Jason Kidd has always been a dynamite passer. He has not, however, always been a good three-point shooter.
Kidd, who announced his retirement Monday after 19 years that will surely lead him to the Hall of Fame, was a 27.2 percent three-point shooter as a rookie. In fact, from his rookie season in 1994-95 through the 2003-04 season, he shot 32.5 percent from behind the arc in 720 games.
It was in the back half of his career that he really became the Kidd most of us remember -- able to kill a team with a deft pass or a dagger three-pointer. He shot almost 37 percent from three-point range in his final 671 games (2004-05 through this past season). And while he will never be remembered, perhaps, as one of the game's great marksmen he does retire No. 3 all-time in three-pointers made with 1,988. Part of it has to do with the style employed by the teams he was on. And some of it was his evolution as a shooter.
Which brings us to Ricky Rubio. We all know Rubio is a dynamite passer. What he is not, yet, is a great three-point shooter. He's at 31.7 percent in his career -- parts of just two seasons. If he can add just five percent to that accuracy -- make one more out of every 20 he tries -- Rubio will be transformed. Defenders don't respect him from beyond the arc right now. If he develops that three-pointer ... well, look out. Really, look out.
