Amid a sea of statistics that most NBA players couldn't care less about, there is one number that does tend to get a rise out of guards beyond the hallowed "wins" figure. That number is "180." 180 represents the combination of 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from the 3-point arc, and 90 percent from the free throw line. It is the altar of efficiency. You want to be a truly great shooter; I mean a truly legendary shooter? You need to hit the 180 mark. Not very many guys have done it in NBA history.
Here's the list:
James Harden says he is now looking to join this club. From Pablo Torres' ESPN profile:
"I'm looking forward to playing off the ball," he tells me. His ultimate objective? Membership in the hallowed 50-40-90 club, reserved for those who shoot 50 percent from the field, 40 from 3 and 90 from the line in a season -- which only six men in NBA history have ever done.
Source: Rockets guard James Harden has found a place to excel, show strengths in Houston.
You can see from the chart that more than six players have actually reached this level of shooting; it depends on which qualifiers you use. But whateverthe case, it's a low number, and Harden does have a realistic chance to add his name to the list.
Harden's shooting splits last season were 44-38-87, so he's got some distance to cover in terms of efficiency to reach 180. The key is that first part, where he says he wants to play off-ball. If he's serious about that approach, and he's willing to defer to Ty Lawson to the necessary degree, Harden could very well reach that level of efficiency. It's crucial to have another offensive threat to rely on in order to maintain that efficiency. The secret to Kevin Durant's otherworldly shooting numbers is that Russell Westbrook absorbs a huge number of possessions so that when Durant shoots, it really counts.
The other key for Harden is going to be not searching for contact as much. In the article Harden swears that he's not looking to get fouled, but breaking down any film at all of him shows that he often anticipates the contact and goes into his motion early to ensure the shooting foul. The problem with this, of course, is when he doesn't get the call, and he ends up having to convert a shot from a completely out-of-whack position.
He gets the call enough to maintain his scoring numbers, but it can drag down his field goal percentage considerably.
Still, Harden's close enough that if he does take an off-ball approach, he can get there. He shot 39.7 percent on catch-and-shoot opportunities last year while finishing second in media MVP voting behind Stephen Curry -- and first in the Players Choice awards for MVP.
