Today must be Kyle Korver day because I learned 3 tidbits about him that are incredible.
- Of the 181 shots Kyle Korver has made this season, only 9 have been unassisted
- He has possessed the ball for less than 2 seconds before all but 5 of his 3pt attempts. (He made all 5 of the others)
- He has shot 254 three-pointers this year. He has taken 0 dribbles before 232 of them.
To show that he’s not just a 3 point specialist, this hammer jam was Korver’s first slam in more than two years and just the 16th of his career.
This dunk comes alongside a bet with Elton Brand. Brand bet Korver $100 bucks that he would hit a 3 before Korver dunked. I completely stole the Gif from dimemag.com but it was so appropriate and I rarely use a Teddy KGB reference.
Non-basketball fans with no understanding of the game would say that these stats show that he’s useless by himself. However, this would be incorrect logic for the below reasoning:
A defender has to guard Korver for the entire possession because he’s always a threat to score. Whereas a traditional isolation-reliant player who can “create his own shot” is primarily only a threat with the ball in his hands.
Korver has become the NBA’s best pure shooter. He will never be looked at as more than a role player for the exact reasons these stats highlight. When compared to a do it all player like Stephen Curry, the difference is clear.
A team like the Atlanta Hawks, who are 37-8, have found a role for him and it’s quite painful knowing he was a Sixer for 4 years and was traded for Gordan Giricek and a protected first-round pick. Now a potential all-star, you see a team who has no idea how to utilize a skilled player. Nikola Vucevic also comes to mind.
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