If the season ended today, Norman Powell wouldn’t be in the illustrious 50/40/90 club. However, he would be in the slightly less illustrious 50/40/80 club thanks to his 50.8% shooting from the field, 40.8% shooting from three, and 83.1% from the free throw line. Oh yeah, and he’s scoring 15 PPG per game, which I think qualifies him for the club.
Players in the 50/40/90 club get a private jet, a fast food outlet of their choice in their basement, a gigantic trophy made out of solid gold bars mixed with exotic caviar, and the unfailing adoration of NBA fans through the ages. Players in the 50/40/80 club don’t quite get all those perks, but they do get a private Cessna prop plane, an all-you-can eat pass at Chik-Fil-A (that you can actually only use once a week for one free sandwich), a trophy made out of twigs, and no adoration at all from anybody. Except me. DownToBuck adores all members past and present of the 50/40/80 club, if only I knew who they were.
I suppose the difference in perks is fair. It’s way easier to shoot 80% from the line than it is to shoot 90% from the line. Nine players are at or above 90%, while 51 more players are at or above 80%. Rarified company it isn’t quite, but the list of players admitted to the club this season isn’t bad: LaMarcus Aldridge, Norman Powell, George Hill, Brandon Clarke, Cheick Diallo, Dragan Bender, Johnathan Motley, and Shamorie Ponds. Take out the last four guys because they don’t have enough minutes and you have a squad that I wouldn’t mind building around. Actually, I would mind. LMA is old.