“James Harden crosses Ray Allen on the all-time 3-point missed list”: Brooklyn Nets guard gets past the Hall of Fame shooter but not in the category he would have aimed for

After Stephen Curry crossed Ray Allen as the best 3-point shooter of all time, James Harden crosses former Heat man to become the best in an unlikely category.

Barely anybody under 50 remember anything clearly of the NBA without 3s. Given the importance of the three in today’s NBA, it is somewhat surprising to learn that the shot hardly took the NBA by storm since its introduction in 1979.

One would think there would be a gradual acceptance of the concept as NBA teams adapted to the brave new world. But in fact, some of the early numbers were somewhat laughable.

After five full seasons with the rule, there were nine NBA teams in the 1984-85 season that took fewer 3-point shots than they did in that first year. What were they afraid of, you ask?

Also read: “Pascal Siakam just schooled Giannis Antetokounmpo!”: NBA Twitter praise the Raptors forward following his triple-double performance against the former DPOY in 103-96 win over the Milwaukee Bucks

Their coaches’ wrath might be one of the reasons. Obviously, the league was destined to move away from the rigorous play at the rim and tightly contested mid-range shots to a rather more rewarding shot.

But it still does hurt when you miss a 3-point shot and nobody knows it better than James Harden, who just crossed Ray Allen on a wrong all-time list.

James Harden crosses Ray Allen for the most three-point misses in NBA history

Ray Allen is now officially the 2nd on both top 3-point scorers of all-time and the list of most 3-pointers missed by a player. James Harden of the Brooklyn Nets has crossed him on the unlikely list, just a few days after Stephen Curry crossed him as the best shooter from downtown.

James Harden now has the most three-point misses in NBA history.

4,457 — James Harden
4,456 — Ray Allen
4,158 — Jamal Crawford pic.twitter.com/Auy2p9aDQc

— StatMuse (@statmuse) January 16, 2022

That’s no knock on Harden’s career as an individual, who shoots just over 36% from the distance and sits 4th on the top 3-point scorers of all-time. It’s just that the other two we are talking about are far better (both have 40 or above conversion rate) and more accurate than James.

Harden might end up well above Ray Allen by the time he decides to hang up his sneakers, but the former MVP is very less likely to end up as a better shooter than Allen.

Also read: “LeBron James got clamped by an autogenerated player?!”: NBA Twitter erupts as Davon Reed forces The King to slip and give up the ball

Former Miami Heat and Boston Celtics sharpshooter made 40% of his attempts throughout his 18 year NBA career, making some of the most clutch shots in the Playoffs as well.

While Harden’s misses in his time with Rockets and the battles against the Warriors will remain quite more famous than his made 3s thus far.

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

Read More