Basketball fans are quite familiar with the 50–40–90 club, which represents the elite of the elite of shooters. In order to be part of this unique class, a player must shoot at least 50 percent from the field, at least 40 percent from three-point line, and at least 90 percent from the charity stripe. In basketball history, it has only been accomplished twelve times, by ten different players, being Larry Bird, Steve Nash, Mark Price, Reggie Miller, Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Malcolm Brogdon, Kyrie Irving, and Elena Delle Donne for the WNBA.
This club could soon have the addition of a center, which would be unprecedented in the NBA, NCAA, and WNBA’s history. New Orleans Pelicans big man, Jonas Valanciunas, is about to join the elite of shooters, as he has been constantly shooting 51.0% from the field, 57.7% from three-point range and 90.0% from the free-throw line.
According to official recorded stats, during the last four games, Jonas has the NBA's best three-point percentage (an impressive 57.7%), which a number slightly higher than some guard’s legends throughout basketball history.
From a technical perspective, it’s amazing to see how the professional league evolves overtime, always finding room for improvement in the least expected areas. Who would think a center would equally compete in three-point shots stats with the likes of Kevin Durant, Mark Price or Steve Nash? The achievement of Jonas at this point is simply unheard of for a center.
Joining the elite 50-40-90 club is a technical milestone for any player, let’s not forget that players like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and LeBron never made it into this exclusive fraternity.
One more important aspect is that Valanciunas has been playing under a lot of pressure, this is because he’s been present in all games almost 100% of the times, once two centers, including Zion Williamson, are temporarily out due to injuries.
It remains to be seen, whether Jonas will sustain his performance throughout the season, a lot of journalists and executives believe his passport into the shooting elite of the elite has already been stamped, which should bring a lot of excitement this season.
It looks like this year the Pelicans could add a legend to the league.
