Joe Ingles declares himself best shooter in NBA; Steph Curry responds

Share

In the Utah Jazz's Oct. 5 preseason win over the Toronto Raptors, Joe Ingles went 5-for-11 from 3-point territory.

After the game, he made a declaration.

"I’m the best shooter in the league," he told reporters in the locker room.

A couple days later, he doubled down when a reporter reminded him that he "joked" about being the NBA's best marksman.

"No, I am," Ingles responded. "The numbers I’ve shot, the percentages, they obviously are what they are and people are going to dissect everything, but I honestly feel like they’re all going to go in when I shoot the ball.

"When I feel like it’s my shot within the flow of our offense and getting in any rhythm, I feel like I should make every one of them. That’s why it pisses me off so much in practice when I miss open shots because I feel like I should make them.”

After shootaround Friday, Ingles' words were relayed to Steph Curry.

"That just means in Las Vegas in the Summer League in 2009, we had two of the best shooters of all time on the same time," Curry joked. "We got a lot in common.

"He's proven that he's a versatile player that can do a lot of different things on the floor. ... Perseverance like that, it speaks a lot about a guy's character and work ethic."

Ingles' career numbers from beyond the arc:
2014-15 -- 35.6 percent on 2.6 attempts
2015-16 -- 38.6 percent on 2.6 attempts
2016-17 -- 44.1 percent on 3.4 attempts
2017-18 -- 44.0 percent on 5.7 attempts 

Curry's numbers the last four seasons from beyond the arc:
2014-15 -- 44.3 percent on 8.1 attempts
2015-16 -- 45.4 percent on 11.2 attempts
2016-17 -- 41.1 percent on 10.0 attempts
2017-18 -- 42.3 percent on 9.8 attempts 

Interesting statistic No. 1 -- Ingles has made 28 3-pointers in his career against the Warriors, which is tied for the most he's hit against any team.

Interesting statistic No. 2 -- Ingles went 4-for-16 from deep when he was teammates with Curry at Summer League in 2009.

Drew Shiller is the co-host of Warriors Outsiders. Follow him on Twitter @DrewShiller

Contact Us