“When you got somebody like Steph (Curry) who has a supreme skill … that doesn’t just come from his dad being Dell Curry and passing those powers down.”

Kevin Durant will be the first to shut down any thought that shooting is strictly a natural born talent. He would know as well as anybody, considering players with his height are rarely long-range snipers. He’s aware of the behind-the-scenes practice that’s required in order to master any type of shot.

Since 2016, he’s been able to witness the greatest shooter in history go through the pertinacious routines at practice and then execute carbon copies of those shots during games.

“He’s worked on that and continues to work on it,” Durant said. “It’s a joy to see, and then to see the production (in games) and how he ties everything together. It’s pure artistry.”

Last Friday in a blowout win over Chicago, Curry moved into third all-time on the career leaderboard for made 3-pointers. Two days later, he followed it up with a 48-point showcase in Dallas, drilling 11-of-19 triples.

After just 657 career games, Curry is only 264 threes behind Reggie Miller for second all-time, and 677 behind Ray Allen for the most. Miller played 1,389 games while Allen played in 1,300. That means Curry is 77 percent of the way to Allen’s record while playing (roughly) half as many games.

This season alone, he’s connected on 167 triples in his 32 games — on pace for 371 if he doesn’t miss any more time between now and April 10. Those 11 missed games in November will cost him another record-breaking mark for a single season. His current 82-game pace in made threes would be 428, and the record is Curry’s own 402 triples during the 2015–16 season. That historic campaign led to his unanimous MVP award. The fact that’s even deadlier from long-range now than he was then … it’s ludicrous.

“For me to be that close (to Miller and Allen), it’s special,” Curry said. “The longevity of what those numbers mean, I want to continue to chase them.”

So how quickly will he surpass his three-point idols?

Let’s project that Curry finishes this season with 350 threes, which is shorting him a few based on what he’s projected. But, it factors in a couple missed games at the end or any regression. If he makes 350 by April 10, he’ll have 2,479 heading into next season.

Then, he’ll only be 82 from passing Miller for second and 495 from becoming the historical leader. Curry has made around 4.5 threes per game since 2015, meaning it would only take about 19 games into the 2019–20 season to pass Miller. That’s right before Thanksgiving 2019.

Next, he would be chasing Allen. Let’s say he hits 350 threes next season, too. Again, these are probably stingy estimates because Curry has shown the ability to shatter the 350 mark. But, you have to consider injuries.

He would end the 2019–20 season trailing Allen by just 145 triples, heading into 2020–21. It would be an absolute lock — barring anything that keeps him out 50-plus games — that Curry will become the NBA’s all-time king in 3-pointers before Christmas 2020.

At that point, he will only be 32 years old, turning the corner on 33. When Allen broke the record in 2011, he was 35 and close to turning 36.

When Durant was asked about Curry simply moving into third last week, he knew there were much bigger things ahead.

“It’s definitely cool, but we all know he’s going to break the record,” Durant said. “He sets such a high standard, such a high bar. I mean it’s cool but you only got to wait another season or two before he gets to the number one spot.”

Kerr, who had the chance to play against both Miller and Allen and observed them closely in the 1990s and early 2000s, has noticed common traits among the top shooters in history. And only half of it relates to the natural talent.

“There is obviously a natural shooting touch that comes for all of those guys,” Kerr said. “They were probably all great shooters when they were six years old. There is a touch and hand-eye coordination that’s automatic, but the work ethic and the routine that each one develops … I think, Reggie and Ray were both well-known for their habits and work ethic.”

Now, having a chance to coach the individual that’s chasing them, he witnesses the modern example of it.

“I see the same thing from Steph every day,” Kerr said. “He never misses a day. It doesn’t just happen. The ball just doesn’t go in; there is a lot of work that goes into it. That’s the common thread.”

Curry is about to be 31, but he’s fitting the mold that we’ve seen from most superstars in this generation: His prime is being extended beyond what’s expected.

It’s actually fascinating when you consider what we saw from LeBron James and Kobe Bryant at age 31, then what we’re currently seeing from Curry and Durant in the same range.

When James was 31, he put together the most impressive playoff run imaginable. It was when he knocked off the 73-win Warriors and averaged 30–11–9 on nearly 50 percent shooting in the Finals. When Bryant was 31, he had just completed another back-to-back championship and claimed Finals MVP in the gritty series vs. Boston.

Curry, at almost 31, is a better and wiser version of the sharpshooter he was in 2016, which was arguably the greatest offensive regular season ever.

Let’s just take a look at the major accomplishments, or statistical feats, we’re currently witnessing from Curry in 2018–19:

Right now, he’s shooting 45 percent on 11.6 threes per game. Nobody in history has ever made at least 43 percent on 8 attempts per game … except Curry, who did it two other times. Harden is taking 12.7 (!) on average, but he’s only 37.8 percent efficient — over seven percentage points lower than Curry.

He’s exceeding 29 points, five rebounds, and five assists per game while shooting 54 percent from two, 45 percent from three, and 91 percent at the line. If you drop the percentages (significantly) to 50–40–80, here’s the only players to ever average 29-plus points with those efficiency marks:

(Look at the difference in 3-point attempts)

Even after missing 11, Curry has 21 different games this season of hitting 5+ threes. The Warriors have 39 games remaining, and he’s looking to break his own record for 5+ triple performances:

Most 5+ 3PM games in a season

Curry just notched his 41st career game with at least 8 three-pointers. Nobody else throughout NBA history has more than 14:

Games with 8+ threes — Career

By hitting 11 threes against Dallas, it also became his 12th career game with at least 10 triples. Nobody else has more than four:

Games with 10+ threes — Career

Since the 2014–15 season, Curry now has 29 games with at least 40 points. He’s behind only Westbrook (36) and Harden (57). However, Curry’s team is 28–1 when he scores at least 40, while Westbrook is 17–19 and Harden is 43–14. LeBron’s teams are 10–2 during that span when he drops at least 40 points.

Curry is maintaining a 65.9 percent True Shooting mark on superstar-level usage (31.4 percent). Out of all players to ever finish a season with 63+ percent True Shooting on 30+ percent usage, this would only be second behind … 2016 Curry:

At least 63% TS with 30% Usage — NBA history

“His hunger to stay great — he doesn’t have to put in as much work as he does,” Thompson said. “He’s already reached the mountain top, but he legitimately loves this game and I think it shows in how he plays and works. We all try to learn from him the best we can.”

With Curry in the lineup, the Warriors are 24–8, which translates to a 62-win pace. When he’s on the court, they are scoring 117.9 points per 100 possessions (the league-leading team is Golden State at 114.6). It is, once again, the highest individual offensive rating on the Warriors.

Even if it doesn’t feel like it, Curry is only improving from the magical 2016 season. The odds are it won’t result in any more MVP hardware because of his supporting cast, but the offensive threat he imposes and unprecedented numbers should speak for themselves.

*All quotes were obtained firsthand*

Shane Young is a freelance NBA columnist that currently publishes content on ClutchPoints. He is still searching for full-time NBA writing opportunities in any capacity — beat-writing, feature columns, etc. He specializes in analyzing basketball X’s and O’s and advanced metrics, while having five years of experience covering games/practices in multiple NBA cities. If interested, reach out via email at: ShaneYoungNBA@gmail.com

Twitter: @YoungNBA