Even some of the game’s most heralded shooters have failed to reach the 40-50-90 threshold. Household names like Ray Allen, Jerry West, Glen Rice, Chris Mullin, and Alex English have all led notably iconic careers but even these sharpshooters fail to match the extraordinary stat line known by a select few.             

The members of this exclusive statistical club include Larry Bird (‘86,’87), Mark Price (‘88), Reggie Miller (‘93), Steve Nash (2005,2007,2008), Jose Calderon (2007), and Dirk Nowitzki (2008) and with the final months of the season approaching, a handful of players find themselves in contention for a place among the 40-50-90. 

In this 2010-2011 season, a few players have made their presence known as elite level shooters though they may again fall short. Among this short list of sharpshooters is Minnesota’s Luke Ridnour, who has long been one of the game’s premier marksmen since entering the professional ranks from the University of Oregon in 2003. 

Ridnour’s 91 percent from FT, 44 percent from 3PT, and 47 percent from FG makes the veteran guard a prime candidate to join the club. Considered one of the league’s streakiest shooters, Ridnour has started all of Minnesota’s games since November 24th while boasting over 31 minutes of nightly playing time. 

Along with Ridnour, Phoenix’s Steve Nash will again contend for another lights-out shooting season. Nash’s 92 percent FT, 41 percent 3PT, and 53 percent FG, place the former MVP among the NBA’s most likely to again crest the 40-50-90 threshold. Nash comes off a red-hot January that saw the 15-year veteran shoot a scalding 55 percent from the floor while torching opponents for 46 percent from 3PT and 95 percent from the free throw line. 

Nash and Ridnour lead the pack skilled marksmen but there is however a second tier of young, skilled shooters making a push for the 40-50-90. Golden State’s Stephen Curry has become the go-to offensive option for the Warrior’s and in the process the 22-year-old has shot 94 percent FT, 42 percent from 3PT, and an impressive 48 percent collectively from the floor. Add to Curry’s stats a 2/1 assist-to-turnover ratio and 1.87 steals per game, together making Curry one of the game’s elite guards. 

Behind Curry sits another sweet shooting young guard in D.J. Augustine whose 91 percent FT, 38 percent 3PT, and 44 percent FG place him among the upper echelon of the NBA’s point guards. Augustine has seemingly made the jump from a mid-level point guard to a floor leader who has proved to be able to distribute the ball (6.5 ASG) while punishing opponents with his consistent shooting touch.