Marcio Lassiter and Paul Lee are two of the four active Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) players to have made at least 1,000 three-pointers in their careers.
And as two of the youngest of that group and seemingly with plenty of gas left in the tank, these two will jockey to eventually become the league's all-time leaders. There's good reason to say it might.
„I'm not a numbers guy,“ Lassiter told the Inquirer ahead of Friday's high-profile PBA Philippine Cup game between San Miguel Beer and Lee and Magnolia at Smart Araneta Coliseum. he said.
„But I think it's possible that something like that could happen because we're all in that boat,“ added Lassiter, who has an inside course to be number one.
Jimmy Alapag, a great PBA and Gilas Pilipinas player who is currently an assistant coach with the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association, continues to outscore Alan Caidic, who scored 1,242 points in his final season in 2016. , leads the league with 1,250 points.
Barangay Ginebra's LA Tenorio ranks third with 1,218 shots, but his performance has slowed his progress this tournament, averaging just one triple per game after taking seven shots in the first five games. It is less than a book.
Lassiter has 1,197 triples in his career, passing Blackwater veteran and former league Most Valuable Player James Yap, but Yap has missed the last two games with an injury and is stuck at 1,194.
That means Lassiter is 53 three-pointers shy of the all-time record, and he's currently shooting at a breakneck speed, making three of his five-plus attempts per game on average in this conference. There is.
scrape off
If he can maintain that average, the former varsity program cornerstone could become the all-time leader in threes made in 18 games as early as next season or the year after.
Lassiter will be able to start chipping away at that deficit against Magnolia.
The 7:30 p.m. game, which follows the Meralco-Phoenix opener at 4:30 p.m., will be the first meeting between the sibling rivals since the Commissioner's Cup final, when San Miguel defeated Magnolia for the first time in six games.
Additionally, San Miguel is unbeaten in seven games, while Magnolia has bounced back from a 1-2 loss to win its last four games.
And a shootout with Lee would be an interesting subplot.
Lee made the top-of-the-key shot in Magnolia University's out-of-town victory over Rain or Shine in Tiao, Quezon last Saturday, making him the 10th player to reach 1,000 triples and the 5th. He was the second fastest player. The next day, Lassiter overtook Yap as his own milestone.
Lee is tied for ninth place with Al Solis, but given his consistent performance and playing time as one of Magnolia's starting guards, he could move up the rankings quickly.
„Everywhere in the world, the game has evolved into a 3-point shooting league,“ Lassiter said. “Maybe someday someone will keep breaking it.
„But for us current players, it's great to be as close as possible. And I'm rooting for everyone,“ he added.