The Whiteboard: What 3-point records don’t already belong to Steph Curry?

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On Tuesday night, Steph Curry did the expected, making his 2,974th career 3-pointer to pass Ray Allen for the most all-time. Curry hit three more long-distance shots after the one that broke the record and, still months from his 34th birthday, he will have plenty of time to continue padding his margin before he eventually retires.

This was not the first 3-point record that Curry has broken, nor will it be the last. He already holds the record most 3-pointers in a single season, most 3-pointers in a postseason career and most 3-pointers in NBA Finals history. It’s a bit of a cliche, but at this point, it’s probably easier to talk about the 3-point records that Curry doesn’t already own.

What 3-point records don’t yet belong to Steph Curry?

Most 3-point attempts, career (7,429): By virtue of his extreme accuracy, Curry was able to break Allen’s record for 3-point makes without breaking his record for 3-point attempts. Allen still holds the record here by more than 500 attempts but it’s all but certain that Curry will eventually pass him. However, Curry also trails James Harden here (by exactly 15 attempts, as of this morning) and, being a year and change older than Harden, there’s a chance he retires without actually taking the top spot.

Highest career 3-point percentage (45.4 percent): This one belongs to Curry’s coach, Steve Kerr, and is likely out of reach. Kerr had the luxury of being a role player which meant he could focus on taking the easiest and most open perimeter shots, rarely having to create them for himself like Curry does. Curry is currently seventh on the all-time 3-point percentage list, trailing Kerr, Hubert Davis, his brother Seth, Joe Harris, Drazen Petrovic and Jason Kapono. However, his efficiency volume makes him a complete outlier — Curry has attempted 6,903 3-pointers in his career, the six players ahead of him in career efficiency have attempted 8,298, combined. Curry would need to make 619 of his next 1000 3-pointers to pass Kerr but not holding this record isn’t going to ding his legacy.

Most 3-pointers in a single game (14): This one belongs to Curry’s long-time teammate, Klay Thompson. But there’s a good chance it could eventually change hands. There have been 26 regular-season games in NBA history where a player hit 11 or more 3-pointers and 14 of them were from Curry. Thompson is the only other player to have done it more than once and he’s done it exactly twice. This one just seems like a matter of staying healthy and motivated to actually push and break the record in what would likely be a blowout.

Most 3-pointers in a single playoff game (12): This record is currently in the hands of Curry’s contemporary, Damian Lillard. Like with the regular-season record, this seems to be mostly about circumstances lining up for a hot shooting night and a game situation where Curry has to stay on the floor and keep shooting to determine the outcome. That hasn’t happened as often as during the regular season — Curry has made nine 3-pointers in a playoff game twice but has never hit double-digits.

Most 3-pointers in a single game without a miss (9): This record belongs to Ben Gordon (who, incredibly, did it twice) and Latrell Sprewell, and would appear to have a lot more luck and circumstance involved. Curry’s personal best in this category is 6, which came in a game against the Denver Nuggets during his rookie season. It’s not outside the realm of possibility but with the number of 3-point shots Curry takes, going perfect on any given night is an extreme longshot.

Most consecutive 3-pointers (13): This record reportedly belongs to three players, most recently Shake Milton who finished a game making three-in-a-row, went 5-of-5 in his next game and started the next game 5-of-5 before finally missing. That run tied him with Brent Price and Terry Mills. Again, this one could eventually belong to Curry but the volume and level of difficulty on his 3-pointers make a perfect stretch a bit more unlikely.

Most 3-pointers from 30 feet or more (145): This is another record that belongs to Damian Lillard, with Curry coming in second with 124. Passing Lillard may come down to health and longevity but even if he can pull it off, he may not hold it for long. Trae Young is currently third on this list at 110, midway through his fourth season. And to put in context how far ahead of the field this trio is — the next player on the list is LeBron James with just 38.

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