kevin durant career mid range percentage

Outside of perhaps Robin Lopez, nobody in the NBA has been more effective or productive from the short mid-range over the past few seasons. MORE:How KD is helping Devin Booker reach a new level of superstardom. Dirk is the first member of the 50-40-90 club on this list. Kevin Durant.6187: 11. Just missing the cut on several occasions to make the 50-40-90 club, it was only his sub 50% field goal shooting that kept him from joining the list. His steadily climbing percentage shows that he can get even better, which is quite scary. They're minus-17.2 points per 100 possessions in those Durant-free minutes. One key stat that must be noted when looking at this top 10 list is age, as six of the top 10 players in mid-range field goals made per game are in their 30s (DeRozan, Durant, Aldridge, Paul George, Curry, Paul), with two over 35. Hes already shown off his signature shot which was the reason for this article, and was said to look ready. Joe Harris leads the NBA in 3-point percentage, shooting 48.3 percent for the season. Bryan Kalbrosky is a national NBA staff writer at USA TODAY's For The Win. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. The Suns are playing a short rotation because they traded away what depth they had in order to get Durant. Hes the greatest midrange shooter ever, Redick added. His sudden willingness to take catch-and-shoot 3s is more a reflection of him embracing a new role.. But his assist percentage (27.5%) is a career best, as is his assist-to-usage rate, according to Cleaning the Glass. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Durant said he reviewed the game's film and believed Denver's defensive pressure . Peaking at a 90% rate from the line last season on an absurd 10.2 attempts per game, Durant looks ready to continue his ascent up the ladder. Durant has grabbed 6.5 rebounds per game in his past 10, which is 0.2 less than his average for the season. NBA Twitter reacts to Jayson Tatum's 55-point All-Star Game: 'Steph doesn't show up one time and Tatum breaks the record', Jimmy Butler's injured ankle looking visibly swollen following Game 1. According to NBA.com, over two-thirds (68.2 percent) of his shot attempts this season have come against tight coverage, meaning a defender is within two-to-four feet of him. Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. Kevin Durant Stats and news - NBA stats and news on Phoenix Suns Forward Kevin Durant 80.238: 2,768: 1,624: 348: 192: 78: 75: 232: 587: To determine value added from downtown, you perform two. Durant is averaging 5.0 assists per game, which is pretty standard for him in recent years. This rule came about as a result of the massive max contract he signed that he never managed to fulfill due to injury. As someone known as a mid-range god, this kind of ascension in efficiency is unprecedented. Oft-injured, Pierce's free throw shooting percentage would fluctuate from season to season. He would stroke the side of his face three times in acknowledgement of his children. Like most active players on this list, Dirk's free throw percentage has progressively climbed over the course of his career. Players like DeRozan, Kevin Durant, LaMarcus Aldridge and Chris Paul have found value in the mid-range shot over the past decade while the rest of the league moved away from the mid-range. What that means is if the opponent decides to double-team Jokic, however, he also has the playmaking chops to find an open teammate for an easy dime. Finds his spot and rises up. Clips. While he has had one of the best mid-range games of all time, it has gotten even better over recent years. Those are the shots youre gonna get in the playoffs as well.. Playing alongside Bob Cousy and Bill Russell, Sharman won four NBA Championships on the Celtics. Best Midrange Shooting Seasons Since 2013-14*, 1. Career FT%: 89.4% (3,863 FTM / 4,321 FTA). August 26, 2021- With his comfort pulling up, playing drop coverage against Durant is usually a losing game. Follow @BryanKalbrosky Durant's 37 field goals from midrange are the most in the league by a pretty large margin. Already a member? During the 1980-81 season, Murphy managed to set recordsat the timefor both longest streak of consecutive free throws made and highest free throw percentage in a single season; records that have since been broken. With the conference semifinals set, let's take a look at the best player in each of the 8 first-round series. Harden is seventh in free throws made per game (6.5) and sixth in free throws attempted per game (7.5) while shooting 87.0 percent. Per 48 Min. the worst free throw shooters in NBA history. Kevin Durant rookie season stats Which team had the best regular season record in a season? They would be the converse of the inept free throw shooting duo of Ben Wallace and Dale Davis. Chris would again break the 90% barrier by shooting 90.2% in his final season with the Pacers. Bird only trails one other player on this list with three seasons in that exclusive club. His defenders are assuredly still having nightmares about the hot streak and as the Suns look to defend their roles as conference champions, look for Paul to continue giving Phoenix an advantage every time he steps on the floor. Not even centers like Myles Turnerstand much of a chance of disrupting his shot. Thanks for signing up. This just bolstered the Suns, who already possess Chris Paul and Devin Booker. Small Forward, Power Forward, and Shooting Guard He continues to get to the line on a consistent basis and makes opposing teams pay dearly for sending him there. Millerlike many others on this listis one of the best shooters the league has ever seen. KD leads the pack with 57%. Active players are listed in bold * Indicates member of the Hall of Fame. Drafted by Dallas in the 1980 draft, Kiki is infamous for demanding to be traded following the pick. His three NBA MVP awards and three NBA Championships is proof of that. As a counter to that article, I've compiled a list of the 20 best free throw shooters in NBA history. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. DeMar DeRozan has the most attempts per game from the mid-range with 9.8. Kevin Durant 17-18 . Who was the MVP in each first-round series? Taking away his seven PPG from free throws, mid-range jumpers account for 35 percent of Durant's scoring. What will happen when the players on this list eventually exit the league? 2022-2023 Game Log Durant is putting up 29.1 points, 5.0 assists and 6.7 rebounds per contest. The 13-time NBA All-Star left the Brooklyn Nets as one of the best midrange shooters in the league arguably ever. Career FT%: 88.8% (6,237 FTM / 7,026 FTA). Continuing the countdown to No. He averaged 28.4 points per game in the first round, shooting 51.8 percent from the field and 45.8 percent from 3-point range. According to NBA.com, he has made wait for it . Overall, Jokic is among the leagues most lethal threats to drop step after a post-up or take a hook shot from the elbow. NBA.com is part of Warner Media, LLCs Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network, *Translations are limited to select pages, Trae, Luka headline 12 dominant pull-up shooters, 12 players thriving as catch-and-shoot scorers, Curry officially claims NBA's 3-point crown, Will LeBron pass Kareem? While he doesnt qualify for the official leaders, Durants scoring average of 27.6 points per game would rank sixth. She previously worked for MLB.com and NBC Sports Bay Area. Chris Paul adds in: "Talk to 'em." We present them here for purely educational purposes. MVP!I created a short animation of the famous Sombor Shuffle move by Nikola Jokic.The most beautiful sports story is written a mile high. You can look at a shot chart fromKevin Durantfor half a second and see that he is absolutely brilliant from everywhere on the floor. James Donaldson.6177: 12. Once the playoffs arrived, however, the tune changed and Durant averaged a league-best 5.3 pull-up two-pointers nearly one more per game than any other player in the postseason. He has shot 184 shots from the mid-range this season, hitting a ridiculous 104 of them. Originally drafted by the Detroit Pistons in the 1982 draft, Pierce would go on to play 16 seasons in the NBA. Retired champion John Salley gave predicted that the Phoenix Suns will reign over the Boston Celtics in June. Follow @BryanKalbrosky Or write about sports? It certainly worked in the postseason as he hit eight consecutive mid-range jumpers in less than ten minutes against the Denver Nuggets. His career will always be tied to the franchise; he was at one point general manager for the team following his retirement from playing. But yet since. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Kevin Durant 15-16 . Want to guess how many of those players have converted their midrange jumpersat a higher rate than Durant? While that seems like a waste of his talent, it's been very effective in opening up the floor for Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton. Breaking down the Golden State-Los Angeles matchup with 3 things to watch, 1 X-factor and a series prediction. While Reggie fights Jeff Van Gundy for top honors as the most annoying broadcaster to join a NBA booth, he has had a storied career in the NBA. Kevin Durant has made at least $307,385,868 playing professional basketball. With his second 3 on Tuesday, the Warriors' star guard eclipses the all-time record after tying it in the opening minutes. The rest of his game left a lot to be desired. Shooting (45-37, 4th place in NBA Western Conference), Next Game: But what's crazy is that, per ESPN's Kirk Goldsberry, an astonishingly high 95 percent of his mid-range looks have been contested over the course of the past eight seasons. This is the second longest streak for the Cavaliers and one feat Lebron James must have envied during his time there. His 92.9% free throw shooting during that series played a large factor in both his individual and team success. Hornacek's highest consecutive free thows made totals at 67, which happened during his final season in the league. Thats one of the reasons why Clippers coach Ty Lue allows Leonard to fire away from mid-range as often as he sees fit (via ESPN): I think its a lost art. He relented a few seasons ago and expanded his range, with 3-point shots accounting for 26.4% of his points last season between San Antonio and Brooklyn. Will the mid-range shot decline further, or will these players have proven that the mid-range shot still has value and inspire younger players to embrace the lava as well? The curve has flattened over the past three seasons as some players and teams still see value in the mid-range shot. Larry Brown never got confused about whos who on the 2004 Detroit Pistons roster. The only time his defense came through was when he was motivated playing against Jordan. "Heartbroken for Shaq Barrett and his family, dont know what else to say.". Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Growing up in Los Angeles, DeRozan didnt have access to cable television. Topping the list in both mid-range field goals made (4.0 per game) and attempted (8.3 per game) is Chicagos DeMar DeRozan, who has been one of the most prolific mid-range shooters in the league for years. 1. Kevin Durant has averaged a win percentage of .628 in his career. Click to login It includes: Shot chart Shooting stats by location Foul drawing stats Defense and rebounding stats Try Insider stats free for one week, His success rate on those looks? Part of the 3-point revolution is that young players entering the league are more focused on the three than they are the mid-range shot. He would go on to play 16 seasons in the NBA as a small forward. Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia, Seattle SuperSonics, 1st round (2nd pick, 2nd overall), 2007 NBA Draft, More Kevin Durant pages at Sports Reference. Bryant was a mid-range maestro in his own right so thats exactly what DeRozan has become during his time in the league. Mid% = Percentage of Shots from Midrange Pnt% = Percentage of Shots from Paint Def Rtg = Defensive Rating PG Eff% = Point Guard Effectiveness SG Eff% = Shooting Guard Effectiveness SF Eff% = Small Forward Effectiveness PF Eff% = Power Forward Effectiveness C Eff% = Center Effectiveness Kevin Durant was sensational for OKC that season, as he averaged 28.2 PPG, 8.2 RPG and 5.0 APG, while shooting 50.5% from the field. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. The Nets are fourth in the league in clutch games played (36), first in clutch wins (26), and second in winning percentage in clutch games (.722). Despite his size, Brandon was regarded as a top flight point guard in the mid-90's. Durant has averaged eight PPG from the mid-range this season, accounting for nearly one-third of his total scoring numbers. Aside from the rather unsanitary practice of licking his finger tips before shooting, he could always be counted on to make his free throws. Brooklyn is seventh in assists per game (26.9) and 10th in blocks per game (5.2). Per Basketball Reference, they've outscored opponents by 9.9 points per 100 possessions when Durant has been on the floor. In fact, Bryant was Leonards mechanical model when he built out his game during his early days with the Spurs. rebound, Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets, point | 87K views, 1.4K likes, 386 loves, 45 comments, 119 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from NBA: Jamal Murray. Still, his free throw shooting has remained strong. This was the same season he had the lowest usage percentage. Even though it was not the final nail in the coffin, that game was the turning point for the Miami Heat. Curry is the only player in the league that is shooting at least 40% from 3-point range and 50% from mid-range. Do you have a blog? Or write about sports? . All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Newlin's free throw shooting would peak at 88.8% during the 1980-81 NBA season in which he spent with the New Jersey Nets. Not all of those are midrangers there's a decent amount of layups and 3s mixed in because, oh yeah, he's an effortless scorer from all three levels but a lot of them are. Kevin Durant has a true shooting percentage of 61.9 in his career. 500 non-paint 2s, 57 qualifiers pic.twitter.com/BENKPI2XgU, Kirk Goldsberry (@kirkgoldsberry) December 1, 2020. His last two seasons have been his best in the mid-range since his first two seasons in the NBA. Pauls pull-up jumper from the right elbow has been the most fundamental staple in his shot selection over the entirety of his career, which has included eleven appearances in the All-Star game. In fact, nobody in the entire league has. It's crazy DeMar DeRozan just keeps getting better in the midrange. Over his last eight games since returning after missing 23 games, Durant is shooting 65.4 percent overall and 61.3 percent from 3-point range while averaging 24.4 points in 25.2 minutes per game. Harden has the third-highest career scoring average among active players (25.2). Montrose Christian School in Rockville, Maryland, Draft: Over the last 25 seasons, 1700 different times that a player has taken at least 250 mid-range jumpers in a season theres been three times that a player has shot over 55 percent, Redick said on The Old Man and the Three podcast. Honorable Mention: Kevin Durant 1 of 21 Elsa/Getty Images Career FT%: 88.2% (1599 FTM / 1812 FTA) Besides being one of the most promising young talents the NBA has seen in years, Durant is. Take a closer look at the top 12 catch-and-shoot scorers in the league. That's about the same number as Tobias Harris. But its also been successful as his mid-range jumper has been between ten to thirty percentage points better than his shots from long distance in each of the past five seasons, per Cleaning the Glass. A clutch game is defined as being within five points in the final five minutes. Durants midrange jumper game got a shoutout from former NBA player JJ Redick. Career FT%: 89.5% (2,214 FTM / 2,475 FTA). He fought through back pains and continued to play despite the pain. He's the only player to have. Usage percentage is an estimate of the percentage of plays that a player used while on the floor. Active players are listed in bold Kiki took over for Lawrence Frank as coach of the New Jersey Nets during the 2009-10 season. He ranks No. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. That means that DeRozan may get a ton of open looks from the mid-range, and if we know him, hes going to take them. But one area that shines is the mid-range. There's no reason to think he won't continue his supremacy at the charity stripe and eventually surpass the current No. Find out more. We present them here for purely educational purposes. Hes making 57.1 % of midrange shots with the second-best percentage of the 54 who have taken at least 100 shots from midrange. easymoneysniper, (Durantula, KD, Slim Reaper, Easy Money Sniper, The Servant, Green Room), Position: It's long been his weapon of choice, even predating his time in the NBA. Brooklyn is first in field goal percentage (49.3) and effective field goal percentage (57.3), fourth in 3-point percentage (38.8), seventh in 3-pointers made per game (14.1) and 10th in 3-pointers attempted per game (36.3). Kevin Durant is capable of playing big minutes and still producing . Durant's 55.3 field goal percentage is also a career high. However, we'll only be counting his 10 years in the NBA. Sometimes, Durant argued in this conversation, the mid-range look is just the open shot. Bill is the first player in the NBA to hit 50 consecutive free throws. As a shooting guard, he excelled at driving the lane and eventually developed a strong shooting touch from long range. Take a closer look at the top 12 pull-up scorers in the league. 1 is none other than Celtic great Larry Bird. But his playmaking has improved, too, as no one has assisted on more long mid-range jumpers since 2018-19, per PBP Stats. 50.1, *min. Efficiency-wise, he has been outstanding, shooting 57 percent from the mid-range. This Yugoslavian sharpshooter has made a career on his precise shooting touch. When the Phoenix Suns traded for Kevin Durant, they took a gamble. of the Suns combined to shoot a preposterous 21-of-29 from mid-range. He also assisted on 162 connections to his teammates from the mid-range, per PBP Stats, which trailed only Russell Westbrook for the most in the NBA. He would go on to peak at a 95% rate for free throws made that year; the only time he exceeded 90% for his career. Durant only played in 47 games during the regular season. Kevin Durant is third in the NBA in shooting a career-high 47.2 percent from 3-point range. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. Like many players, Jeff had a unique routine before shooting free throws. National Christian Academy in Fort Washington, Maryland, Scott Rafferty is a Senior NBA Editor for The Sporting News. You can look no further than his 90% success from the line. Luckily it wasn't a name that was too widely used around the league. Brooklyn is fifth in fast break points (14.4) and 10th in points in the paint (49.8). Rate statistic requirements. Mullin's free throw shooting remained fairly steady over the course of his career. In Durant's 14-year career, the lowest percentage of points from the mid-range was 15.8 percent in the 2016-17 NBA season. While Durant has long been a midrange assassin, he's kicked his efficiency from that distance to a terrifying level to start the 2021-22 season. At one point during the 1996 NBA season, Terrell hit 67 straight free throws in a single month. !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)? Join our linker program. 'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs'); By Bryan Kalbrosky | Kevin Durant 18-19 . In addition, Denver is in the middle of the pack at eighth for opponent 3-point percentage allowed (34.2%). The whole conversation was simply a fascinating insight into the mind of one of the worlds great shooters. 52.6 FG%2. Some might hate it, but Devin Booker high pick & rolls with Kevin Durant in the weakside corner are a nightmare for defenses Mahmo Abdul-Rauf - Career FT%: 90.5% (1051 FTM / 1161 FTA), Scott Skiles - Career FT%: 88.9% (1548 FTM / 1741 FTA), Darrell Armstrong - Career FT%: 87.1% (1463 FTM / 1679 FTA), Michael Williams - Career FT%: 86.8% (1545 FTM / 1780 FTA), John Long - Career FT%: 86.2% (1814 FTM / 2104 FTA). Last year, he led all players at 44.0 minutes per game. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. The mid-range game has steadily declined since all-time greats like Michael Jordan left the league. This was the same season he had the lowest usage percentage in his career. Through 26 games this season, Durant has been lethal from the mid-range. Aging like fine wine, Steve still has the opportunity to move up this list to top the one player ahead of him. Eventually he would go on to replace another player on this list as the starting point guard for the Cavs. A lot of (opposing) teams will live with it. by Bryan Kalbrosky Spin: Durant capitalized on Denver's smaller wings, canning his signature midrange jumpers while finishing a perfect 4 for 4 at the rim. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? 1 in three pointers made with 2,560 total makes. Drafted by the Houston Rockets in the 1971 draft, Mike played 11 seasons in the NBA. He also holds a playoff record of 56 consecutive free throws made. Along with Mitch Richmond and Tim Hardaway, the three would go on to form "Run TMC" while with the Warriors. September 29, Jess is a baseball fan with Reno, Nev. roots residing in the Bay Area. ESPN Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved. To determine which players are fighting the hardest to keep the mid-range game alive in the NBA, we looked at three factors and then compared how each individual performed relative to the league average in the same span (dating back to 2018-19): It is worth mentioning that longtime NBA fixtures who recently stepped away from the game (e.g. Player stats broken down into various categories; i.e. International Stats at Basketball-Reference.com, College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com, Scores from any date in BAA/NBA or ABA history, Frequently Asked Questions about the NBA, WNBA and Basketball, Basketball-Reference.com Blog and Articles, Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREE. Durant's 62.2 % field goal percentage on two-pointers this season is his career-best, and with the way his body is, he's able to make those types of shots look like layups. The only thing keeping him from moving too far up or down this list is the lack of trips he'll be making to the line over the course of his remaining career. Free throws are infinitely easier to miss than to make; just ask Ben Wallace. Even if everyone else in the league decided that they would only shoot at the rim or from beyond the arc, DeRozan would keep the in-between game alive. Totals. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. He would mark a career high while with the Indiana Pacers playing under Larry Bird; he hit 93.9% from the line that season. He has the 11th-highest career scoring average among active players (22.8). Now that hes in Phoenix, the game plan wont change. This happened during the 1992 NBA season when he played for the Philadelphia 76ers. Jordan is the NBAs all-time career leader in field goal percentage (67.4) and among active players is second in total rebounds (9,855) and fourth in blocks (1,466). In his first season in Chicago, mid-range shots have accounted for 29.8% of his points his highest mark since he last led the league in mid-range buckets during the 2016-17 season (4.2 per game). Perhaps some stability in his health would have allowed him to consistently improve and maintain stronger averages. Please check your email for a confirmation. There are good midrange shooters, there are elite midrange shooters and then there's Kevin Durant. Its easy to quantify success when a 7-footer is constantly recording triple-doubles, which is exactly what he does. Im a firm believer in, why not work on what teams are giving up? Every team wants to give up the mid-range shot, the mid-range 2s, and why not continue to work on the shots that teams are giving up When you see, even in late-game situations in the fourth quarter, the mid-range shots are what wins the games. This Canadian phenom is a two time NBA MVP. In todays game, most defenses try to force opponents to shoot from the mid-range they dont want to give up 3-pointers and shots at the rim. 50.35. Career FT%: 87.7% (2,973 FTM / 3,390 FTA). Durant is playing with a lot of talent in Phoenix, and the offensive burden that he has to carry is lower than at some of the other stops in his career. There were just two players the entire season to shoot over 50 percent on three or more mid-range attempts per game CJ McCollum at 50.2 percent on 4.7 attempts and Kevin Durant at a. Durant ended with 29 points (12-19 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 4-4 FT), 14 rebounds, one assist, three blocks and one steal in 36 minutes during Saturday's 125-107 loss to the Nuggets in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals. The Los Angeles Lakers were the only televised team, he recently explained, which meant that he watched a lot of Kobe Bryant. There isn't any player in the league that even comes close to touching Durant's mid-range success. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. The fantastic two-man game Jokic has shared with Jamal Murray, who will miss most if not all of next season due to the guards injury, has predictably propelled the Nuggets to great heights over the past few seasons. His free throw shooting remained steady throughout his career never fluctuating too high or low from his career average. Booker is second in the playoffs at 43.2 minutes per game. Kevin Durant's Recent Stats In his past 10 games, Durant is averaging 25.2 points, which is lower than his mark for the year (29.1). When Stephen Curry broke Ray Allens 3-point record last week, the discussion was not just centered around Currys individual greatness as a shooter, but how he changed the game and ushered in the 3-point revolution in the NBA. While he is one of the best at the line, he may perhaps be best remembered for his misses at two crucial junctions during the 2006 NBA Finals. He was joined on the Rockets by a player much higher on this list. And as more offenses started to stretch the floor and avoid the mid-range, defenses have had to adjust. This was the same season he had the lowest usage percentage in his career. She is the host of "Short and to the Point" and is also a broadcaster with the Oakland A's Radio Network. Harden is 11th in the league with 31 double-doubles and is third with 12 triple-doubles. Defenders wont be able to ignore second-year forward Patrick Williams, who fared well when he was handed the keys to Chicagos offense during summer league. Ricky Barry will always be remembered for his free throws. * Indicates member of the Hall of Fame. And that contribution comes at a higher usage (23.7 percent of plays) than Tracy McGrady (23.5 percent), Chris Bosh (20.1 percent) and Kevin Garnett (19.7 percent) in their combined age 19- and 20 . Him shooting the lights out from midrange is a testament to that. Do you have a blog? Calvin Murphy spent 13 successful seasons in the NBA with the Rockets; good enough to get him into the Basketball Hall of Fame. It certainly did not affect his free throw shooting as he continued to have success from the line over the years. I look at it like, if a team will live with that, why not try to figure out how to master that? It was a fairly small sample size but he was shooting 67.7 percent on his looks fired off between the free-throw line and the three-point line, per Cleaning the Glass. All columns may be sorted by clicking the column name. SOUND ON to hear Booker mention KD's gravity. On the rare occasions when Durant has rested, they've gotten completely destroyed. With his game still going strong, he may continue to add notches to his belt. Jeff was always known for his strong shooting touch and head-to-head match-ups with Michael Jordan. The kicker is not a single one of them has made nearly as manyfrom that distance as Durant. Note, this is done in an automated way, so we apologize for any errors, & please. Everyone who ever discusses it ends up comparing it to the iconic mid-range stepback from Dirk Nowitzki. Durantula, KD, Slim Reaper, Easy Money Sniper, The Servant, Green Room are nicknames for Kevin Durant. When factoring that in, he may be the one who wears the crown as the true king of the in-between game. As the years went on and he got better and his free throw percentage would steadily climb and eventually peak at 91.9% during his 2002-03 season. Aside from the ice running through his veins at the line, he is considered one of the all time great shooters. Scores from any date in BAA/NBA or ABA history, Frequently Asked Questions about the NBA, WNBA and Basketball, Basketball-Reference.com Blog and Articles, Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREE. The Nets are one of three teams with a pair of teammates ranked in the top 10 along with Phoenixs Chris Paul (and his deadly elbow jumpers) and Devin Booker, and Philadelphias Joel Embiid and Seth Curry. Playing alongside Stockton and Malone, he had a key role on the team and contributed largely to their run to the NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998. NBA & ABA Career Leaders and Records for True Shooting Pct. DeMar DeRozan WENT OFF for 19 PTS in the 4th vs. the Lakers pic.twitter.com/C11TO9RNFE.