The many athletes you can recruit for your team in NBA 2K25 have a variety of skills, but the best three-point shooters in the game can help you score from anywhere on the court. Draining baskets consistently is not a trait shared by every player in the game. Anyone reliable enough to shoot accurately is a valuable teammate who can help your team compete against rival defenses.
Every athlete has an Overall Rating determined by six personal stats. The best players in NBA 2K25 for shooting have strong Inside Scoring and Outside Scoring scores that determine how accurate their shots are throughout a game. The four other scores of a player are Defending, Athleticism, Rebounding, and Playmaking, which you'll want to be at least average for a strong shooter on your team.
10 Buddy Hield (Golden State Warriors)
Dangerous On A Good Team
79 | 55 | 80 | 72 | 70 | 46 | 57 |
Buddy Hield is one of the top three-point shooters in the league, with an Outside Scoring stat of 80 to reflect that trait. This athlete can be dangerous when positioned correctly or set up by one of his teammates during a game. For example, a good pick and roll that leaves Hield open for a quick pass can lead to a quick three-point shot that Hield will make more often than not.
With above average Athleticism and Playmaking, Hield is well-rounded compared to other shooters in NBA 2K25. Along with the game's new shot meter system, you'll have little trouble scoring with this player on your squad. However, the low Inside Scoring and Rebounding stats mean that Hield needs help from other players to be excellent, so you can't rely on this athlete to be the sole shooter on the team.
9 Desmond Bane (Memphis Grizzlies)
Defense Alongside Offense
83 | 66 | 81 | 78 | 77 | 46 | 69 |
Although you can already expect great scoring potential from an athlete like Desmond Bane, you would be surprised to see how flexible this player is. Bane possesses not only the ability to score points but also above average Defending from an offensive player. This makes Bane a weapon whether you have the ball or not, as you try to guard some of a rival team's best shooters.
Some of the six main stats on an athlete have subsections if you investigate them further. For example, Desmond Bane has an outstanding 88 Three-Point Shot Rating you can see if you look into his specific character traits.
The Athleticism and Playmaking of Bane allow him to be used as a close and far-range shooter when on the court. You could set up a fade away inside the paint with Bane for an easy two points, or take a risk and have him shoot from the outside. Although the athlete's low Rebounding means you won't use him to be physical to get the ball back, he'll likely score before you need to do that.
8 Jalen Williams (Oklahoma City Thunder)
Athlete With A Specific Purpose
86 | 66 | 92 | 81 | 79 | 56 | 68 |
As you can see in the above video by YouTube creator Smequle, Jalen Williams isn't just the best shooter for the Oklahoma City Thunder, but one of the best scorers in the game. Three-pointers are this player's bread and butter when they get open on the outside. The smooth release Williams has on their shot makes three-pointers extremely intuitive to make, even if you are a beginner to the series.
Williams has decent stats in other categories, but those who have him on their team won't typically have him doing much else other than scoring. Take some lessons from this athlete when trying NBA 2K25's myCareer mode - a master of a certain skill can be better than a jack-of-all-trades. That being said, there are even stronger shooters than Williams lurking within the league.
7 Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks)
Top Tier Playmaker
97 | 86 | 92 | 86 | 94 | 77 | 68 |
Luka Doncic is one of the players in NBA 2K25 with the highest Overall Rating, for many good reasons. For starters, the Inside and Outside Scoring of this athlete makes him an incredible shooter whenever he gets a chance to score. However, the stand-out quality of Doncic is his Playmaking ability, which allows him to create advantageous situations for himself and whatever team he works with.
6 Luke Kennard (Memphis Grizzlies)
Leading Forward With Points
76 | 52 | 84 | 71 | 74 | 42 | 45 |
Playing alongside Desmond Bane, Luke Kennard may not seem like the most optimal shooter, until you realize what position he occupies. As a Point Guard among the best players present in NBA 2K25, Kennard gets to call the plays of your offense, setting up formations for potential scores. This level of leadership puts Kennard into many favorable spots that can utilize his Outside Scoring well.
Some players you recruit have Badges that give them passive buffs tied to a specific stat. Don't forget to check which ones an athlete has before you recruit them to your team.
The Three-Point Shooting subsection of Kennard's stats also gives him an 89 score, a ridiculously high number compared to other athletes. Only a small amount of space is needed to let Kennard work, allowing your team to be flexible on offense. When combined with Kennard's ability to call out plays, you can create the situations you want with more ease than you may be able to with other top shooters.
5 Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns)
Shoot From Wherever You Want
93 | 79 | 91 | 82 | 91 | 45 | 65 |
Most three-point shooters struggle to score layups or fadeaways from the inside, but Devin Booker is the exception to that rule. The Inside Scoring and Outside Scoring stats for this player are far closer to one another than you might expect. With both scores being excellent, Booker can be dangerous on any play, in any formation, from practically anywhere on the court where he gets the ball.
According to the above video by YouTube creator Skotrix | NBA 2k25, Booker can be molded to have one of the best all-around shooting builds in the game. The reliability of this athlete may only be on offense, but you can't deny the benefits of a consistent scorer like Booker.
4 Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics)
Physical Offense Works Wonders
95 | 84 | 92 | 85 | 79 | 59 | 76 |
Jayson Tatum doesn't have a bad stat, making him perhaps the most well-rounded player on this list. Like Booker, Tatum has great Scoring in both categories, creating a weapon with shooting far beyond most players in the league. However, the stat that puts Tatum above his competitors is his high Athleticism, which allows him to be more physical with any defender trying to block his shots.
Among the changes to NBA 2K25 is a robust new physics engine that makes shots easier to contend with if you are the defender. This can cause even the best shooters to have their shots disrupted if they aren't as physical as the person guarding them. Thanks to Tatum's physicality, you can push off a defense with more success, giving yourself the room to make Tatum open for the shots he's capable of making often.
3 Mike Conley (Minnesota Timberwolves)
Give Regards To The Team Player
81 | 46 | 82 | 78 | 85 | 41 | 68 |
The shooting scores of Mike Conley may be lower than previous entries on this list, but the secret categories set this athlete apart. As one of the top shooters in the league, Conley can outperform many other players with an 89 Three-Point Shot score. Although his Inside Scoring is low, Conley rarely misses any opportunity given to him to make a shot from far away.
The hidden gem behind Conley is a much higher Pass Accuracy Rating than nearly every other offensive player. With a 90 score for this stat, Conley can find a way to pass the ball to his teammates, making it easier for them to score. Just by being on a team, Conley can either score himself or set up someone else to get a quick basket, ensuring that you gain points consistently on every possession.
2 Kevin Durant (Phoenix Suns)
Make Scoring Points Look Easy
94 | 85 | 92 | 82 | 82 | 51 | 75 |
Kevin Durant is one of those super-athletes who can just do everything, from defending anyone to scoring anywhere. Durant is one of the easiest players to use in NBA 2K25 due to the incredibly easy timing of his jump shot. This athlete's form is like a well-oiled machine, allowing you to adjust to any situation and score without much effort.
Whenever you find the perfect timing for a shot in NBA 2K25 , the basket will glow green when you score. When this happens, shots you make later have a higher accuracy to land again when you try to make baskets.
1 Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors)
The Best Of The Best
95 | 58 | 93 | 82 | 89 | 45 | 62 |
There should be no doubt that Stephen Curry is the best shooter in the league, and perhaps one of the best scorers in basketball history. While his base stats may not reflect this right away in NBA 2K25, he has a 99 Three-Point Shot score that is almost inhuman. Curry makes shots appear out of nowhere with his Playmaking, and has some of the easiest timing on his shots for you to use.
A 97 Ball Handle hidden stat also gives Curry a way to weave through defenders, creating shots that were nonexistent before he touched the ball. As you can see in the above video by YouTube creator Kevin Cruz, Curry has a natural quickness that can be utilized in almost any team. As the best shooter in NBA 2K25, no better athlete in the game can get you points.
Source: Smequle/YouTube, Skotrix | NBA 2k25/YouTube, Kevin Cruz/YouTube
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