Welcome back to the "Greatest Ever" series as we continue with the rankings of the greatest perimeter scorers of all time. Scoring from outside is not what many guys can do really well.
Mostly the guards and forwards have excelled in this category thanks to their ability to hit nothing but bottom of the net, create their own shot, score over the defense and so on.
Who ranks on top? Without further ado, here are the best perimeter scoring machines to step on a NBA Hardwood.
22.LeBron James
LeBron James is another great scorer who's at his best when he gets to the rim, however he's underrated threat from outside. He's in fact one of the greatest perimeter scorers of all time.
He's got now a much more reliable, consistent and better shot from distance which helps him to be efficient. LeBron can create his own shot, hit variety of jumpers and has an excellent mid range game too.
Additionally, James is good three point shooter too. He's real efficient in there and the stats show that. He'll most likely be a bigger threat through his career, because he won't be fast anymore and will have be a terrific threat from distance.
He's also been averaging over 25 points, mostly because of his ability to get to the rim but he'll be much better from the perimeter with time as he showed last season. Plus he won a scoring crown too.
21.Carmelo Anthony
Arguably the best perimeter scorer in the NBA now, Carmelo Anthony is one of the finest perimeter scorers of all time. He's amazing in this aspect.
He can create his own shot, is such a pure scorer that few can match up with him and gets in rhythm quickly. Additionally he can find the bottom of the net in variety of ways and from everywhere.
Carmelo is great three point shooter as well. He's also efficient in the post, but thanks to his arsenal to score, he has excelled in perimeter scoring. His lethal mid range game helps him too.
Anthony is capable to lead his team and hits dozens of shots. He's got solid stats, however his excellence is illustrated by performances such as this.
He'll continue to improve and will be ranked high when he retires!
21.Drazen Petrovic
Drazen Petrovic is the first great European player who played in the NBA. His road wasn't easy by all means. He succeed because of his excellence from the perimeter.
Petro was one of the most lethal shooters to play the game. He emerged as a prolific outside scorer as soon as he got in the Nets. He could find the bottom of the net from virtually any place on the court.
Drazen was extremely efficient player, who shot over 50% percent from field which was by far first for all guards. He was among the top 5 league leaders in three point percent.
However, Petrovic's promising career of basketball was cut in a fatal car accident that took his life at the age of 28. It's quite sad. In the countries from the former Yugoslavia, he's regarded as the greatest player of all time.
20.Vince Carter
Vince Carter is much more known for his ability to get up in there and throw down a superb dunk, but he has been a terrific outside threat too.
He's got a good offensive arsenal to score, can make his shots from just about anywhere, is a consistent three point shooter and can get in rhythm easily.
Vince is more than excellent scorer, who is capable to create his own shot and is effective from the perimeter. He even had a season in which he scored on more than 50% from at least 10 feet.
Here are his stats. Carter has been a great scorer with good efficiency for a guy who's a reliable scorer. He had years in which had over 20 points, but since he had a big injury, he hasn't been the same that he was in his prime.
19.Dolph Schayes
The game's first great big man who dominated thanks to his soft touch, Dolph Schayes was one of the greatest perimeter scorers to step on a NBA hardwood.
He was a revolutionary power forward who was a mismatch for his opponents because he was excellent shooter from outside, lured big men and could get to the rim well.
It sounds familiar. He was very similar with Dirk Nowitzki in this regard. Dolph's excellence from the perimeter was more than obvious as he was a deadly shooter with great range.
Schayes was a fantastic outside threat, who could find the bottom of the net with ease. In his prime he scored well over 29 points on 45.5% field goal percentage, which is above the league average at that time.
It was his sweet scoring that was the main reason behind the Syracuse title in 1955, that Dolph led to a title. He averaged 19.8 points in his career mostly doing the work far from the hoop.
18.Sam Jones
Despite being one of the game's most underrated stars of all time who emerged on scene during his third year, Sam Jones' ability to score from the outside was one of the finest ever.
He was a great scorer who had a reliable jumper in his arsenal and superb bank shot. That's right. He was the first one to ever use it and he mastered it to a near perfection. Sam could make his trademark bank shot from anywhere.
He used it to lead the balanced Boston Celtics three times in scoring. He thrived as an outside threat who consistently elevated himself in the post season.
Jones averaged 28.6 points on 45.9% field goal percentage in his peak, which is excellent production for a great perimeter scorer that he was throughout his years. In fact, he averaged 20.2 on a 45.8% Field Goal Percent for his career when he was a starter.
In the playoffs (counting starter minutes only), he has poured in 22.6 points with a 45.4% Field Goal Percentage. Considering the pace, these stats show that he was efficient.
17.David Thompson
A terrific guard who revolutionized playing above the rim and was known for his aerial abilities, David Thompson also thrived as a high scoring perimeter threat too.
He was excellent in this regard, even though he was primary a slasher. His soft touch, ability to create his own shot and being in the hot zone made him to excel.
Additionally, Thompson could connect on different jumpers like pull ups, hang shots, floaters and so on. His arsenal was fine and he was in particular fantastic from 10 feet.
David averaged 26.5 points in his first four years of the playoffs on 49.1% field goal percentage. Impressive isn't it? He was a consistent and underrated yet effective outside scorer with respectable range.
16.Chris Mullin
The newest member of the Basketball Hall Of Fame who was an elite swingman with deadly accuracy, Chris Mullin was one of the best perimeter scorers of all time.
Mullin had the ability to create his own shot, soft touch and was excellent outside threat. His arsenal to score was decent too. He also found high percentage jumpers and that was one of the reasons why he was efficient too.
Additionally, Chris was a remarkable shooter who could find the bottom of the net from just about anywhere and hit variety of shots easily. He excelled on the perimeter.
He was additionally extremely efficient. He had four seasons of above 25 points in average with at least 50 field goal percentage. In his peak, he averaged 29.4 points on 54% percent from field.
He even had a year in which he poured in 25.4 points on incredible 58.8% field goal percent. That's amazing efficiency for a guy whose points mostly came from distances.
15.Paul Arizin
Pitchin Paul as they used to call him back in the day, Paul Arizin was an overlooked legend who was one of the best perimeter scorers in the NBA History.
He was the inventor of the jump shot, a powerful weapon on which he relied to excel as a prolific scorer. He was ahead of everyone in that regard.
Arizin possessed a deadly mid range game with respectable range on his jumper, who could score in variety of ways and was at his finest when pulling up for a shot near the foul line.
He won two scoring crowns with averages of 25.4 and 25.6 points while leading the league in field goal percentage, which is a rare feat for a guard.
In his prime, he led the playoffs in scoring with 28.9 points on 45% field goal percentage in a league that shot around 38% percent. That is an amazing accomplishment. Arizin averaged 27.6 points in the '56 Finals, where he led the Warriors to a title.
He's truly an all time great.
14.Ray Allen
The newest three point king who has build a legacy for him as an elite sniper who dominates teams from the outside, Ray Allen is one of the greatest perimeter scorers of all time.
He's capable to create his jumper, can get it over the defense and found the bottom of the net even if he's guarded from virtually any place on the court.
Allen has relied on getting off the screens and excelled in the catch and shot too. His quick and accurate release have made him a really tough guard to challenge and he's effective outside scorer.
Here are his stats. He's been extremely efficient in one season in which he had two years over 50% field goal percentage in the area of 10-15 feet and 49% from his 16-23 feet. Quite amazing, isn't it?
Ray Ray's perimeter excellence in particular his outside shooting is a result of hard work, soft touch and will to be great. He's such a great threat!
13.Reggie Miller
Before Ray Allen broke his record, Reggie Miller was the NBA's three point king who was known for his outside excellence. He was one of the best perimeter scorers to play the game.
He was a pure shooter, who relied on getting screens as he'd consistently beat his defender off the catch and shot for numerous years and despite getting huge defensive attention, he'd swish the ball easily.
In fact, Reggie was so good in that area. He could create his own shot too, pull up from any place and find the bottom of the net from outside. He was so great.
Miller's efficiency also speaks for his excellence too. He averaged 31.5 points on above 50% field goal, three point percentage with at least 90% free throw percent too. That is damn amazing feat.
His career percentages speak for themselves. He was efficient, even though he was heavily guarded all the time. He was one of the greatest outside threats and his opponents knew that it was always "Miller" time in the clutch.
12.Adrian Dantley
Although he was an excellent post up forward who did most of his work inside, Adrian Dantley was one of the greatest perimeter scorers of all time.
He was a fundamentally sound and intelligent player who relied on his strength and finesse to excel as an outside machine. He faced well in one on one situations, could create and found the bottom of the net with his shot.
Adrian possessed an excellent mid range game, who in particular excelled in the range of 3-9 feet and got in rhythm very quickly. He was a prolific threat that averaged 30 points for four straight seasons.
Dantley won two scoring crowns too. He was excellent and reliable perimeter threat who had good percentages from the outside. His excellence was for respect.
11.Tracy McGrady
Tracy McGrady made a name for himself in his third year as a pro when he emerged into the elite. His progress was in his years as part of the Orlando Magic.
That's when T-Mac showed to everyone why he was one of the best perimeter scorers of all time. Although injuries slowed him, very few could stop him in his scoring.
Tracy had a beautiful offensive arsenal, was capable to create space for himself and found the bottom of the net with his pure shot. He connected on dozens of shots and was a guy that got in rhythm quickly.
He led two consecutive years in scoring, who was a thing to watch in his peak. McGrady had a solid efficiency for a guy who saw a great defensive attention and made tough shots.
He even had four years in the playoffs in which he poured in at least 30 points in average. It's a shame he wasn't healthy enough, otherwise he'd have been much higher on this list.
10.Bob McAdoo
When Bob McAdoo arrived on scene, he was a tough mismatch for the opponents because he could burn them with his outside scoring that he did to a near perfection.
This is why he belongs in the same group along side these swingmen. His size, soft touch and ability to get in rhythm quickly made him an elite perimeter threat for numerous years.
Bob had a terrific range on his jumper that he could hit nothing but bottom of the net from anywhere. He had a nice arsenal to score and was capable to make variety of shots.
In his prime, McAdoo led the league in scoring for three consecutive years in which he averaged 32.4 points while connecting on 51.4% on his jumpers. That's terrific efficiency for an outside scorer.
It's a shame that his consistency as a high scoring force lasted for a period of eight years. Nonetheless, he was a phenomenal force out there.
9.John Havlicek
John Havlicek was known for a lot of things such as his all-around game, leadership, clutch performances, winning, stamina and so on, but he's underrated scoring machine who did his work from the perimeter.
That's right. Hondo was more than capable scorer. He was a machine. He had a lethal mid range game, soft touch which allowed him to be efficient and to make shots. His consistency was off the charts.
John was a reliable guy who always came up huge when needed. He ranked for six years among the league leaders in points per game, leading Boston in this category.
His efficiency was incredible for the pace he was playing in and he wasn't much of a gunner too. Havlicek averaged 28.9 points on 45% field goal percent in his peak.
He's ranked top 15 in career points and ranks tenth on the playoffs list in scoring too. Those are incredible facts. Hondo was truly a great scorer from the perimeter.
8.Dirk Nowitzki
The second big man on the list, who has always established himself as a dominant force because of his outside scoring, Dirk Nowitzki is truly an unique player on the court who deserves his spot on this list.
He's like a guard in a body of a seven footer. He's also been a tough mismatch for the opponents because not many big men can contain him out there.
Dirk possessed soft touch, size and range have him to excel on the perimeter as a high scoring threat. He can hit the bottom of the net in variety of ways, on all kinds of shots and from pretty much everywhere.
Nowitzki's consistency is also off the charts. He's quite amazing player. He's delivered in the clutch and always raised his scoring in the playoffs while doing the work from the outside.
He averaged 27.7 points on 48.5% field goal percentage while being heavily defended in the entire post season in which he led the Mavs to a title. His stats and efficiency are amazing and are a proof of just how good Dirk is as a perimeter scorer.
7.George Gervin
There's a reason why George Gervin was called "Iceman" and that was for his silky smooth game. He was one of the greatest perimeter scorers in the NBA History.
He could hit tough shots like free throws. He was so lethal from mid range because he was one of the most purest shooters of all time, as he was known for his smooth shot.
Additionally, he knew how to create his own jumper and could hit nothing but bottom of the net easily with it. In fact, his mix of soft touch, quickness and shooting made him excel as a high scoring perimeter force.
George got in rhythm quickly too. He was in fact so good, he led the league four times in scoring in a period of five years. His stats prove just how awesome he was.
Even when he averaged over 30 points, he shot over 50% from field. That's excellent efficiency for a mainly outside oriented scorer who had seen a large defensive attention in his entire career.
6.Larry Bird
Larry Bird was one of the greatest perimeter scorers to step on a NBA hardwood. He thrived as an elite perimeter scorer, even though he isn't so much known for this ability.
He was a sharp shooter who could create his own shot and find the bottom of the net from just about anywhere. He could hit variety of shots and had excellent offensive arsenal to score.
Larry was such a threat, that it didn't even matter was he wide open or heavily defended. He'd get open from the blocks as well, and his off-ball movement helped him to get great chances to score.
He was also getting a large defensive attention in his entire career. This is why his efficiency and stats were amazing, considering all of the factors.
Bird averaged 27.5 points on 51.4% field goal, 41.5% three point and 89.6% free throw percentage in three years of his peak. Quite amazing, isn't it? That's why he belongs on this list!
5.Alex English
An underrated legend who was the most prolific scoring machine of the 80's, Alex English was one of the game's greatest perimeter scorers of all time.
He was capable to create his own shot and find the bottom of the net from just about anywhere. His jump shot was among the most elite of all time. He had such a high release that few could have challenged it well.
Alex was one of the purest shooters who excelled as an outside machine. He connected on variety of jumpers, and was excellent in the post (high and low) too.
English was quite efficient too. He averaged consistently over 25 points in his finest years, all on averages above 50% field goal percent which is phenomenal.
In his peak, he poured in 30.2 points on 53.6% field goal percentage in a playoff series. That's amazing. His efficiency and stats were great for a perimeter oriented guy.
4.Rick Barry
Although he was a douche and bad tempered guy, Rick Barry's talent for the game of basketball was obvious. He was one of the greatest perimeter scorers in the history of basketball.
He was one of the most purest shooters of all time. He could find the bottom of the net from just about anywhere and was capable to create his own shot.
Rick thrived as an outside threat because of that. He also relied on screens too to get space to make his attempts. He saw great defensive attention too, but he'd connect on his jumpers too.
Barry did nearly all of the work from the outside. He won a scoring crown in his second season, in which he led the Warriors to a Finals appearance in which he dropped 40.8 points on 40% field goal percent.
That was in his peak. However after some time in the ABA, he poured in 29.5 points on 44.4% percentage from field. Quite excellent for a lethal outside threat.
3.Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan was in particular known for his ability to stand out in the clutch, win, dominate in the course of a basketball game and for his all-around excellence.
However, not many recognize the fact that he was one of the best perimeter scorers to step on a NBA hardwood. Although he was at first a slasher, he developed a much more reliable and consistent shot through the years.
He became much bigger outside threat thanks to that. Michael was excellent in all of possible situations. Off the dribble, catch and shot, hang shots, fade away and so on. Plus he a terrific arsenal to score too.
Jordan's transition was much more effective because of that and he settled later in the low post too. He managed to lead the league three times in scoring (consecutive years) as a machine from the outside.
He was scoring over 30 points when he did this on above 47% field goal percentage. Not bad for a guy who saw a huge attention from the opponents' defense consistently and was guarded by some of the top defensive players ever.
2.Kobe Bryant
A talented high school player who emerged as an all time great thanks to nothing but hard work, determination and will, Kobe Bryant is one of the best perimeter scorers in the NBA History.
He's one of the most purest in this aspect of the game. He's more than capable to create space for himself and to get his shot off. Plus he can make variety of shots, excels off the dribble, fade away and in hitting tough jumpers.
Kobe can find the bottom of the net from just about anywhere. Plus the fact that he's also great movement the ball helped him too. He's in fact a player who delivers consistently from outside easily, even though he's guarded well.
Bryant can get in rhythm pretty quickly and has one of the most sweetest offensive arsenals ever. That makes him even more dominant scorer. He also developed a terrific post up game and is now even more productive.
The stats show that he was efficient from 3-15 feet, in which he had years shooting over 50%. However, he's not that good from 16-23 feet which hurts his effectiveness overall.
Still, he was such a threat in his prime. He averaged incredible 36 points on 45% field goal percentage in average. That's the highest scoring average in the league since Jordan's 37 points. Terrific, isn't it?
1.Jerry West
An outstanding player who was obsessed with success, perfection, had the drive to succeed, Jerry West was arguably the greatest perimeter scorer to step on a NBA Hardwood.
He was one of the top shooters to play the game. He could find the bottom of the net easily from just about anywhere. He had a quick and extremely accurate release that helped him to make his attempts.
Additionally, Jerry had a terrific offensive arsenal to score. He could create his shot, excelled in off the dribble, was terrific at catch and shot etc. He saw a big defensive attention in his career too, but he made it look easy.
West was extremely efficient for his era. Despite the fast pace, he had few seasons in which he scored at least 25 points (had two over 30 as well) on at least 50% field goal percentage.
That's off the chart efficiency for a guy who scored the majority of his points on shots, mainly from the outside. Also, he once torched Baltimore for an all time record of 46.3 points to confirm his status as the most elite outside scorer of all time.
Now, that was dominance.
Honorable Mention
Pete "Pistol" Maravich, Paul Pierce, Kevin Durant (the future is bright for him in this regard), Bill Sharman and so on.
