Seth Curry is a career 43.7% 3-point shooter and is shooting 44.1% on catch-and-shoot 3s so far this season.
When it comes to blockbuster trades like today’s deal between the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers, nearly all of the discussion centers on the top line players in the deal – in this case Ben Simmons and James Harden.
But when we look at the full details of the trade, there were three other players included in this transaction that shouldn’t be overlooked, particularly the addition of Seth Curry to Brooklyn.
Brooklyn receives:
- Ben Simmons
- Seth Curry
- Andre Drummond
- 2022 first-round pick (unprotected)
- 2027 first-round pick (protected)
Philadelphia receives:
- James Harden
- Paul Millsap
In Curry, the Nets add another shooter around Kevin Durant (when he returns from his knee injury), Kyrie Irving (on the road) and Ben Simmons (once he makes his Nets debut) to knock down open shots and spread the floor for those superstar playmakers.
How good of a shooter is Seth Curry? Below is a look at the top 10 players in NBA history in 3-point accuracy. There are two Curry’s on that list and Seth is not No. 2 in the Curry family.
| RANK | PLAYER | CAREER 3P% |
| 1 | Steve Kerr | 45.4 |
| 2 | Hubert Davis | 44.1 |
| 3 | Joe Harris | 43.9 |
| 4 | Drazen Petrovic | 43.7 |
| 4 | Seth Curry | 43.7 |
| 6 | Jason Kapono | 43.4 |
| 7 | Tim Legler | 43.1 |
| 8 | Steve Novak | 43.0 |
| 9 | Kyle Korver | 42.9 |
| 9 | Stephen Curry | 42.9 |
It should be noted that the only other active player with a better 3-point percentage than Seth Curry on the all-time list is his new teammate Joe Harris (43.9%). Harris has been sidelined since mid-November with an ankle injury that was initially expected to keep him out for 4-6 weeks, but now may require a second surgical procedure and keep him out even longer. In 45 games with the Sixers this season, Curry has shot 40% from beyond the arc on 5.6 attempts per game, which is a career-low for Curry but still ranks 28th in the league. Curry’s 3-point percentage has been brought down over the past seven games as Curry has hit a minor shooting slump (10-38, 26.3%) since Jan. 17. In the 38 games prior to that, he was shooting 42.5% (90-212) from long range.
And don’t forget about Patty Mills, who ranks 11th in the NBA in 3-point shooting this season at 42.4% on 3.3 attempts per game, giving the Nets three of the top catch-and-shoot 3-point shooters in the game today. Harris, Mills and Curry all rank in the top 11 in 3-point percentage on catch-and-shoots and no player in the league has knocked down more than Mills at 140 on the season.
| PLAYER | TEAM | GP | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% |
| Fred VanVleet | TOR | 48 | 2.2 | 4.7 | 47.1 |
| Joe Harris | BKN | 14 | 2.7 | 5.8 | 46.9 |
| P.J. Tucker | MIA | 48 | 1.4 | 3.0 | 46.9 |
| Anfernee Simons | POR | 50 | 1.8 | 3.9 | 45.9 |
| Keldon Johnson | SAS | 51 | 1.8 | 3.9 | 45.7 |
| Luke Kennard | LAC | 46 | 2.2 | 4.8 | 44.6 |
| Andrew Wiggins | GSW | 50 | 1.9 | 4.2 | 44.3 |
| Harrison Barnes | SAC | 52 | 1.7 | 3.7 | 44.3 |
| Patty Mills | BKN | 53 | 2.6 | 6.0 | 44.3 |
| Eric Gordon | HOU | 45 | 1.4 | 3.1 | 44.2 |
| Seth Curry | BKN | 45 | 1.5 | 3.4 | 44.1 |
Note: Minimum three catch-and-shoot 3-point attempts per game (134 players qualify)
This level of elite shooting is the perfect pairing with the dynamic scorers and playmakers of the Nets’ new Big 3 of Durant, Irving and Simmons.
In Durant, you not only have the second-leading scorer in the league this season (29.3 ppg), but one of the most talented scorers the league has ever seen (his 27.1 career ppg ranks fourth all-time behind only Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor).
In Irving, you have one of the most masterful ball handlers the game has ever seen, a player that can get anywhere he wants on the court and commands so much attention when he has the ball in his hands.
In Simmons, you have a player that can do a bit of everything on both sides of the ball. He was runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year last season, can score with efficiency in and around the paint, is a natural playmaker (finished in the top six in assists in three of his four NBA seasons) and can rebound and push.
When it comes to game-planning against the Nets, those three players will always be the focal point, the ones that will force opponents to send double teams and bend their defense to try to slow them down. That’s where players like Curry, Mills and Harris can thrive.
They are the beneficiaries of all the attention that is paid to their superstar teammates. They are the ones left open on the perimeter when the double team is sent toward Durant or Irving. They are the ones waiting for the ball to rotate to them as the defense scrambles in rotation to try to prevent a wide-open look. They are the ones that have to force teams to pay for those decisions.
And by adding Curry to join Mills and Harris (eventually, once he’s healthy), the Nets now have another elite shooter to add to their already potent lineup.
