Like most National Basketball Association (NBA) teams nowadays, a shooter will always play a vital role, which include draining the outside shots to free up a usually cramped paint that makes it difficult for the big men to operate.
First year Chicago Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg knows this for a fact. Starting the season without veteran sniper Mike Dunleavy Jr. gave him something to talk about, although Doug McDermott seems to be doing just about enough to allow big men like Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah to get some breathing space.
Also, it allows players like Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler a spread out floor to penetrate and create their shots, so a good shooter is definitely a need.
Right now, there is perhaps only one player with a feathery touch standing out among the NBA talents — Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors. Last year's Most Valuable Player (MVP) has been on a tear and such can be seen in his production this early in the season.
But is Curry's stroke made only for the current season or does the youthful Warrior guard already have a place among the elite list of shooters the NBA has to offer?
There will be debate on that aspect for sure; but at present, there is no question that Curry stands out among the current crop of active shooters in the NBA.
In fact, Curry just passed his father Dell for most career three pointers, further padding his case as one of the best shooters the NBA has had.
Curry moved up to the 40th spot on the career rankings, in a tie with New York Knicks coach Derek Fisher, after amassing now a total of 1,248 points, which is three more than his father's. It took Curry just 427 games to achieve such and the NBA is only in the early stages of the 2015–16 season.
It will not be surprising if he moves up further that list soon, with his scorching hands from beyond the arc.
The next active player on the list is LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers. As of this writing, James is just 19 points up from Curry, so it will be interesting to see if Curry will overtake the Cavs' star player in the rankings.
