8 NBA Players with the Golden Touch Heading into the Playoffs
If there's one thing the Golden State Warriors have taught us over the last two years, it's that good shooting is indispensable, especially in the playoffs.
Last season, the conference finalists made up four of the top seven teams in regular-season three-point attempts. And three of those four teams shot a three-point percentage better than the league average.
The best shooting teams will have an advantage against the field again when the 2016 postseason kicks off this weekend. And several individual players are finding their golden touch at just the right time.
Kyle Korver
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Kyle Korver's shooting was perhaps the most important ingredient in the offense of the 60-win Atlanta Hawks in 2014-15. His 49.2 percent shooting from deep ranked first in the NBA and commanded attention from opposing defenses that made everyone else's job easier.
When he was on the floor, Atlanta scored 110.8 points per 100 possessions, an offensive rating (OffRtg) that would've ranked first if drawn out over an entire season. When Korver was off the floor, that number dropped to 98.9.
The Hawks have followed a similar pattern this season. Before the All-Star break, Korver shot 38.6 percent on threes, which would've tied for the second-worst mark of his career had he kept that pace. Atlanta's pre-break OffRtg with Korver on the floor was of 104.1.
Since the break, Korver's hit 42.3 percent of his threes, and Atlanta is scoring 105.2 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor. The sharpshooter has found his range at the perfect time.
Kyle Lowry
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Kyle Lowry has been solid all season, but he's found an extra gear during the stretch run that he couldn't quite hit in 2014-15.
After the All-Star break last season, Lowry shot 37.3 percent from the field and 35 percent from three. The Toronto Raptors went on to get swept by the Washington Wizards in the first round of the postseason.
Since this season's break, Lowry's shooting 43.2 percent from the field and 37.9 percent from deep. The improved efficiency has helped the Raptors lock up the No. 2 seed in the East. And following last season's collapse, they're sure to be more keen on protecting their home floor.
LeBron James
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LeBron James seems to have this NBA thing pretty well figured out. After coasting through much of this regular season, James is dominating all corners over recent weeks.
Over his last 10 games, James is averaging a ridiculous 28.4 points, 8.5 assists and eight rebounds while shooting 62 percent from the field and 51.9 percent from three-point range.
James talked about the recent uptick, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin:
"It's a mind switch, a mind switch. I've been going to the gym even more, dialed in more on what needs to be done and what needs to be better. I've been in this league a long time and I know what I need to do for my game to be even more sharp, so I'm glad I was able to deliver and not just talk about it, be able to deliver for my teammates because that's what means more to me than anything.
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If James can maintain that attitude and this level of production as his Cleveland Cavaliers start the postseason, it's hard to imagine anyone else representing the East in the Finals.
James Harden
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With all the talk of the Houston Rockets' shortcomings this season, it may be easy to gloss over the dominance of James Harden in dragging them to the postseason.
Harden's averaging 34.8 points and 7.2 assists while shooting 51.7 percent from three and 49.3 percent from the field in April.
In a 40-point effort against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, Harden took over a game the way he's taken over the end of this season.
ESPN's Calvin Watkins relayed Kobe Bryant's firsthand impression:
"I was sitting on the sideline watching him go off. James is such a fantastic player. All I can do is sit on the sideline and shake my head at some of the plays he was making, the shots he was making. Those are difficult shots for 90 percent of the players in the league. He makes them look effortless.
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Much of that offense will likely take more effort against the Golden State Warriors' D, but Harden gives the Rockets a puncher's chance (in a game or two).
Kawhi Leonard
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The career arc of Kawhi Leonard has been a remarkable thing to behold. Even over the course of this season, he's managed to become better, especially as a playmaker.
Leonard's hot shooting has been a story all season (his 44.3 percent from deep ranks third), but it's his ability to create for others that's looking more golden as the playoffs near.
His assist average has gone up each month since January, and he's handing out 3.4 assists per game in April. CBS Sports' Zach Harper wrote about that development as well as many others that have Leonard the second-best player in the NBA this season:
"The galvanizing player for the Spurs all season has been Kawhi Leonard. Whatever the Spurs have needed him to add over his career, he's managed to do. He needed a jump shot; he developed a jump shot. They needed him to become a better attacker off the dribble; he became a better attacker off the dribble. They needed him to become a playmaker; he became a playmaker. They needed him to become an elite 3-point shooter; he became an elite 3-point shooter. Most of all, the Spurs needed Leonard to become one of the best players in the world and he's done that.
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If Leonard continues on this upward trajectory, there's a great chance we're headed for the potentially glorious San Antonio Spurs/Warriors conference finals we've eagerly anticipated for months.
J.J. Redick
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J.J. Redick has been one of the league's top sharpshooters for a decade, and he's reached new heights in his 10th year.
His three-point percentage of 48 not only leads the league this season, it's the best of his career. And in April, he's hitting 54.2 percent of his bombs.
Redick's ridiculous consistency from three is a critical component to the Los Angeles Clippers offense, particularly when it runs pick-and-rolls.
As Chris Paul navigates a screen from DeAndre Jordan or Blake Griffin, he rarely has to worry about help defenders coming from the wing. If they leave Redick alone anywhere along the three-point line, they're asking to get burned.
Kevin Durant
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Kevin Durant enters the postseason having scored at least 20 points in 64 straight games. And the Oklahoma City Thunder rode his hot hand all the way to the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference.
Following a recent OKC win over the Lakers, Kobe Bryant said of Durant, "There's literally nothing he can't do offensively," according to ESPN's Royce Young.
Indeed, Durant's multifaceted attack seems limitless. He can score off the bounce or the catch, in the post or on the perimeter and as the first or second option.
And he does it all with striking efficiency. There have been 122 individual seasons in which a player averaged at least 25 points and qualified for the three-point percentage leaderboard. The true shooting percentage of Durant's 2015-16 campaign ranks 9th.
| 1 | Stephen Curry | 2015-16 | 27 | GSW | 29.9 | .502 | .452 | .626 | .906 | .666 |
| 2 | Charles Barkley* | 1987-88 | 24 | PHI | 28.3 | .587 | .280 | .604 | .751 | .665 |
| 3 | Charles Barkley* | 1988-89 | 25 | PHI | 25.8 | .579 | .216 | .594 | .753 | .653 |
| 4 | LeBron James | 2013-14 | 29 | MIA | 27.1 | .567 | .379 | .610 | .750 | .649 |
| 5 | Kevin Durant | 2012-13 | 24 | OKC | 28.1 | .510 | .416 | .559 | .905 | .647 |
| 6 | Chris Mullin* | 1989-90 | 26 | GSW | 25.1 | .536 | .372 | .570 | .889 | .643 |
| 7 | LeBron James | 2012-13 | 28 | MIA | 26.8 | .565 | .406 | .603 | .753 | .640 |
| 8 | Kevin Durant | 2013-14 | 25 | OKC | 32.0 | .503 | .391 | .560 | .873 | .635 |
| 9 | Kevin Durant | 2015-16 | 27 | OKC | 28.2 | .505 | .388 | .573 | .898 | .634 |
| 10 | James Harden | 2013-14 | 24 | HOU | 25.4 | .456 | .366 | .529 | .866 | .618 |
With one of the best scorers of all time in the lineup for the Thunder, they'll have a shooter's chance against anyone.
Stephen Curry
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Stephen Curry has had the golden touch for his entire career, but this season has been particularly ridiculous.
After scoring 46 in the Warriors' season finale, Curry secured an average of 30.1 points, making him the 27th player in NBA history to average 30 in a season. His average of 31.7 points per 36 minutes is the fifth-highest of all time.
He's the first player in NBA history to average five made threes per game. His 402 total threes is the all-time record. The previous record, which he owned, was 286.
He shot 50.4 percent from the field, 45.4 percent from three and 90.8 percent from the line, giving him the 11th fully qualified (meaning he qualified for the field-goal percentage, three-point percentage and free-throw percentage leaderboards) 50-40-90 season in NBA history.
He secured the 32nd season ever with averages of at least 30 points, five rebounds and five assists. And he's the only member of that club to do it while shooting over 40 percent from three.
Among players who qualified for the three-point percentage leaderboard, his true shooting percentage ranks fourth all time.
And on the advanced numbers front, Curry had the eighth-best Player Efficiency Rating, the seventh-best win shares per 48 Minutes, the fourth-best box plus-minus and the single best offensive box plus-minus in league history.
Perhaps even more noteworthy than the astronomical numbers is the overall impact Curry has had on the game of basketball.
"Stephitis" is detailed in an ESPN piece on 72 reasons to love the Warriors:
"The disease of Stephitis has spread... It's so immensely tough to average four made 3-pointers a game over a full season that, just 11 years ago, not one high school boy in the whole country managed to do it, according to Max Preps. This season, 30 players did it.
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Millions of youngsters, with joy in the hearts and Steph on their minds, are surely on the way. Sheer odds predict some of them will also have qualities like Steph's incredible handle, balance, hand-eye coordination and diligence. This goes some way to increasing skill and a long way to teaching love of the game.
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Curry's excellence has understandably inspired a generation of young basketball minds, giving them a new motivation to master the single most important skill in the game: shooting.
