The 2021 Top 5 Players Who’ve Never Seen a Shot They Don’t Like

We’ve all played with this guy. You have the ball on the wing and you swing it around the perimeter until it hits him above the opposite break, at which point there’s only one thing left to do….get back on D. Because one thing is for absolute sure: that shot’s going up. Every time. His teammates know him as Mr Tunnel Vision, The Black Hole or maybe just straight up Ball Hog.

The league has gifted us some spectacularly bold bucket-getters over the years with a shoot-first, shoot-second, shoot-third mentality. Players like Swaggy P and JR Smith come to mind as founding fathers, but let’s look at the Top 5 guys from the 2020/21 season who need no encouragement to get up shots.

Now, a quick shout out to those of you who’ve already begun formulating an analytical case to prove that perhaps these guys do actually share the rock. To you I would propose that just about any mid to high rotation NBA guard or wing can fall ass-backwards into a couple of assists per game. But really that’s not what this is about. This is all about the eye test. This list is five guys who, when you sit down to watch a game, feel like they shoot they ball every time they touch it and for whom passing always just looks like the last resort.

“Just about any mid to high rotation NBA guard or wing can fall ass-backwards into a couple of assists per game…”

5. Nickeil Alexander Walker

USG 22.8% – 21.9 MPG – 2.2 APG – 15.5 AST % – 15.6 AST RATIO

The Pelicans Guard is absolutely a gifted scoring spark-plug archetype that would make the Jamal Crawfords’ of the world proud. He has gradually earned playing time under Coach Stan Van Gundy and stepped up in times where their lineup was thin. But even for a guy who’s role is to come into the game and get buckets, there’s moments where you genuinely wonder if he actually knows that there are 4 other players on the floor in the same uniform, including one named Zion Williamson who is a human wrecking ball that shoots 65% from the field. He’s not afraid of the moment and if you give him the rock down the stretch, it’s going up.

4. Jordan Clarkson

USG 28.6% – 26.7 MPG – 2.5 APG – 14.9 AST % – 11.9 AST RATIO

The Sixth Man of the Year, Jordan Clarkson is perhaps the only player on this list for whom his inclusion is exclusively a compliment. JC’s designated role in the Jazz offense is explicitly to come out and shoot. And shoot he does. He has arguably the greenest light in the league. He averaged an impressive 18.4 PPG whilst being the only player this season to score 40 points off the bench which he did twice. He’s so happy to shoot it that he openly admits to wanting the ball late in the shot clock of a broken play, a time when most players prefer to play hot potato and preserve their FG % over forcing up a bad shot. Good shot, bad shot, JC just loves to get shots up.

3. Tim Hardaway Jnr

USG 23% – 28.4 MPG – 1.8 APG – 9.8 AST % – 5.5 AST RATIO

There’s no denying that Hardaway Jnr has been great this year for the Mavs and has almost definitely overtaken Kristaps Porzingis, 7 feet 3 inches of pure disappointment, as their second best player in the process. He has embraced a bigger workload, locked in hard on defense and has starred in his role. He was vital at multiple key moments in their first round matchup with the Clippers where he averaged 17 PPG, knocking down 3.3 triples per game at at 40.4% clip. He is also guilty of the most “this shot is cash money” shooting form in the league. Forget following your own shot for a potential rebound. Hardaway lands in a full backwards sprint and is over half court by the time the shot hits rim. Fundamentals are for losers.

2. Dillan Brooks

USG 25.6% – 29.8 MPG – 2.3 APG – 11.2 AST % – 11.3 AST RATIO

Dillon Brooks has provided exactly the brand of grit, attitude and firepower that a young team like the Memphis Grizzlies need. He gets to the line, he hits threes, he attacks the basket and he plays hard defense. He also shoots anything and everything. If you watch closely you might even see actual pain on his face when he’s forced to give up the ball. He’s from the Marcus Smart school of ‘don’t worry guys, I got this!’ meaning he’s just as likely to lose you the game with 3 missed bad shots down the stretch as he is to win you the game with a heroic make. Frustrating as he may be, every team needs a Dillon Brooks; a guy who believes wholeheartedly that he’s the best player on the court and will one day probably win you a pivotal playoff game.

1. Michael Porter Jnr

USG 21.3% – 31.73MPG – 1.1 APG – 5.6 AST % – 6.8 AST RATIO

The Nuggets forward has cemented himself as a bonafide scorer and elite shot maker, especially in the wake of Jamal Murray’s season ending ACL Injury. In only a 3 minute per game bump since Murray went down he’s improved from 17.3 PPG on 53.4% FG and 42.1% of his 5.6 3PT attempts per game to 23.5 PPG on 56% and 48.9% splits at 7.9 3PT attempts per game. More importantly, he has grown from being an embarrassingly poor defender to an average one, something that had kept him from consistent playing time in Malone’s rotation. And hell, if there was ever a guy who actually maybe should consider just shooting it every time down the floor, it’s MPJ. At 6’10 with a high release, unlimited range and the skill to create a shot anywhere on the court, the guy is an absolute weapon. Is he maybe Kevin Durant light? Porter Jnr certainly thinks so.

But boy does he take some of the worst shots in basketball; contested long two’s on the fast break, long treys early in the shot clock or, my personal favourite, the viral late-game decision earlier this season featuring a cut to the corner instead of the basket on a wide open fast break while down a point. When it comes to bad shots, MPJ has the deepest bag in the league. He has emerged as the league leader in “NO-NO-YES” shots per game. He’s taking – and making – some of the worst shots in basketball, and its a thing of beauty. Manic, anxiety-inducing beauty.

There you have it, folks. The quickest triggers in the league! Now we wait in anticipation to see if someone can take the crown in 2021/22.