A Look Back: Kyle Korver’s Historical Season (video)
By Mitchell Kay
When talking about the elite three point shooters in the National Basketball Association, the name Kyle Korver is now at the top of that list. In fact, a strong argument could be made that during the course of the 2014-15 season, the Hawks sniper put together one of the best shooting seasons of all-time.
The soon to be 35 year old shooting guard is a master at his respective craft. Korver absolutely shot the lights out last season with the Atlanta Hawks. “Threezus” would eventually go down in the Conference Finals after suffering an ankle injury which cut his season short. Still, at the end of the day, he left a bench mark in the league’s history books.
Despite his age and the 11 seasons under his belt, Korver has continued to grow as a basketball player. After spending years perfecting his shot from downtown, the former second round pick is now regarded as one of the league’s best 3pt shooters ever.
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Korver earned that stripe in 2014-15 by leading the NBA in 3pt percentage, making 49.7% of his attempts. The really amazing part wasn’t just how many triples he converted but that the Hawks sniper maintained a percentage of basically 50, despite taking six attempts a night.
When looking at accumulative three point baskets made, Korver placed third with 211 total makes. His efficiency trailed only the Splash Brothers, Steph Curry (286) and Klay Thompson (239). Korver took less attempts and converted a better percentage.
When you examine the attempts, it stands out that Korver is the best 3pt shooter in the NBA. Curry took 197 total more attempts than Korver, but only made 65 more baskets from downtown.
The regular season saw Curry hoist up 2.1 more attempts per game than Korver. In turn Curry’s three point percentage (44%) was about 6% lower than Korver’s (49%). Stephen Curry is the best jump shooter in basketball but from 23 feet and beyond, Kyle Korver has the edge.
Thanks to the good people at Vorped.com, the chart below gives you a bird’s eye view of 711 field goal attempts taken by Korver from the 2014-15 season. Showcasing when and how Korver did his damage on the basketball court last year:
Korver Makes History Once again
Korver still sits atop the NBA all-time list just above Steve Kerr with his 2010 performance in terms of the best single three point percentage. In 2009-10 Korver finished with a mark of .536 from beyond the arc to set an all-time NBA record. That record still stands.
His 2014-15 season also made the record books as Korver took sole possession of the 9th overall spot after posting a 3pt percentage of .492 on the year. The difference between 2009-10 and 2014-15 is that Korver took more attempts last season. Korver only took 2.1 three point attempts per game in 2009-10, compared to six attempts per game last season.
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The argument could be made that given the volume, this was possibly the greatest three point shooting performance of all-time. Let’s look at the top 10 all-time 3pt shooters as listed on basketball reference and how all they match up:
- Kyle Korver: 2009-10 – .536
- Steve Kerr: 1994-95 – .524
- John Sunvold: 1988-89 – .522
- Tim Legler: 1994-95 – .520
- Steve Kerr: 1995-95 – .515
- Jason Kapono: 2006-07 – .514
- Detlef Schrempf: 1994-95 – .514
- Steve Kerr: 1989-90 – .507
- Kyle Korver: 2014-15 – .492 (6 attempts per game)
- Craig Hodges 1987-88 – .491
What really stands out about Korver’s 2014-15 performance in comparison to the above top ten list, is the percentage made in relation to the attempts. The closest player in attempts per game on this list tried 3.1 triples per game. Korver almost doubled up this total with six attempts from downtown per contest last year.
In reality, this performance and mark has gone to some degree, unnoticed. Korver definitely cooled off in the post season but still made close to three triples a game on 7.9 attempts which was good for 35.5%. As far as the regular season goes, the Hawks sharp shooter converted on an astounding 211 accumulative makes from downtown and they were all captured on the video below:
A True Shooter
Korver also led the NBA in True Shooting Percentage at 69.9%. The player with the closest TSP out of the back court was league MVP Stephen Curry. Curry finished the season with a 63% true shooting percentage.
As far as the all-time records for true shooting percentage leaders go, Korver left a lasting impression. His 69% is good for 4th of all-time. As far as guards go, he now sits at the top of the list. The three players that are currently still in front of him are Tyson Chandler and Artis Gilmore (twice). In terms of anyone playing out of the backcourt, 69% means no one is touching him to date.
The free throw line is also a place where Korver finds a great deal of success. The NBA’s best three point shooter was once again superb from the free throw line in 2014-15. He made 89.9% of his free throw attempts throughout the regular season.
More than Just a 3pt Shooter
It is no secret where Korver does most of his damage. Offensively he is much more than a one trick pony. Let’s examine where he left his mark after last seasons memorable performance:
- Less than 5 ft: (61%)
- 5 to 9 ft: (30%)
- 10 to 14 ft: (40%)
- 15 to 19 ft: (40.3%)
- 20 to 24 ft: (51.3%)
- 25 to 29 ft: (47.3%)
Korver’s also found success with the mid range jump shot, making 50-108 (40.3%) shots from that particular area. 2014-15 MVP Stephen Curry posted a similar percentage but put up a considerable amount more volume from this area going 117-205 (41.1%).
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The J-Notes
Korver isn’t the best jump shooter in the NBA but when you examine this closely the bottom line is that he’s definitely becoming a player that could be part of the conversation. As far as 3pt shooting goes. It is currently Kyle Korver’s crown to lose.
His 2014-15 campaign saw him lead in three point percentage on a generous six attempts per game. Coming off surgery, the Hawks will hope to have number 26 back in uniform doing what he does best, making it rain in the NBA.