Larry Bird & Craig Hodges

Early 3pt Shooting Experts

These two players played in the era essentially right after the 3pt line was instituted in the NBA, the 80s. During this decade, teams on average shot perhaps 5 3-pointers a game. This explains, very simply and directly, any kind of difference in totals for players in different eras. Steph Curry today attempts about 12 3-pointers a game. That is all there is to it. Perhaps one might think Curry is shooting all those threes simply because he CAN make them, and players before could not. This is not true. The truth is the NBA has significantly and drastically tweaked officiating and rules over the decades for this "environment" to exist today where so many 3pt shots can be attempted. In earlier decades, it was frowned upon to take a lot of 3-pointers, and most players would not even be allowed to take that many.