Charles Barkley has never been shy about criticizing the modern NBA, and this time, he put the blame squarely on Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson for what he believes is the erosion of traditional basketball.
Speaking on the Howard Eskin Show, Barkley made it clear that his issue is not with the three-point shot itself. It is with who is taking them.
“My problem is not with the three-point shot. It’s who’s shooting the shots. We’ve got bad players jacking up threes. Like, okay, if you’re a good three-point shooter, have at it. If you’re one of these guys and you can’t shoot threes, why are you shooting threes? We need more. We need to give more coaches power to say, ‘Hey man, you’re not a three-point shooter. Quit damn shooting threes.’”
“It’s not the point that it’s a three-point shooting contest. It’s that everybody’s shooting threes. The notion that everybody’s a good three-point shooter is ridiculous and stupid. Guys are going on a fast break and instead of taking a layup, they’re flaring out to shoot a three. I’m like, yo, man, you had a layup. It’s all right to shoot a layup every now and then.”
“Steph Curry and Klay Thompson ruined the NBA because everybody thinks they’re Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. Y’all are not them. Stop jacking up threes.”
For Barkley, the league’s current style is less about skill and more about imitation. He argued that too many players believe they can replicate what Curry and Thompson did at the height of the Warriors dynasty. In his view, that mindset has led to poor shot selection and the abandonment of high percentage plays.
The statistical shift supports his frustration with volume. In the 2000–01 season, teams averaged 14.7 three-point attempts per game. By 2010–11, that number rose modestly to 18.0. When Golden State emerged as a contender in 2014–15, the league average climbed to 22.4. Just four years later, in 2018–19, it had exploded to 32.0 attempts per game. This season, teams are averaging 37.0 attempts per game, just below last season’s record high of 37.6.
What is striking is that accuracy has barely changed. In 2000–01, the league average from three was 35.4%. In 2010–11, it was 35.8%. In 2014–15, it dipped to 35.0%. In 2018–19, it was 35.5%. This season, it stands at 35.9%. The efficiency has remained relatively flat, yet the volume has nearly tripled over two decades.
That is where Barkley sees the problem. The math revolution and spacing philosophy have convinced organizations that three is greater than two, but Barkley believes nuance has been lost. Not every player is equipped to thrive in that system. He suggested giving coaches more authority to rein in poor shooters and reintroduce balance.
The irony is that Curry and Thompson did not simply increase attempts. They redefined shot quality by extending range and warping defenses. Curry’s off-ball movement and Thompson’s quick release created an ecosystem that maximized spacing. Other teams copied the volume without replicating the precision.
Critics argue that this evolution is natural and driven by analytics, not imitation. Barkley sees it differently. To him, the game has tilted too far toward the perimeter, sacrificing post play, mid-range scoring, and fast break fundamentals.
Whether one agrees or not, the numbers tell a clear story. The three-point shot is not more accurate than it was 20 years ago. It is simply everywhere. And in Barkley’s mind, that transformation began with two of the greatest shooters the game has ever seen.
