Rank these players' peak, strictly in terms of scoring...

[SHAQisGOAT]

Dale Ellis

Pete Maravich

Stephen Curry

Ray Allen

Reggie Miller

Mitch Richmond


1st to 6th...Explain why, if you want to...

[senelcoolidge]

Maravich - complete offensive game. Could score with the ball or off the ball. Had 3pt range before there was a 3pt shot. Great shooting off the dribble. Look at his 68 point game..if there were a 3pt line he would have 80 at least.

Mitch "the Rock" Richmond - great offensive player. Not really a 3pt shooter from what I remember. More of a mid range and going to the basket guy. Underrated because he played on so many crappy teams.

Ray Allen - yeah he's a great 3pt shooter, but if you saw him when he was younger...damn he was good. So athletic too. Plus he saved Lebron..instead 2/5, he could've been 1/5 right now.

Stephen Curry - still young, let's see if he adds more to his game. Prolific 3pt shooter that's for sure.

Reggie Miller - another long range bomber. Feisty.

Dale Ellis - I remember him being one-dimensional...a scorer. Excellent shooter from what I remember. First player with 1,000 made 3's. Quick release off the screen. Pure shooter. Underrated.

[feyki]

Pete ;

Only high volume scorer on this group.

Curry ;
Greatest shooter ever and last year he was evolve the mvp level player and put 30 points per game to the champ. at playoffs.



Milller ;

Greatest clutch player all time with Sam Jones for me . He isn't good season player but he's peak between 27-31 points per game at playoffs.



Ray

Dale

Mitch

[SHAQisGOAT]

At #1 I'd probably put Pistol Pete...
A volume scorer but a damn good scorer despite many times deviating from playing "winning basketball", and despite not having the best shot-selection.
He was 6'5 w/o shoes on, nice athlete, could shoot it from anywhere in any way, had unreal range, great handles, plenty of finishing ways inside, had footwork and shots in the post, could move without the ball in order to get his shots off...
At his best, dude was leading the league in scoring without a 3pt-line, with crazy physicality, vs true hand-checking, league's DRtg below 100, playing with a very shitty supporting cast...
Didn't get to the Playoffs much though, so you can't say he proved himself there much... But he once was killing a great Celtics' D with Don Chaney and Hondo, while also having a good series vs them in the following year.
Bit off topic but he also has the most PPG in college bball history (44.2) without a 3pt-line, with real zone and real hand-check in play... Plus, a former LSU coach charted every basket Maravich made in college and later concluded that Pistol's PPG would've been at 57 with a 3pt-line (and ofc, Pete wasn't even "looking" for that particular distance).

I know that Steph never scored more than 24 PPG in the regular-season and he never was top5 in PPG, but I gotta have him at 2nd here, while you can say that it's also a vote of confidence or something...
You can already make the claim for him being the GOAT 3pt-shooter, he has great handles and he's just sick at hitting 3's off the dribble, think the best I've ever seen at it. He's also very good from mid-range, doesn't go all that much to the FT-line but can shoot it at 90% rate, and he has some crazy good layups and floaters, that ridiculous soft-touch...
And he took that leap this year, scoring 23.8 PPG on 48.7/44.3/91.4 in only 32.7 MPG, in the RS; then in the Playoffs scored 28.3 on .607 TS% all the way to the title, only player on this list who lead a team to a chip as the best player.
Curry's playing vs no hand-checkin in softer era, also for a great team, but he also plays for a system where he's not chucking a whole lot, and he gets tremendous defensive attention.

I'd then have Ray ahead of Reggie but not by all that...
They're two of the very best clutch shooters ever, they were terrific without the ball and could shoot it lights out from anywhere, and more.
People forget about prime Ray-Ray but he was a very good scorer and, ofc, a ridiculous shooter... From 2004 til 2007 he really showed what he could do in terms of scoring in the regular-season, and he proved himself plenty in the Playoffs.
Reggie wasn't scoring ALL that much in the regular-season but displayed tremendous shooting efficiency and mostly raised it up for the Playoffs, proving himself more there than dudes like Maravich, Ellis or Richmond.
I think prime Allen was a bit more versatile as a scorer than Miller, though.

Ellis only has 4 20+ PPG seasons while Mitch has 10 but I think I'd give the slight edge to Dale over Richmond when we're talking about peaks/primes...
Dale was once 3rd in PPG while Mitch never reached that high, Ellis was scoring 27.5 on 50.1/47.8/81.6 at his best... He was 6'7, athletic, great without the ball, had a sweet, very quick stroke, elite shooter from everywhere but the FT-line, could finish inside, post-up and score off of put-backs; very underrated prime.
Mitch could bully you inside, had a very good back-to-the-basket game, very good scorer, and also a very good overall shooter but not quite as good as Dale and without that type of range, more of a mid-range cat... And he only reached 24+ PPG once, when the 3pt-line was closer to the basket... Plus, with the regular 3pt-line distance he only reached 40% from 3pt-land once, too
Dale only had like one great Playoff run but still proved himself more than Mitch there; that can break the "tie" here.

So...

1. Maravich
2. Curry
3. Allen
4. Reggie
5. Ellis
6. Richmond

Again, that's more in terms of prime/peak and it's extremely close for all of them, I can easily see a different list...
Plus, some people might take rules (written/unwritten) more into considerationg than I do/did...

[Fallen Angel]

Stephen Curry has the best scoring ability out of the bunch, that's all that should matter.

[SHAQisGOAT]

Maravich - complete offensive game. Could score with the ball or off the ball. Had 3pt range before there was a 3pt shot. Great shooting off the dribble. Look at his 68 point game..if there were a 3pt line he would have 80 at least.

Mitch "the Rock" Richmond - great offensive player. Not really a 3pt shooter from what I remember. More of a mid range and going to the basket guy. Underrated because he played on so many crappy teams.

Ray Allen - yeah he's a great 3pt shooter, but if you saw him when he was younger...damn he was good. So athletic too. Plus he saved Lebron..instead 2/5, he could've been 1/5 right now.

Stephen Curry - still young, let's see if he adds more to his game. Prolific 3pt shooter that's for sure.

Reggie Miller - another long range bomber. Feisty.

Dale Ellis - I remember him being one-dimensional...a scorer. Excellent shooter from what I remember. First player with 1,000 made 3's. Quick release off the screen. Pure shooter. Underrated.

Nice analysis.

[ClipperRevival]

OP,

I agree with your ranking from 1-4 but I give the edge to Richmond over Ellis. I know statistically, Ellis peaked higher but I just think Richmond was the better player. And I do recall MJ saying Richmond was his toughest opponent at one point.

Also, Maravich was a basketball savant. I have watched some of his basketball instructional videos and it's next level stuff based on when it was made. The guy had a gift for the game. You can't really teach that.

[SHAQisGOAT]

Their career high scoring totals, to display some of their scoring abilities...

Pistol Pete:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UTust5oFW4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPqnpxhFWhw (long version)

68 points, 43 min, 26-43 FG, no 3pt-line, 16-19 FT
vs Knicks, 100.1 DRtg that season (15th out of 22)
Maravich scorching a past-his-prime Walt Frazier, who I believe asked Monroe to pick Pete up because he was getting killed. Both teams were fighting for a Playoff spot, neither got there.
Pistol was crazy, scary, red hot... Some of those shots are unreal, showing EVERY TYPE of scoring "way"... Doing it without a 3pt-line, vs true hand-checking, and he fouled out on some very questionable calls.

Reggie:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zWXkwv0am8

57 points, 38 min, 16-29 FG, 4-11 3P, 21-23 FT
vs Hornets, 109.7 DRtg that season (19th out of 27)
Miller scoring ALL over the place, showing David Wingate and them, his tremendous shooting ability, terrific off ball play, smartness and overall scoring skill, he had them looking clueless out there; Zo was in the paint. Reggie had all those "tricks", going to the FT-line a whole lot here.

Richmond:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2fLWHPg6Dc

47 points, 41 minutes, 17-29 FG, 3-5 3P (closer 3pt-line), 10-13 FT
vs Rockets, 107.4 DRtg that season (14th out of 29)
Mitch with that mid-range game on full display, attacking the paint very well (with Hakeem there plenty), showing his strength and toughness, that great stroke..

Allen:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31TTz9-J24Q

54 points, 43 min, 17-32 FG, 8-12 3P, 12-12 FT
vs Jazz, 107.0 DRtg that season (18th out of 30)
Ray-Ray was feeling it from 3pt-land, driving hard to the rim, that off-ball play is ridiculous... Giricek or Fisher were just no match for him.

Curry:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O70rVNKIUGE

54 points, 48 min, 18-28 FG, 11-13 3P, 7-7 FT
vs Knicks, 106.3 DRtg that season (18th out of 30)
Steph making it look extremely easy out there, wetting 3's off the dribble so effortlessly, unreal shooting display, with some crazy-ass floaters/layups, everybody getting murked... GS lost the game at the end though.

Dale Ellis' career high is 53 points, in 69 minutes, on 46.2/42.9/82.4, in 1989 vs the Bucks, but I believe there's no footage of it out there... So...
Here's him scoring 41 vs the Clippers in 1987, showing his great stroke, terrific off-ball play, good driving inside, some rebounding, athleticism, post-up skill; just that versatile scoring ability with elite shooting... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fE7p9olrzto
Here's what he did vs his former team, the Mavs, in the 1987 Playoffs... Lead the tremendous upset, scoring 29.5 PPG on 55.7/50.0/84.2, for the series... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JO4KBGEPM2E

[SHAQisGOAT]

OP,

I agree with your ranking from 1-4 but I give the edge to Richmond over Ellis. I know statistically, Ellis peaked higher but I just think Richmond was the better player. And I do recall MJ saying Richmond was his toughest opponent at one point.

Also, Maravich was a basketball savant. I have watched some of his basketball instructional videos and it's next level stuff based on when it was made. The guy had a gift for the game. You can't really teach that.

I don't know... In terms of scoring longevity and keeping it up for longer, I definitely give it to Richmond like I've said. Ellis' very best years were only for like 4 seasons (with Seattle); a young Dale had no opportunity to show his talents in Dallas til he got traded and spent his prime/peak with the Sonics, then he suffered some injuries, got traded again, became more of a journeyman, role player...
But in terms of peaks, there wasn't much that Mitch could do better than Ellis, scoring wise... Mitch was better from the FT-line, he was a better ball-handler YET not a better finisher inside, he was stronger YET not overall more athletic, with a pretty good post-game YET I wouldn't say better than Dale's (not worse though)... Ellis was taller/longer, had a quicker shot, was better without the ball, better from mid-range, better from 3pt-land, a much better offensive rebounder and at scoring off of putbacks, better on the break... Plus, Dale proved himself more in the Playoffs.
Think peak vs peak, you can say it is a wash though... Although I'd give the slight edge to Dale, but I won't go against Mitch much.

Yea, think Mike said that at some point...Dale also had some very good battles vs MJ here and there, though...
Here's one from 1987-88:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhNJN2RyRd0
http://www.basketball-reference.com/...802230CHI.html

[SHAQisGOAT]

Bump...

No more rankings?

[ClipperRevival]

I don't know... In terms of scoring longevity and keeping it up for longer, I definitely give it to Richmond like I've said. Ellis' very best years were only for like 4 seasons (with Seattle); a young Dale had no opportunity to show his talents in Dallas til he got traded and spent his prime/peak with the Sonics, then he suffered some injuries, got traded again, became more of a journeyman, role player...
But in terms of peaks, there wasn't much that Mitch could do better than Ellis, scoring wise... Mitch was better from the FT-line, he was a better ball-handler YET not a better finisher inside, he was stronger YET not overall more athletic, with a pretty good post-game YET I wouldn't say better than Dale's (not worse though)... Ellis was taller/longer, had a quicker shot, was better without the ball, better from mid-range, better from 3pt-land, a much better offensive rebounder and at scoring off of putbacks, better on the break... Plus, Dale proved himself more in the Playoffs.
Think peak vs peak, you can say it is a wash though... Although I'd give the slight edge to Dale, but I won't go against Mitch much.

Yea, think Mike said that at some point...Dale also had some very good battles vs MJ here and there, though...
Here's one from 1987-88:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhNJN2RyRd0
http://www.basketball-reference.com/...802230CHI.html

You're right. Just from a numbers perspective, Ellis peaked higher. But I just prefer Richmond because he was close enough to peak Ellis and was much more consistent throughout his career. As a matter of fact, his 23.1 ppg over a 10 year stretch gets seriously overlooked. During that time, his floor was 21.9 ppg and ceiling was 25.9 ppg. That's consistency.

[L.Kizzle]

I have the Pistol at one, easily. Crappy teams, but as lights out. 30 ppg, ect. And was still doing that with other scorers like Lou Hudson.

The other five it's tough.

Dale. I'm not too sure if he was just a high scoring wing on bad teams in Seattle. Glen Rice would have served better for this group, IMO.

Richmond, while on crappy teams in Sac-Town. We know he was puttin up those same numbers with help in Mullin and Timmy.

Ray, was more than just a 3 point shooter.

Reggie, was like Ray. But a notch below at everything, IMO (besides the clutch gene, and Reggie is a notch above.)

Steph, can score in so many ways. More like Pistol in the ways he can score.

Ray definitely isn't last as he's over Reggie. He's over Dale Ellis also. Mitch, probably could score in more ways than Ray. That leaves Steph. He's either above Reggie or right below him.

-----

1. Pete
2. Rock
3. Ray

-(Steph)
Reggie
-(Steph)

6. Dale