With Ray Allen being inducted into the Hall of Fame this Friday, it's important to pay tribute to his career as much more than what he's known for.
Averaging 23.4 points per game his final year at UConn shooting a stifling 46.6% from beyond the arc, Allen was rewarded with United Press International Player of the Year and BIG EAST Player of the Year. But Allen saw himself as more than just a marksman, "I never set out to be a great 3-point shooter. Over time, I started developing range with shooting because that's what I did every day to work on my shot."
It is easy to forget that Allen was much more than just a 3-point shooter because of all the big threes he has knocked down in his career. Even on draft night, he claimed, "I have to step it up a notch everywhere. I can't settle for the skills I displayed in college. The NBA is another level and I definitely have to improve a lot and work very hard."
His rookie season in Milwaukee he attempted a career-low 298 threes (excluding the lockout season in 1998-99), yet still shot a solid 39.3 percent. The next two years following, he had two of the lowest three-point percentages in his career at 36.4 percent and 35.6 percent, respectively. While those are still decent percentages, it showed Allen was finding other ways to score, averaging 19.5 and 17.1 points per game in those seasons.
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As he adjusted to the game at the NBA level, you really got to see Allen's true scoring ability from all over the floor. From his fourth year in the league in 2000 through his eighth year in the league in 2007, he averaged 23.3 points per game shooting 44.9 percent from the field and 40.2 percent from three. Of those years, 60.4 percent of his shots were coming from inside the three-point line.
Throughout his 18-year NBA career, Allen only led the league in 3-point attempts once despite leading the league in threes made three times. On top of that, his two years with the Miami Heat were the only seasons where the majority of his field goal attempts came from downtown. With that being said, he still has the most threes made all-time with 2,973 and most threes attempted with 7,429.
There is no denying that Allen could have been the best 3-point shooter ever on the date he retired (with credit to Stephen Curry now). There is also no denying that he was a better all-around offensive player than he is credited for. Additionally, his leaping ability throughout his career was often overlooked.
Allen will always be remembered for his clutch shots and three-point shooting, but he certainly turned in to the well-rounded player he sought out to be on draft night.