Iverson’s point production
Iverson attempted more than 300 three-point attempts in a season four times in his career, which is an abnormal amount compared to guards in the current NBA. More than 50 active players attempted at least 300 three-point attempts and counting this season, with the addition of players such as Harden and Curry routinely shooting more than 500 three-point attempts per season. Iverson attempted an average of 3.7 three-point shots per game, but his career high attempts (6.0) came in his rookie season where 26 percent of Iverson’s 23.5 points per game came from beyond the perimeter.
Although Iverson converted an average of only 1.2 three-point attempts per game, which led to a disillusioning career 31.3 three-point percentage, he finished among the top 50 in three-point attempts made for seven straight seasons (1996-97 to 2002-03). Despite misconceptions about his shooting inefficiency, Iverson shot just 1.6 percent worse than Kobe Bryant from deep and made 3.4 percent less three-point attempts than Carmelo Anthony but has nearly the same true shooting percentage as both.
The Philadelphia 76ers relied heavily on Iverson, best represented by his usage percentage that traveled well north of 30 percent for nine straight seasons. He spent five seasons atop the NBA in usage percentage and finished fifth in the history of basketball in that statistical category, 1.43 percent below Michael Jordan. For those nine seasons, Iverson was responsible for more than 32.0 percent of the Sixers’ points, scoring over 40.0 percent of the Sixers’ three-point attempts four times in that period of time.
In 2001-02, when Iverson’s usage percentage reached a career-high 37.8 percent, he was accountable for 36.7 percent of the Sixers’ points and despite 62.3 percent of his points coming courteous of two-point attempts, more than half of them were unassisted (57.5 percent). That season, Iverson finished 52.0 percent of his shots within eight feet of the rim and 69.4 percent of his 515 attempts there went unassisted, displaying his aggressiveness and accuracy driving to the basket. Furthermore, Iverson posted a field goal percentage of 86.1 percent on driving layup shots (151 attempts) and made 86.8 percent of his 68 attempted running jump shots that season.
He is a career 75.3% shooter on running jump shots, a move that has gone almost completely obsolete in today’s NBA, but shot 79.8% on 79 pull up jump shot attempts for the three years that they were recorded (final three years of his career). Additionally, Iverson’s step back jump shot statistics were not recorded until those final three seasons, but regardless, he shot 91.6% on 25 attempts. Though in 2007 the floating jump shot statistic was first recorded as well, he sank 76.8% of his 24 attempts over his last three seasons.