The Whiteboard: Every NBA team’s most prolific 3-point shooters ever

The spread of the 3-pointer means a lot of unusual names are going to be near the top of all-time 3-point leaderboards for many NBA teams.

Cedi Osman celebrated a milestone Sunday, going 7-for-7 from beyond the arc and moving into the No. 6 spot on the Cleveland Cavaliers all-time 3-point leaderboard. It’s a great achievement for Osman but it’s also reflective of how strange the NBA’s 3-point leaderboards are, particularly at a team level.

After all, Osman in his sixth season with the Cavs and he’s played 377 games but he’s also started less than half of those games, averaged more than 30 minutes per game just once and he’s a career 35.1 percent 3-point shooter. Because of the proliferation of the 3-point shot in today’s game, it doesn’t take much for a solid but unspectacular role player like Osman to make his way into the franchise record books.

Even if you narrow the 3-point leaderboard for every NBA team to just the top two slots, you got a weird mix of all-time greats, early adopters and role players who just hung around long enough to etch their names in the franchise record books (even if it won’t last).

Who made the most 3-pointers for every NBA team?

Atlanta Hawks:

1. Mookie Blaylock — 1050
2. Joe Johnson — 908

Boston Celtics:

1. Paul Pierce — 1823
2. Jayson Tatum — 984

Brooklyn Nets:

1. Joe Harris — 922
2. Jason Kidd — 813

Charlotte Hornets

1. Kemba Walker — 1283
2. Dell Curry — 929

Chicago Bulls

1. Kirk Hinrich — 1049
2. Zach LaVine — 860

Cleveland Cavaliers

1. LeBron James — 1251
2. Kevin Love — 1096

Dallas Mavericks

1. Dirk Nowitzki — 1980
2. Jason Terry — 1140

Denver Nuggets

1. Will Barton — 804
2. J.R. Smith — 768

Detroit Pistons

1. Joe Dumars — 990
2. Chancey Billups — 890

Golden State Warriors

1. Steph Curry — 3282
2. Klay Thompson — 2066

Houston Rockets

1. James Harden — 2029
2. Eric Gordon — 1045

Indiana Pacers

1. Reggie Miller — 2560
2. Danny Granger — 964

Los Angeles Clippers

1. Eric Piatkowski — 731
2. J.J. Redick — 674

Los Angeles Lakers

1. Kobe Bryant — 1827
2. Derek Fisher — 846

Memphis Grizzlies

1. Mike Conley — 1086
2. Mike Miller — 844

Miami Heat

1. Duncan Robinson — 808
2. Tim Hardaway — 806

Milwaukee Bucks

1. Khris Middleton — 1218
2. Ray Allen — 1051

Minnesota Timberwolves

1. Karl-Anthony Towns — 817
2. Anthony Edwards — 530

New Orleans Pelicans

1. Jrue Holiday — 628
2. Peja Stojakovic — 553

New York Knicks

1. John Starks — 982
2. Allan Houston — 921

Oklahoma City Thunder

1. Kevin Durant — 1143
2. Rashard Lewis — 973

Orlando Magic

1. Dennis Scott — 981
2. Nick Anderson — 900

Philadelphia 76ers:

1. Allen Iverson — 885
2. Robert Covington — 707

Phoenix Suns

1. Steve Nash — 1051
2. Devin Booker — 1045

Portland Trail Blazers

1. Damian Lillard — 2294
2. CJ McCollum — 1297

Sacramento Kings

1. Buddy Hield — 1248
2. Peja Stojakovic — 1070

San Antonio Spurs

1. Manu Ginobili — 1495
2. Patty Mills — 1171

Toronto Raptors

1. Kyle Lowry — 1518
2. Fred VanVleet — 917

Utah Jazz 

1. Joe Ingles — 1071
2. Donovan Mitchell — 958

Washington Wizards

1. Bradley Beal — 1477
2. Gilbert Arenas — 868

I mean, Duncan Robinson had one great season and then has been a permanent fixture in trade rumors and he’s already the Heat’s all-time leading 3-point shooter. Anthony Edwards in his third season and he’s already No. 2 all-time for the Timberwolves. Coby White didn’t make the list here but there’s a good chance he could pass Michael Jordan on the Bulls’ 3-point leaderboard before the end of this year.

Of the 60 players who rank first or second on the 3-point leaderboard for an individual team, 28 are currently active (not counting Kemba Walker). And of those 28, 15 are still playing for the teams on whose leaderboards they hold top spots for. Only nine teams (Magic, Hawks, Hornets, Mavs, Pistons, Knicks, Pacers, Clippers, Lakers) do not have an active player in one of the top two spots on their franchise 3-point leaderboard.

Everything is tilted toward the modern players.

Osman’s contract is only partially guaranteed for next season but there’s a good chance he’ll be back in a Cavs uniform. He only needs two more 3s to pass J.R. Smith for fifth and 141 to pass Kyrie Irving for fourth. Passing Kyrie might be a stretch in the time he has left as a Cav but it’s more than possible he gets there. Either way, he’ll be far from the only unexpected name to be found on team 3-point leaderboards five years from now.

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