Duke basketball’s top 10 shooters of the past decade
Top 10 Duke basketball shooters of the past decade: No. 4 Seth Curry
Guard. 2010-13. player. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. 434. Seth Curry. 4
It would be criminal to produce a list of top shooters without including the name Seth Curry. Just like everyone else in his family, Curry was blessed with a pure shooting stroke. He definitely had one of the prettiest looking jumpers. Curry had almost perfect form, a consistent release, and a great arch and rotation on the ball.
When Seth Curry decided to transfer from Liberty to Duke, few thought he would be able to transfer his shooting and scoring prowess to the ACC. But he quickly showed that when you have shooting talent you can get buckets anywhere.
Curry made 64 threes in both his first two seasons with the Blue Devils. In both those seasons, he never carried the load offensively but was more of a role player. His role was to space the floor and stretch out the defense more than it was being a go-to scorer.
It felt like Curry finally arrived during a showdown against North Carolina. Duke had struggled mightily early in that game and at one point faced a 22-point deficit. The Blue Devils ended up storming back and winning the game, with Curry playing a big role in the comeback. He scored 22 points on 8-for-12 shooting, including going on a hot streak to get Duke back in the game. Curry also hit six 3-pointers in the second matchup with UNC that year.
Curry’s percentage dropped a little bit in his second year at Duke, but he more than made up for it during his senior campaign. He took a big step forward and emerged as a go-to scorer. He averaged just below 22 points per game and shot a robust 47 percent overall from the field and just below 44 percent from three. Curry went from 128 combined made threes his first two seasons to 95 his senior year.
Whether it was running off multiple screens, coming off a dribble hand-off, or on a catch-and-shoot play, it was almost expected the ball would go in when Curry shot. As a senior, Curry became one of the most dangerous outside shooters. His 95 threes that season was good for second-best in the ACC. He went 6-for-7 from three in a win over Georgia Tech that season and then a couple of games later hit five from deep at Florida State.
Curry’s best performance that season came on the night of Duke’s biggest win of the year. He dropped 29, including 6-for-9 from three, to beat Michigan State and advance to the Elite Eight. It didn’t matter who defended him, the Spartans had no way to stop Curry that night. In my opinion, it is one of the most underrated Blue Devil tournament performances of all time.