One Man Fast Break: NBA's Greatest Pure Shooters
- Monday, May 16, 2011 5:58 PM
- Written By: Partner Pulse
By JOEL HUERTO
One Man Fast Break
Ray Allen recently broke Reggie Miller’s NBA record for most 3-pointers in a career. Allen now has more than 2,600 3-pointers in his illustrious and soon-to-be Hall-of-Fame career. However, despite having the distinction of being the NBA’s all-time 3-point king, is Ray Allen the best pure shooter in the game today? Moreover, where does Allen rank among the all-time great pure shooters in NBA history? Let the debate begin.
OneManFastBreak.net examines the 10 best pure shooters in NBA history. Editor’s note: As much as we’d like to include Michael Jordan, Jerry West and Kobe Bryant on this list, they’re more pure scorers than pure shooters. A pure shooter is someone who relies on screens to score, and they rarely go for the spectacular dunks or the isolation dribble drives. Pure shooters, or basketball snipers, can also stretch a defense with their ability to make jump shots from beyond 23 feet.
10. Dale Ellis
Remember the flat-top haircut? Ellis’ Kid-n-Play haircut is just as impressive as his jump shot. Ellis was a big guard (6-7) who took advantage of his great size when he was shooting from distance. He may not have won an NBA title, but Ellis was a 3-point shooting king during All-Star Weekend. He also ranks in the top five in 3-point field goals made (1,719).
9. Byron Scott
When Scott was at Arizona State, he played point guard and shooting guard. But when he was traded to the L.A. Lakers in the early 1980s, he was strictly a shooting guard since the Lakers had a guy named Magic Johnson running point. B-Scott was one of the unsung heroes on the Showtime Lakers. He made countless big shots for Pat Riley’s bunch, and he was one of the toughest competitors in the game. His jump shot in the waning moments of Game 6 of the 1988 NBA Finals against the Detroit Pistons remains one of the biggest in Lakers history.
8. Danny Ainge
The Boston Celtics during the 1980s had arguably the best starting five in the league. They had an All-Star center in Robert Parish, a great power forward in Kevin McHale, the quintessential small forward in Larry Bird, a Hall-of-Fame point guard in Dennis Johnson and one of the deadliest shooting guards in the game in Danny Ainge. He complemented the Celtics’ Big Four extremely well because he was a tremendous spot-up shooter. He was fearless and unafraid to take (and make) the big shots. He was also a pest on the court, and sometimes his cocky persona got him in trouble. (See the Sedale Threatt punch that nearly rearranged Ainge's face.)
Click here for the full list of the NBA's greatest pure shooters.
Read more of Joel Huerto at One Man Fast Break.



