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Reggie Miller throws out bold claim on Hornets’ Kon Knueppel surpassing Stephen Curry
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- Reggie Miller throws out bold claim on Hornets’ Kon Knueppel surpassing Stephen Curry
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The post Reggie Miller throws out bold claim on Hornets' Kon Knueppel surpassing Stephen Curry appeared first on ClutchPoints .
Is Charlotte Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel the next Stephen Curry ? Reggie Miller seems to think so.
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Over the first 17 games of his NBA career, Knueppel has made 63 3-pointers, far above any other rookie and good enough for fourth-most in the league. And that shooting ability at age 20, Miller thinks, could one day help Knueppel unseat Curry as the most prolific shooter in NBA history.
"He's winning Rookie of the Year, " Miller said of Knueppel on 'The Dan Patrick Show'. "And dare I say this, dare I say this: Is Stephen Curry going to be a little nervous in about 15 years?"
"Oh, with the three-point totals?" Patrick asked.
"Yes," Miller responded. "Just go back and look at Steph's first two or three years, in terms of three-pointers made, and what Kon has done this year. Just look at their first years. But here is the problem, you got to stay healthy — longevity. You've got to stay healthy. 17 years, 18 years for Stephen Curry. Can Kon Knueppel do that over a long period of time? I want to see it."
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Knueppel is currently shooting 8.5 threes per game at a 43.8% clip, which, if he kept that up for an entire 82-game season, would put him at about 304 made 3-pointers for the year.
For reference, Curry made 317 combined 3-pointers between his first and second seasons in the NBA. Including his third season, during which he was limited to 26 games because of injury, Curry had only 372 career made 3-pointers. Other than the 2019-20 season, he has not had a season in which he has made fewer than 212 3-pointers, and in his unanimous MVP season in 2015-16, he made more threes that year (402) than he did in his first three seasons total.
Of course, that sharpshooting rocketed Curry up the all-time 3-point list year-over-year until December 2021, when he surpassed Ray Allen to stand alone atop the league's marksmen. He had passed Miller, who had held the 3-point record for nearly 13 years before Allen overtook him in 2011.
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Since breaking the record four years ago, Curry has put considerable distance between himself and anyone even thinking of catching him; he currently has 4,131 made 3-pointers , 894 more than James Harden and 1,158 more than Allen.
For Knueppel in 15 years to pass Curry's current total, to which he will certainly add for at least a few more years, Knueppel would need to average about 275 made 3-pointers per season. To realistically pass Curry, who very realistically could exceed the 5,000 mark before retirement, Knueppel would fittingly have to hit more than 333 3-pointers per year for 15 seasons.
Knueppel, who had seven against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday, will have a chance to add to his total tomorrow night when the Hornets play the New York Knicks .
Related: Hornets rumors: LaMelo Ball trade buzz gets more cold water dumped on it
