ATLANTA - The numbers suggest he is.
Obviously, nobody compares to Stephen Curry, who is shooting 45.4 percent from 3-point range through his first 35 games this season.
After the two-time NBA MVP and three-time champion, though, the Magic’s veteran may be the next best 3-point shooting point guard in the entire league.
Through Orlando’s first 47 games, the 31-year-old New Orleans native is shooting 43.6 percent from downtown. Sacramento’s Buddy Hield and Brooklyn’s Joe Harris are the only other backcourt players shooting above 43 percent from beyond the arc with a minimum of 40 starts.
Here’s where it gets even more impressive. Augustin has a 45.8 percent catch-and-shoot 3-point percentage. Not one single starting point guard has a better mark currently, including Curry.
He has been scorching hot from both of the corners, shooting around 55 percent from each side. From above the break, which is where he has taken 148 of his threes so far, the 6-foot, 183-pounder is shooting 42.6 percent.
It doesn’t seem to matter how many dribbles he takes before the shot attempt, either. Augustin is shooting 45.8 percent from long distance without a dribble before the attempt and 46.2 percent when the shot was preceded by seven or more dribbles. He’s most dangerous when left wide open, as the former Texas Longhorn is shooting 50 percent from 3-point land when there isn’t a defender within six or more feet of him.
This hot streak actually extends back to last season. After the All-Star break, only Otto Porter Jr. and Anthony Tolliver had better 3-point percentages than Augustin among players who attempted at least 100 3-point shots during that stretch of time.
The 11-year NBA veteran made four of his six 3-point attempts during Orlando’s win in Atlanta on Monday. It was the second time this season he has knocked down four or more triples in a game.
