Buddy Hield appeared as a guest on the recent segment of The Jim Rome Show. During the conversation, the host noted that at 31, Hield now ranks 20th in all-time three-pointers made. As a small forward/shooting guard with no plans to retire soon, Hield has a strong chance to climb higher on the list, especially as most players above him are either older or retired. But could he eventually claim the top spot, even surpassing Stephen Curry? Hield himself doubts it.

Discussing his ranking, Buddy Hield attributed it to God and hard work. He especially gave a special shoutout to players like Reggie Miller and Ray Allen, who impressed and won over fans with their far-away shots during the 90s and the 2000s respectively. The player has also set some expectations for himself. “I just got to keep working and hopefully, I can catch some other guys. (But) Nobody’s catching Steph. He’s on a different path.” Having been Steph’s teammate for quite a few games now (and his rival for 7 years before that), Hield has had enough experience in trying to make sense of Curry’s shooting prowess.

“Whenever you ever came to the game, and then be on his team, every time he shoots, it feels like…. a 360-degree dunk, because the whole gym just erupts” Hield revealed. “And when we go on runs, his three-pointers feels like 9-point plays, because it’s that effective on the whole crowd. It’s just moralizing when he shoots, and when he makes it.”

At 31, the Warriors player currently ranks with 1,957 total three-pointers, while Stephen Curry dominates the list with an astounding 3,762 career shots. Beyond the numbers, Curry’s approach to long-range shooting has become a model for aspiring players. Rarely stationary, Curry relies on his teammates to set screens that block defenders, allowing him a clear shot with minimal effort. To maintain this dynamic style, the four-time champion dedicates himself to intense conditioning, incorporating rigorous cardiovascular exercises to build stamina alongside regular three-point practice

Thanks to his remarkable success rate and shooting style, it’s rarely noted that by January 2024, Curry had missed over 8,500 shots in his career. On average, he missed roughly six out of every ten three-point attempts. Despite the setbacks, Curry’s perseverance has fueled his journey to the top.

Buddy Hield knows that he cannot overtake Curry with the time he has left in his NBA career. Therefore, the only choice that remains is to lower his sight and focus on overtaking other stars like Ray Allen and James Harden.

Can Buddy Hield break the three-pointer record set by Ray Allen and James Harden?

Ray Allen concluded his 18-year-long NBA career back in 2014. Thanks to the 2,973 three-pointers he had made throughout his career, the 2x NBA champion was the leader in total far-away shots till 2021, before Stephen Curry surpassed him. Meanwhile, James Harden holds the 3 spot, with a total of 2,958 three-pointers. With the player still active and making waves in the ongoing tournament, it won’t take him long to surpass Allen’s record.

Since the beginning of his career, Buddy Hield has been averaging 3.1 three-pointers per game. While the same fluctuated during the early part of his career, the player has been maintaining his pace in recent times. According to an August 2023 report by CBS Sports, Hield had finished with the second-highest total for 3s made in four seasons between 2019 and 2023. Even if he didn’t make it to the 2 spot in one of the seasons, he did make the fourth place. He averaged 276.2 three-pointers per season during that period, but the same fell to 219 during the previous season.

Despite this, if Hield continues to move at the same average rate as he did previously, then it would take him just four more seasons to break Ray Allen’s record. Since James Harden has only been averaging 154 three-pointers per season over the last 4 years, Hield might successfully even catch up to him.

Do you believe that Buddy Hield stands on the same level as the players he indirectly challenged? Let us know in the comments down below.