’s best players and consequently one of the best shooters for a long time. His 81-point performance against the Toronto Raptors in 2006 remains one of the greatest basketball performances ever (although I still chuckle at the box score of 81 points and two assists).

His fade-away jump shot is second to none in my opinion and although his career percentage from three point range sits at just 33.7 percent, he still has impressive range.

Additionally, Bryant has knocked down his fair share of circus shots during his career.

It doesn’t matter where he is on the court, or which lock-down defender is guarding him, Bryant is always a threat to score the basketball.

5. Carmelo Anthony

Few players in the NBA rise up and drain jumpers with defenders in close proximity better than Carmelo Anthony.

He averaged 21 points per game during the course of his rookie season and has never averaged fewer than 20 points per game in any season since he entered the NBA.

He’s a scoring machine who always seems to knock down big shots in clutch situations.

Anthony sure can put the ball in the bucket, but can his ball-stopping, isolation offense coexist with Amar’e Stoudemire in New York? Next season may be the final experiment with those two on the roster.

6. Dirk Nowitzki

Dirk Nowitzki is one of the most unique scorers we’ve ever seen in NBA history. Despite being seven feet tall, Nowitzki shoots jump shots and threes better than most NBA guards.

His late release, usually while falling away from defenders, is just about impossible to block unless you sneak up from behind and get lucky.

His leap from averaging 8.2 points per game his rookie year to 17.5 points per game his sophomore year is a tribute to his work ethic.

Nowitzki, however, came into the lockout-shortened year this season with an evident lack of motivation after winning the championship the year before and needed to sit out four games to work on his conditioning.

Despite this, Nowitzki still managed to put together another great season, averaging 21.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game while shooting 45.7 percent from the field and 36.8 percent from three-point range.

7. Stephen Curry

Stephen Curry is without a doubt one of the most efficient jump shooters in the NBA today. He holds lofty career shooting percentages of 47.3 percent from the field, 44.1 percent from three and 90.1 percent from the charity stripe after his first three NBA seasons.

However, ankle problems this season limited Curry to playing in just 26 games before undergoing surgery, ending his season.

From a statistical standpoint, Curry is one of the best shooters in the NBA. However, if he can’t stay healthy enough to showcase his talents on the court, the Golden State Warriors could be looking at a long road ahead.

8. Paul Pierce

Paul Pierce passed NBA legend Larry Bird for second all-time on the Boston Celtics’ leading scorers list earlier this season. He’s one of the greatest Celtics ever, which is saying a lot given the franchise’s storied history. Pierce is a future Hall of Famer and one of the most talented shooters in the game today.

Although his flat-footed hoist of a jump shot isn’t exactly pretty, it’s been effective in the NBA for 14 seasons.

For his career, Pierce averages 22 points per game on 44.8 percent shooting from the field and 36.9 percent from beyond the three point arc.

He can always be counted on to knock down a clutch shot near the end of a game.

9. Joe Johnson

Although Joe Johnson’s final year with the Phoenix Suns during the ’04-’05 season was by far his most efficient, shooting 46.1 percent from the field and a ridiculous 47.8 percent from three-point land, he’s still been great in Atlanta as the guy.

He’s proven that he can be an efficient scorer as a team’s number one option, and although his numbers frequently drop in the postseason when it matters most, he’s still an elite jump shooter.

It’s been difficult to justify Johnson’s massive contract to this point in his career considering Atlanta's lack of playoff success, but I’m sure Johnson won’t complain about his salary.

10. Kyrie Irving

Kyrie Irving’s 18.5 points per game on 46.9 percent shooting from the field and 39.9 percent shooting from three-point range was certainly impressive. When you add in the fact that Irving put up those numbers as a 20-year-old rookie, they become eye-popping.

Usually it takes NBA rookies a year or two to get acclimated to the highest level of competition, but Irving didn’t miss a beat.

When you compare his shooting percentages in his rookie year to LeBron James’ rookie season (41.7 percent from the field and 29 percent from three), you wonder how good Irving can be as he gains more NBA experience.

Irving waltzed to winning this season’s Rookie of the Year award and won the MVP award for the Rising Stars Challenge during NBA All-Star Weekend after going a perfect 8-for-8 from downtown.

Not missing a shot from long range is extremely impressive, but admittedly there is not much defense played in games during All-Star Weekend.

Never fear though, Irving had a similar performance in a regular season game when he went 6-for-6 from long distance in a loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Shooting games that efficient from long range are difficult to come by, but Irving makes them happen with relative ease.

If you're ever out playing a pickup basketball game, make sure to keep an eye out for Uncle Drew.

11. Ryan Anderson

Even as a 6’10” power forward, Ryan Anderson is a knock-down three-point shooter.

Anderson’s improvements from a season ago to this season were good enough to win him the league’s Most Improved Player award.

Anderson certainly had an impressive season averaging 16.1 points per game while shooting 39.3 percent from beyond the arc. However, Anderson’s numbers dropped significantly in the playoffs when the team needed him most (especially with Dwight Howard shelved due to back surgery).

In the playoffs, Anderson averaged just 9.6 points per game on 34.1 percent shooting from the field. Magic fans have to hope those numbers improve if Orlando makes the postseason again next year, but his regular season stats have been solid.

12. Jason Terry

Unlike Ryan Anderson, who all but disappeared in the playoffs this year, Jason Terry tends to have his best games in pressure-packed postseason games.

During the Dallas Mavericks’ championship run a season ago, Terry had a 29-point game in round one, a 32-point game against the Los Angeles Lakers in round two (going 9-for-10 from three-point range), a 24-point game in round three and a 27-point game in the championship clinching game against the Miami Heat.

For his career, Terry is shooting 44.8 percent from the field and 38 percent from three-point range. His swagger and confidence sets him apart from a lot of NBA jump shooters.

13. Steve Novak

Perhaps nobody in the NBA fits the “three-point sharpshooter” label better than Steve Novak.

This season, Novak led all NBA players by posting a 47.2 percent shooting clip from beyond the three-point arc. Every time Novak gets the ball with a good look at a three, fans know that the shot has a great chance of finding the bottom of the net.

Although Novak disappeared in the postseason for the New York Knicks once the Miami Heat realized all they had to do was run him off the three-point line, he’s still one of the best jump shooters in the NBA.

Unfortunately for Novak, he doesn’t have the athletic ability, like his teammate Carmelo Anthony, to create his own shot.

Novak's offensive game is confined to being a spot up jump shooter, but he’s one of the best in the game at what he does.

14. Nick Young

It’s good that Nick Young is such a dynamic shooter considering he may have never uttered the word defense in his career to this point.

Despite being a one-dimensional scorer, when Young gets it going he’s one of the most dangerous sharpshooters in the NBA. His three three-pointers in under a minute against the Memphis Grizzlies during this year’s playoffs (see video) helped erase a 27-point Clipper deficit.

In 11 postseason games played in 2012, Young shot a ridiculous 51.5 percent from three-point range. Making more than half of your three-pointers would be impressive in a lazy pickup game, let alone over the course of 11 NBA playoff contests.

Young stepped up big when it mattered most and was the X-factor in a lot of Clipper wins.

15. Ben Gordon

Speaking of one-dimensional scorers…

Over the course of eight NBA seasons, Ben Gordon has never recorded a double-double. It’s a good thing that Gordon can score the basketball, because he doesn’t make a habit of contributing in other categories.

With that said, Gordon is pretty darn good at scoring.

On March 21st, a one-point loss to the Denver Nuggets, Gordon poured in 45 points while knocking down all nine of his three-point attempts. He also dished out eight assists in that game (oh so close to that elusive double-double).

Gordon has been nearly as consistent from behind the three-point line in his career as he has been at avoiding double-doubles.

During his eight NBA seasons, Gordon has failed to eclipse 40 percent shooting from beyond the arc just once (during his first year in Detroit when he finished at 32.1 percent).

There’s something to be said about Gordon’s impressive consistency shooting the ball at the NBA level, but his inability to record a single double-double in eight years is alarming.

16. Kyle Korver

Even though Kyle Korver has only started 110 games over the course of nine NBA seasons, when he does get court time he’s one of the most efficient jump shooters in the game.

Korver actually averaged 14.4 points off the bench for the Philadelphia 76ers earlier in his career.

In his final season in Utah with the Jazz, Korver shot 53.6 percent from three-point range over the course of the season (52 games played). He also won the Three-Point Contest at the 2010 All-Star Game, his last year with the Jazz.

Korver may not be the best role player in the NBA, but he definitely has one of the prettiest jump shots.

It doesn’t matter to Korver if he’s fading left, fading right or spotting up. He usually finds a way to knock down jump shots and has made a pretty solid NBA career thus far by doing just that.

Honorable Mentions:

Danny Granger

Rudy Gay

Randy Foye

J.R. Smith

Jared Dudley

Daequan Cook

Matt Bonner