It Might Be Time for the Sixers to Crown Their New Three Point King
Something that will never change in the history of sports is a certified old head hitting you with the classic back in my day rant. It may be annoying to hear, but the old heads aren’t exactly wrong. Back in their day, players didn’t shoot the three-ball like it was automatic. The game was more about attacking the paint and trying to get easy buckets. I say trying because the paint was a literal warzone where your body takes a beating trying to score a layup, post shot, or even dunk. Take Michael Jordan, for instance, when he kept getting knocked on his rear when scoring against the Bad Boy Pistons.
Now, as for the three-pointer itself, it was introduced to the NBA in the 1979-80 season. The trend for teams using the three-pointer rose gradually over time. That is, until a weird moment happened in the mid-90s where teams started getting a little trigger-happy with the three. A sign that a change will be coming sooner or later. See, before the 2010s, there were two of the greatest sharpshooters in history. The two guys who dominated the three-ball games were Reggie Miller and Ray Allen. Something all old heads will say whenever the three-pointer is mentioned. However, that was until one player evolved the three to the point that every team is trying to replicate. Yes, that specific player is Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors. The only man with over 4,000 made three pointers in history, and arguably the one who ruined and revolutionized the game of basketball.
The change is certainly significant, but let’s take a step back into the late-90s and 2000s era, where a Sixers legend was crowned the king of the three-ball for the franchise. This legend only had two seasons in which he made over 100 three-pointers in his career. That player was Allen Iverson, who dropped 155 three-pointers in his rookie year and 104 threes in his ninth season. I believe those two seasons were beneficial, as they led to him holding the franchise record for most threes made. The 2001 MVP has held the franchise record, with 885 three-pointers made, for over 15 years. For clarification, the 15-year mark started after Iverson’s last season in the NBA, which was the 2009-10 season, to the most recent season. Now then, there is one player who may break that record in just one season.
Introducing one-time all-star, Tyrese Maxey, who is capable of being the new record holder for most threes made in franchise history. See, Maxey is sitting third in Sixers’ history, with 696 threes made. Right behind an underrated three-point scorer, Robert Covington, who has 724 threes made, and Iverson’s 885 threes made. That means Mad Max is 28 threes away from Covington, and 189 threes away from Iverson’s. In this modern league, with him being healthy, he is more than capable of wearing the crown for three-point king in Sixers history.
