NBA Stats Reveal Top Shooters

If you want to know who the best professional basketball shooters are, you’ll look up NBA stats under field goal percentage. Most of the top guys will be big men, because they play close to the basket.

We decided to take a look at the best pure NBA shooters, and we analyze the NBA stats and beyond. Here are Suite101's top NBA shooters, based on 3-point shooting, free throw shooting percentage and clutch performance shooting.

Top Shooters according to NBA stats – based on a minimum of 3.5 three-point field goal attempts per game and a free throw percentage above 80.

1. Brent Barry, San Antonio Spurs – Barry’s NBA stats are staggering this season. He’s shooting 51% from 3-point range and 90% from the line.
2. Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns – These NBA stats don’t lie. Not only is Nash the two-time defending NBA MVP, he’s shooting nearly 50% from the arc and 90% from the stripe.
3. Raja Bell, Phoenix Suns – With two players on the same sporting NBA stats like these, how is it that the Suns aren’t unbeaten. Bell shot 102 times from behind the arc in the first 14 games and made a whopping 47. He also netted 87% of his free throws.
4. Luther Head, Houston Rockets – Head has some shocking NBA stats for a second-year player. He’s hitting 49% of his 3-point attempts and shooting 82% from the free throw line.
5. Rashard Lewis, Seattle SuperSonics – Not only does Lewis make 88% of his freebies, he hit 47 of 113 from long distance early in the season.

In spite of these terrific NBA stats, we might not choose the above five shooters, if we needed someone to hit a game-winning 3-pointer.

Here’s our top 3 big-time shooters, when the NBA stats are tossed aside.

1. Gilbert Arenas, Washington Wizards – Arenas has the smoothest stroke this side of Ernie Els. His 3-point attempts look as fluid and easy as 10-footers. Besides, if you saw the 45-foot bomb Arenas made at the buzzer in a playoff game against Cleveland, you too would be a believer.
2. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers – It’s no secret that Kobe doesn’t get a lot of love around here. We’re just not big Kobe Bryant fans. Throw out the subjectivity, though, and there’s no doubt about Bryant’s shooting ability. Anyone who can score 81 in one game can light it up on any given night. If the game’s on the line, you better pick up Kobe when he’s on the bench during the timeout.
3. Kyle Korver, Philadelphia 76ers – Korver is a robot. A 41% 3-point shooter for his career, Korver is hitting 55% this season. If Kyle Korver gets any kind of look at the basket, just mark it up – he’s that good.

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