Ryan Kalkbrenner's historic NBA career start: 81% from the field through first 10 games

MIAMI -- Ryan Kalkbrenner made the archetypal changeable of his NBA career. And the second. And the third. And the fourth. And the fifth.

Eventually, helium missed. It did happen. It hasn't happened often.

The Charlotte rookie is present 10 games into his vocation and he's shooting 80.8% from the tract — 42 for 52. Nobody successful NBA past has taken that galore shots and been that close implicit the archetypal 10 games of a career.

The erstwhile best, among those with astatine slightest 50 shots done their archetypal 10 games successful the NBA, was 72% by Houston's Yao Ming — going 36 for 50. Dallas' Dereck Lively opened his vocation astatine 70.6% done 10 games, 36 for 51.

“It’s conscionable a recognition to my teammates who fto maine get casual looks," Kalkbrenner said. "I mean, it's not my relation to instrumentality pugnacious shots, truthful of people I’m astatine a decent percentage, but my teammates bash a truly bully occupation of uncovering maine connected dump-offs erstwhile I’m wide unfastened and whatnot. So, I’m conscionable gladsome I’m capable to decorativeness immoderate of them.”

Some of them? Try darn adjacent each of them. He started 5 for 5 from the tract successful his debut and hasn't slowed down overmuch since.

“He’s got a large mode astir him," Hornets manager Charles Lee said. "His process is connected point. He’s disquieted astir trying to interaction the crippled arsenic champion arsenic helium perchance can.”

On immoderate level, this shouldn't travel arsenic a full surprise. Kalkbrenner didn't miss overmuch successful college, either.

He led the Big East successful field-goal percent successful each of the past 4 years and was a fewer shots distant from winning that rubric 5 times — helium was 2nd successful the Big East successful the archetypal play of his five-season assemblage career. He finished assemblage shooting 65.8%; cipher other connected the top-200 database successful vocation men's Division I tract goals topped that. Not Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, not Zach Edey, not David Robinson. Nobody.

Kalkbrenner had a 20-for-22 shooting crippled for Creighton against Texas-Rio Grande Valley past season. The lone subordinate successful NCAA men’s Division I past with a amended shooting game, portion taking astatine slightest 20 shots, was Bill Walton’s 21-for-22 masterpiece for UCLA successful the 1973 nationalist title crippled triumph implicit Memphis.

But this is the NBA, wherever the defenders are a batch bigger and the defenses are a batch amended than what colleges tin offer. Kalkbrenner hasn't been fazed.

Over a four-game agelong from Oct. 25 done Oct. 30, helium went 21 for 22 from the tract — 8 makes, past a miss, past 13 consecutive makes. The lone miss successful that span was a changeable that got blocked by Washington's Alex Sarr. The combined region of those 21 made shots was astir 30 feet; astir each came astatine the rim.

“I deliberation we knew what we were going to get erstwhile we got erstwhile we drafted Ryan," Lee said. "But helium continues to impressment defensively, contesting astatine the rim, helping america predominate the overgarment oregon support the paint.”

Kalkbrenner — a second-round pick, No. 34 wide — knows he's inactive learning. But it's wide that the Hornets mightiness person gotten a steal, simply based connected however he's capable to decorativeness astatine the rim.

“Games travel fast, and triumph oregon lose, you’ve got to beryllium capable to crook the page," Kalkbrenner said. “You can’t get excessively precocious erstwhile you get a triumph and play well. You can't get excessively debased erstwhile it’s a atrocious crippled and you don't play well. The games travel fast. The adjacent opponent’s not going to consciousness atrocious for you due to the fact that you’re playing atrocious oregon had a atrocious crippled oregon whatever.”

The craziest stat of his 10-game commencement mightiness beryllium this: He's missed 3 shots successful 5 games connected the roadworthy to commencement his career. He's shooting an unthinkable 23 for 25 — 92% — connected 2-pointers successful roadworthy games, with a miss connected his lone 3-point effort successful determination arsenic well.

"To beryllium honorable with you, I’d alternatively nary 1 cognize my sanction and america beryllium 9-0 oregon whatever," Kalkbrenner said. "I mean, I’m gladsome I’m playing OK. But I conscionable privation to win.”

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