Who’s Statistically a Better Shooter: Stephen Curry or His Father, Dell?
Over the course of his 14-year NBA career with the Golden State Warriors, Stephen Curry has developed into the greatest shooter in league history. Steph’s unlimited range and accuracy have changed the way today’s NBA game is played.
Steph’s brother, Seth, is a sharpshooter with the Brooklyn Nets, but neither of them was the first Curry to drill threes in the NBA. Their father, Dell, was a sniper himself during the 1990s.
Statistically, who’s the better shooter? Steph or his father?
Dell Curry was the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year in 1994
Dell Curry was the 15th overall pick in the 1986 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz. He played more than a decade and a half in the NBA. He only played one season with the Jazz before they traded him to the Cleveland Cavaliers. After one season in Cleveland, Curry was selected by the expansion Charlotte Hornets in the NBA expansion draft.
Curry spent 10 seasons with the Hornets, where he averaged 14.0 points. His best statistical season in Charlotte came during the 1993-94 season when he averaged 16.3 points in 82 games — all off the bench. He was the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year during that season.
Shooting was Dell Curry’s thing. At 6-foot-4, 190 pounds, he wasn’t posting anyone up. He wasn’t quick enough to blow past his defender. He was a shooter, and shooting is what he did. He finished his career shooting better than 40% (40.2) from beyond the arc. He made a total of 1,245 three-pointers in an era where the three-point shot wasn’t a priority.
Stephen Curry has blown past his father
Despite shooting better than 40% from three throughout a 16-year career, Dell doesn’t compare to his youngest son.
Via LandofBasketball.com, Steph has the advantage in:
- Field-goal percentage (47.5-45.7)
- 3-point percentage (42.8-40.2)
- Free-throw percentage (90.9-84.3)
- Points per game (24.6-11.7)
- Total points: (21,712 – 12,670)
There’s no question that long-range shooting was the key to both Steph’s and Dell’s lengthy basketball careers. The biggest difference between father and son is the number of opportunities Steph has had over his father.
When Dell came into the league in 1986, the three-point line was an afterthought. Teams were looking to pound the ball inside the paint. In today’s game, it’s the complete opposite. With no true centers anymore, the game is played from the outside in, with teams using the three-point shot as option No. 1.
While Dell took 3,098 three-pointers in a career, Steph has jacked up 7,929 of them, making 3,390. There are also Steph’s two MVPs and four championships. Dell wasn’t quite that level of player.
Stephen Curry will go down as one of the greatest shooters in NBA history. Dell Curry will go down as being the father of one of the greatest shooters in NBA history.
