These 6 Heat Players Have the Best Career 3PT Percentage
The three-point shot has become increasingly important in the National Basketball Association (NBA) in recent seasons, so much so that Duncan Robinson is the Miami Heat's all-time leader in three-point field goals (1,012), despite having played only six seasons. Robinson became the fastest player in NBA history to make 1,000 threes, accomplishing the feat in just his 343rd game. More than 20 years ago, in the 2003-04 season, teams attempted just 14.9 threes per game. That number has increased to 35 in the 2023-24 NBA season.
So, is Robinson truly the best three-point shooter in Heat history, or is his success from beyond the arc a byproduct of the NBA's three-point revolution? While he has made 1,012 three-pointers, his 2,543 career attempts equates to a success rate of .398, which wouldn't even put him among the top 10 in Heat history for three-point field goal percentage.
Here's a look at Miami's all-time leaders in success rate from the three-point range while playing for the team.
Jason Kapono (.490)
Based on his efficiency with Miami and the other five teams he played with in his nine-year NBA career, his success in the NBA All-Star 3-Point Contest, and his stats in college, Jason Kapono is one of the most prolific three-point shooters in NBA history. A four-time first-team All-Pac-10 in college, Jason shares the UCLA single-game record for most three-pointers with nine. He also won the 3-Point Contest in consecutive years in 2007 and 2008 as a member of the Toronto Raptors.
Selected 31st overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2003 NBA Draft, Kapono signed with the Heat in October 2005 and played two seasons with the team. He made 21 of 53 three-point attempts in the 2005-06 season, then led the league in three-point efficiency the following season, making 108 of his 210 attempts.
Kapono is sixth all-time with a career three-point success rate of .434. Steve Kerr is first with a .454 three-point field goal percentage.
Jon Sundvold (.474)
Missouri alumnus Jon Sundvold played in an era where three-point shooting wasn't as prominent as it is today, but he was a skilled shooter from beyond the arc, especially during his tenure with the Heat. A first-round pick of the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1983 NBA Draft, Sundvold joined the Heat via the expansion draft in 1988 and made at least 42.9 percent of his three-point attempts in each of the next three seasons. He played just one game with Miami in the 1991-92 season and made his lone three-point attempt.
Sundvold made 48 of 92 three-point attempts in the 1988-89 season, leading all NBA players with a .522 success rate. His .440 success rate from beyond the arc the following season ranked fourth among all NBA players.
Walt Williams (.455)
A journeyman small forward who played 708 career regular season games with six different teams, Walt Williams played just 28 games for the Heat during the 1995-96 season. However, he qualifies as third on this list for making 56 of his 123 three-point attempts in those games, with a success rate of .455. Despite his success in his brief stint with the Heat, Miami released him in the 1996 offseason. He later played for the Toronto Raptors, Portland Trail Blazers, Houston Rockets, and Dallas Mavericks.
Williams retired following the 2002-03 season with a career three-point percentage of .379, making 976 of his 2,575 attempts.
Jae Crowder (.445)
A 6-foot-6, 235-pound power forward who has played with eight teams during his 12-year career, Jae Crowder also played in only a handful of games with the Heat. He joined Miami in the 2019-20 season in a three-team trade involving the Memphis Grizzlies and Minnesota Timberwolves, and played just 20 games with the team that season before signing with the Phoenix Suns the following offseason. Crowder made 57 of his 128 three-point attempts with the Heat for a .445 success rate, well above his career .348 three-point field goal percentage.
Damon Jones (.432)
An 11-year NBA veteran from Galveston, Texas, Damon Jones played for 10 different teams, including the Cleveland Cavaliers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Heat. He made 941 three-pointers on 2,414 attempts for a career success rate of .390, but was a little more efficient in his one season in Miami. Jones made a career-best 225 three-pointers on 521 attempts with the Heat during the 2004-05 season. He led all players with a .611 effective field goal percentage, a statistic that values three-pointers more than two-point field goals.
Meyers Leonard (.415)
A first-round pick of the Trail Blazers in the 2012 NBA Draft, Meyers Leonard spent seven seasons with the team before he was dealt to Miami in July 2019 as part of a four-team trade. He played just 54 games with the Heat over parts of two seasons, but made 56 of his 135 three-point attempts for a .415 success rate, well above his career average of .390. Miami traded him to the Oklahoma City Thunder in March 2021.