Only a handful of NBA teams were fortunate enough to have drafted players who later became the greatest shooters in league history. The Indiana Pacers were able to do it with Reggie Miller in the 1987 draft, and the Minnesota Timberwolves also did it with Ray Allen (later traded) in 1996.
The Golden State Warriors, however, had the luxury of drafting two of the greatest shooters of all time in Steph Curry and Klay Thompson and playing them together to form the league’s best 3-point shooting backcourt. It’s been more than a year since Curry and Thompson played together, last occurring in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals, which the Warriors lost to the Toronto Raptors. Since then, both guards have been sidelined by injuries, with Curry playing just five games in the 2019-20 season due to a hand injury and Thompson missing it altogether because of an ACL injury.
With Thompson also set to miss the 2020-21 season due to an Achilles injury, it will be a while before fans see the Splash Brothers share the court again. But make no mistake, despite their prolonged absence on the court, Golden State’s backcourt of Curry and Thompson is still the greatest 3-point shooting duo that the league has ever seen.
The Warriors first drafted Curry with the seventh overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, then selected Thompson with the 11th overall pick in 2011. After Curry was largely sidelined with injuries during their first year together, the Splash Brothers took off in the 2012-13 season, with then-head coach Mark Jackson claiming that his team had the greatest shooting backcourt of all time. It turns out, he was just ahead of the curve.
"Are you and Klay the best shooting combo ever?"
Steph: "For sure." pic.twitter.com/pGqLcVcylC
— Chris Montano (@gswchris) January 23, 2020
Now, after eight seasons, Curry and Thompson have combined for 11 All-Star appearances, eight All-NBA team selections, two Three-Point Contest titles, and winning three championships, with Curry also winning back-to-back MVP awards in 2014-15 and 2015-16. They rank among the best 3-point shooters in league history in almost every category.
Curry is currently third on the league’s all-time 3-point field goals made list with 2,495 made while shooting 43.5 percent from beyond the arc, while Thompson is 18th on the list with 1,798 three mades on 41.9 percent shooting. Curry has made at least 200 3-pointers in seven of his first 10 seasons in the league, and has only been prevented by injuries, while Thompson has reached the 200 made threes mark in seven of his eight seasons in the NBA. Best of all, they did it while making at least 40 percent of their threes.
But while the Splash Brothers are deadly from beyond the arc when sharing the court, both Curry and Thompson have also own 3-point records that are yet to be matched. The 32-year old Curry’s 2015-16 season, where he was named as the league's first unanimous MVP, saw him make a record 402 3-pointers while shooting 45.4 percent from downtown while also joining the exclusive 50/40/90 shooting club, which may never be eclipsed.
Klay Thompson, meanwhile, not only has a prettier shooting form, at least according to former President Barack Obama, but also has the ability to get hot that not even his backcourt partner can match. The 30-year-old Thompson owns the NBA record for most 3-pointers made in a single game with 14, and also scored 37 points in one quarter, another league record. And who can forget him erupting for 60 points in just 29 minutes of play while taking just 11 dribbles?
But more than their individual records, Curry and Thompson also helped ushered a new era for the NBA, which placed an emphasis on shooting, which spaced the floor and stretched defenses farther than they have before and thus transforming the game. Guards pulling up from 30 feet out and taking difficult, off-the-dribble threes were considered as bad shots, but that started to change when Curry and Thompson habitually made them when they played together for Golden State.
The Splash Brothers also proved that a team can actually win a championship by shooting 3-pointers, with another great outside shooter in Kevin Durant joining the team and helping them win two more titles. The Warriors should remain title contenders once Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson return in tandem, which should remind everyone of their greatness once they share the court and further cement their case as the best outside shooting duo the league has ever seen.
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