On December 15, Beijing time, the Warriors defeated the Knicks, Curry shot 5 three-pointers, and the total number of career three-pointers reached 2977, officially crowning the NBA's historical three-point king. Considering Curry is at his peak, he is likely to push the three-point record to a higher level.
Curry's three-point shooting (5.4 per game) and shots (13.4) have both hit career highs this season, while his shooting percentage has barely affected. Curry has remained prolific, which would make the three-point record very exaggerated.
How many three-pointers will Curry end up shooting in his career? ESPN data specialist Kevin Palton predicted this. He said the biggest variable in predicting Curry's total number of three-pointers is health. If it weren't for the 2020 season with only five games due to injury, Curry would have broken Ray Allen's record a year ago.
Another key factor is how long does Curry want to play? Curry's style of play can easily transform into role players. If he's in good health, he can easily hit his 40s. But how long can Curry play at this peak? This requires drawing a question mark.
Kevin Pelton said that even if conservatively expected, if Curry chooses to retire at the age of 39 in 2027, he can play 5 more seasons. If Curry's attendance is 80 percent, he will make 1,450 three-pointers before retiring, including 201 for the rest of the season. That would bring his total of three-pointers to 4427. If Curry had played for 2 seasons and persisted until he retired after the age of 40, he could have set a record of 5,000+ three-pointers.