Aussie Joe named among NBA's best ever shooters

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Australian basketball legend Joe Ingles is one of the best shooters in the history of the NBA, according to The Bleacher Report.

The small forward from South Australia, who played 12 seasons in the NBA and is preparing for his first season back in the NBL since 2009 with Melbourne United, was included in the publication's top 99 shooters in the history of the league which was released earlier this week.

Ingles was known as a three-point marksmen and secondary playmaker, especially with his creativity and high IQ play off pick-and-rolls in his career, and the article from The Bleacher Report justifies it.

The former South Dragon, who made a name for himself in the NBA with the Utah Jazz before stints with Milwaukee as well as Orlando and Minnesota, was listed at 85th overall - ahead of iconic shooters such as Detlef Schrempf, Jamal Crawford, Chauncey Billups and also ahead of current stars Tyler Herro and Austin Reaves.

Ingles was one spot behind 'Big Shot' Robert Horry, a player known as one of the best clutch shooters of all-time.

"Joe Ingles didn't come over to the NBA till his age-27 campaign, but he very quickly established himself as a high-end role player for one of the best teams in the West," The Bleacher Report article said.

"Opportunistic hands and good awareness on defense made him effective on that end. A sort of "slow-motion Ginóbili" playmaking and pick-and-roll style was big for the Utah Jazz's offense.

"But the skill that may have really made him a longtime, helpful rotation player (despite the late start) was his deadeye, lefty three-point shot.

"Ingles was one of the most dangerous catch-and-shoot release valves in the league for nearly a decade. He had a high, quick release. And from 2016-17 through 2023-24, he averaged 9.1 points and 2.0 threes, while shooting 41.6 percent from deep."

Joe Ingles Career NBA Three-Point Shooting Stats

Career Stats: 44.8 FG%, 40.9 3PT%, 1.6 3PM/G, 0.664 3PAr, 77.5 FT%, 60.0 TS%, 58.4 EFG%

Years: 2014-present | Teams: UTA, POR, MIL, ORL, MIN

Era: 3PT revolution

No Patty Mills listed?

While Joe Ingles' inclusion is well-deserved, there is a notable Australian omission.

None other than Patty Mills, who made a name for himself as a knockdown three-point shooter across his 16 seasons in the NBA, not only as a spot up shooter but an elite shooter coming off screens - just like we have seen so many times at the FIBA level for the Australian Boomers.

While Mills initially burst onto the scene with the Portland Trail Blazers, his true coming out party was in 2014 on the San Antonio Spurs' run to the NBA championship, where they beat the Miami Heat in five games.

The five-time Olympian shot the lights out for the Spurs in the NBA Finals before numerous stops at different franchises, including the Brooklyn Nets, Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks, Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers.

See his career NBA three-point stats below.

• Games: 921
• 3-point field goals made: 1,542
• 3-point field goals attempted: 4,003
• 3-point percentage: 38.5%
• 3-pointers made per game: 1.7
• 3-point attempts per game: 4.3
• A 38.5% career mark is well above the NBA average across most of Mills' career.
• He ranks among the most prolific three-point shooters in NBA history by total makes, despite spending much of his career as a reserve.
• His best high-volume three-point shooting season came with the Brooklyn Nets in 2021–22, when he shot 40.0% from three while making 2.9 threes per game.

So let's compare Ingles' shooting stats to Mills and we think it means there should have been two Aussies featured on the list.

Key takeaways

• Better percentage: Joe Ingles has the edge, shooting 40.9% for his career versus 38.5% for Patty Mills.
• More total makes: Patty Mills leads with 1,542 career threes compared with Ingles' 1,244, thanks to playing more games and seasons.
• Similar volume: Both averaged about 1.7 made threes per game, but Mills attempted slightly more threes per game (4.3 vs. 4.1), reflecting his role as a high-volume shooting guard.
• Style difference: Ingles was typically a low-mistake playmaker and spot-up shooter, leading to elite efficiency. Mills often took more difficult movement threes and off-the-dribble shots, which lowered his percentage somewhat while increasing his scoring responsibility.