NBA shooting stars step back to make a great leap forward

He willingly takes longer attempts without fully squaring his shoulders up to the rim, which goes against just about everything coaches taught years ago.

Critics watching him shuffle his feet have seen instances where he certainly appeared to get away with traveling.

Because of the degree of difficulty, the step-back 3 might only be for a handful of players.

Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni compares it to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's sky hook, a shot that everyone tried but few could master.

"Certain guys have certain talents but it's a hard shot," D'Antoni said. "It's a low 20-percent kind of shot for most people and he's at about 40."

Actually, Harden's 41.5 percent on step-back 3s is only a little higher than the league average of 39.5 percent, though that could be misleading because so few players attempt them-and the ones who do are often already good shooters.

D'Antoni figures someone will come along and shoot it well-and that player might have already arrived.

Doncic is far ahead of anyone but Harden in attempts and makes, and the Mavericks rookie's goodbye highlight in Europe was a one-legged step-back 3 that helped Real Madrid put away Game 4 of the ACB Championship series.

Doncic smiled when asked about the step-back 3, saying: "A lot of guys have special moves. That's my kind of move."

And even Popovich, no big fan of the 3-point game the NBA has become, gives credit to the stepback shooters.

"They are great at it, that's for sure," he said. "Take nothing away from them. It's been developed, it's used and no one is better at it than they are. It's virtually impossible to guard, but they perfected it."

Participants in the All-Star 3-point contest attempt to make as many 3-pointers as possible in one minute from five positions behind the three-point arc.

This year's participants will be: Stephen Curry, Warriors; Seth Curry and Damian Lillard, Trail Blazers; Joe Harris, Nets; Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks; Buddy Hield, Kings; Devin Booker, Suns; Kemba Walker, Hornets; Danny Green, Raptors; and Khris Middleton, Bucks.