Ryan Kalkbrenner’s historic NBA profession begin: 81% from the sphere by way of first 10 video games

MIAMI (AP) — Ryan Kalkbrenner made the primary shot of his NBA profession. And the second. And the third. And the fourth. And the fifth.

Eventually, he missed. It did occur. It hasn’t occurred typically.

The Charlotte rookie is now 10 video games into his profession and he’s capturing 80.8% from the sphere — 42 for 52. Nobody in NBA historical past has taken that many pictures and been that correct over the primary 10 video games of a profession.

The earlier finest, amongst these with no less than 50 pictures by way of their first 10 video games within the NBA, was 72% by Houston’s Yao Ming — going 36 for 50. Dallas’ Dereck Lively opened his profession at 70.6% by way of 10 video games, 36 for 51.

“It’s just a credit to my teammates who let me get easy looks,” Kalkbrenner mentioned. “I mean, it’s not my role to take tough shots, so of course I’m at a decent percentage, but my teammates do a really good job of finding me on dump-offs when I’m wide open and whatnot. So, I’m just glad I’m able to finish some of them.”

Some of them? Try darn close to all of them. He began 5 for five from the sphere in his debut and hasn’t slowed down a lot since.

“He’s got a great way about him,” Hornets coach Charles Lee mentioned. “His process is on point. He’s worried about trying to impact the game as best as he possibly can.”

On some stage, this shouldn’t come as a complete shock. Kalkbrenner didn’t miss a lot in faculty, both.

He led the Big East in field-goal proportion in every of the final 4 years and was a number of pictures away from successful that title 5 occasions — he was second within the Big East within the first season of his five-season faculty profession. He completed faculty capturing 65.8%; no person else on the top-200 checklist in profession males’s Division I subject objectives topped that. Not Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, not Zach Edey, not David Robinson. Nobody.

Kalkbrenner had a 20-for-22 capturing recreation for Creighton towards Texas-Rio Grande Valley final season. The solely participant in NCAA males’s Division I historical past with a greater capturing recreation, whereas taking no less than 20 pictures, was Bill Walton’s 21-for-22 masterpiece for UCLA within the 1973 nationwide championship recreation win over Memphis.

But that is the NBA, the place the defenders are loads larger and the defenses are loads higher than what schools can supply. Kalkbrenner hasn’t been fazed.

Over a four-game stretch from Oct. 25 by way of Oct. 30, he went 21 for 22 from the sphere — eight makes, then a miss, then 13 consecutive makes. The lone miss in that span was a shot that bought blocked by Washington’s Alex Sarr. The mixed distance of these 21 made pictures was about 30 toes; nearly all got here on the rim.

“I think we knew what we were going to get when we got when we drafted Ryan,” Lee mentioned. “But he continues to impress defensively, contesting at the rim, helping us dominate the paint or protect the paint.”

Kalkbrenner — a second-round decide, No. 34 general — is aware of he’s nonetheless studying. But it’s clear that the Hornets might need gotten a steal, merely primarily based on how he’s capable of end on the rim.

“Games come fast, and win or lose, you’ve got to be able to turn the page,” Kalkbrenner mentioned. “You can’t get too high when you get a win and play well. You can’t get too low when it’s a bad game and you don’t play well. The games come fast. The next opponent’s not going to feel bad for you because you’re playing bad or had a bad game or whatever.”

The craziest stat of his 10-game begin is perhaps this: He’s missed three pictures in 5 video games on the street to start out his profession. He’s capturing an unbelievable 23 for 25 — 92% — on 2-pointers in street video games, with a miss on his lone 3-point attempt in there as properly.

“To be honest with you, I’d rather no one know my name and us be 9-0 or whatever,” Kalkbrenner mentioned. “I mean, I’m glad I’m playing OK. But I just want to win.”