Kyle Korver will be a major reason the Cleveland Cavaliers make it to the NBA Finals

Kyle Korver has become one of the most important players on the Cleveland Cavaliers roster since LeBron James’ return to The Land.

Kyle Korver may have only scored six points in Friday night’s victory over the Los Angeles Clippers but his importance to the Cleveland Cavaliers’ success hasn’t been missed by anyone and certainly not by LeBron James.

While calling teammate Korver one of the greatest shooters in the NBA, James noted the similarities between the man he calls ‘White Lightning” (likely for his lightning quick stroke) and former teammate Ray Allen, a man many believe to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Similarities that fall beyond their Holy Book-inspired nicknames, with Allen starring as “Jesus Shuttlesworth” and Korver as “Threezus”.

"“You obviously have two of the greatest shooters to ever play this game. I’m been fortunate to play with them and I’ve been fortunate to be in big games with them as well. So there’s a lot of similarities in their approach and the way they approach shooting. The things that you guys really don’t see all the time. What they do before you guys get here. They take their craft and that marksmanship very seriously”."

Allen, who was James’ teammate for two seasons with the Miami Heat, retired after 18 seasons in the NBA and right after James’ infamous return to Cleveland.

In those 18 seasons, Allen made 2,973 three-point field goals in the regular season and 385 three-point field goals in the postseason. Those totals are at the top of the all-time leaderboard in both regular season three-point field goal conversions and postseason three-point field goal conversions (James is 2nd all-time in three-point attempts made in the postseason with 331).  He did this all while shooting 40.0 percent from the field.

Despite the rise of the three-point shot and the moniker Golden State Warriors’ guards Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson earned as the “best shooting backcourt” of all-time and the one Curry earned on his lonesome as the best shooter of all-time, Allen is actually literally the best catch-and-shoot player of all-time. With 86.1 percent of his three-point field goals coming from assists compared to 60.9 percent of Curry’s three-point field goals coming from assists, that’s unlikely to change.

That is, unless Korver comes for the top spot.

Korver is in his 15th NBA season and currently has 2,090 total three-point field goals in the regular season and 192 three-point field goals in the postseason. Korver hasn’t made any fewer than 150 three-point attempts in a season since the 2012-2013 season and at that rate (Korver has already made 41 three-point attempts this season) it would take Korver six more seasons to overtake Allen’s regular season. However, at 36-years-old, that’s not a safe bet to happen. If Korver plays out the length of his contract however (three seasons, including this one), he’s a lock to be third all-time in three-point field goals.

Just behind Allen and Hall of Famer Reggie Miller.

In terms of the postseason, Korver hasn’t made fewer than 75 threes in the playoffs in the last two seasons. In just three more postseason appearances, Korver should be able to overtake Allen for the top spot on the all-time list.

What may be just as impressive and perhaps the best statistical evidence of Korver’s work ethic is his three-point percentage. Korver has made 43.1 percent of his three-point attempts for his career, just a 2.3 percent difference from the NBA’s all-time leader in Steve Kerr and .05 percent of a difference between the NBA’s active leader, Curry.

Korver’s dedication to his marksmanship has turned it into a science for him.

Quote transcribed by CBS Sports’ James Herbert:

"“I really break down my body and how I feel and how I’m moving and how I can move better, but then that carries over into how I’m shooting and my shooting mechanics and trying to analyze my shot not just based on feel and rhythm. It’s like math. It’s science. It’s trying to figure out how I can shoot the best shot possible, the best ball possible. I’ve spent a lot of times thinking about these things over the years.”"

Korver’s become so good of a shooter and has broken shooting mechanics down to a science to the point where he’s one of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ de facto shooting coaches. So, it’s lucky that the Cavs were able to acquire him in a trade from the soon-to-be rebuilding Atlanta Hawks last season.

Of all of the Cavs’ trade acquisitions (a list that includes J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert, Kevin Love, Jae Crowder, Isaiah Thomas and Ante Zizic), Korver is the most consistent (non-marquee) player on the roster. That’s what has allowed him to closeout halves in place of Smith, who was the Cavs’ most dangerous shooter before Korver came along.

Unfortunately, Smith is only shooting 31.1 percent from three-point range while Korver is knocking in 43.6 percent of his. On catch-and-shoot attempts, an ever-important part the offense with James quarterbacking it, Smith is only converting 32.3 percent of his three-point attempts. Korver is converting 46.9 percent of his.

While running plays and running Korver off of screens to get him open for three, Korver is also making drop-off passes inside for assists reminiscent of Detroit Pistons legend Rip Hamilton. Hamilton, another player who would run off of screens incessantly like Korver and Allen, often would find his big men inside for an easy two after receiving a pass from a screen. Lue seems to have inserted some of that old Pistons’ action into his offense.

With these comparisons to four NBA champions (Curry, Thompson, Allen and Hamilton) noted, all that’s left for Korver to do is become an NBA champion himself. On a team that’s currently devoid of consistent three-point threats, Korver would be a major reason the Cleveland Cavaliers not just win a championship this season but why they got to the NBA Finals in the first place.

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*Unless otherwise referenced, all stats gathered from www.basketball-reference.com