Every NBA team’s greatest shooter of all time
Brooklyn Nets: Drazen Petrovic
Though his time in the NBA was sadly cut short, the Croatian Sensation, Drazen Petrovic definitely made an impact on the court.
Originally selected by the Portland Trail Blazers — in the third round of the 1986 NBA Draft — Petrovic wanted out after coming over to America three years later and then being brought off the bench for a season and some change. He hit the ground running in New Jersey. The 6-foot-5 wing was the guy for those early 90’s Nets team and his prolific outside shot made him the key player to stop for opponents.
During his three seasons with the Nets, Petrovic nailed 43.7 percent of his 3-point attempts, which was also his percentage for his career (which ranks fourth overall for career 3-point percentage in NBA history).
In his first season in New Jersey Petrovic was named to All-NBA Third Team and he twice finished with an effective field goal percentage in the top 10 of the NBA (1991-1993).
Drazen was a member of the Croatian national team in 1992 where the Dream Team famously shut down the young Toni Kukoc, but Petrovic scored 19 and 24 points respectively in the two games against the United States.
Petrovic was well on his way to cementing himself as a perennial All-Star caliber player and his ability to score from all three levels was clear reason why.
Tragically, Petrovic passed due to an auto accident on the Autobahn 9 just before his 29th birthday. His No. 3 jersey was retired by the Nets organization and he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002.