Ranking the Top 10 Stretch Bigs NBA 2025-26
- Joel Piton
- 2 days ago
- 8 min read
The stretch big is no longer a niche role brought out by past specialists like Ryan Anderson, Ersan İlyasova, Matt Bullard—specialists brought in to stand in the corner, space the floor, and punish lazy closeouts. These were pure pick-and-pop marksmen who added shooting, but not much else. Fast forward to today, and the position has undergone a full-scale evolution. The modern stretch big isn’t just a spot-up shooter, they’re snipers with guard-like skill sets, capable of putting the ball on the floor, attacking closeouts, facilitating offense, and still protecting the rim on the other end.
Some of these heavy hitters shoot better than your favorite guard—and they do it while rebounding, defending, and bending defensive schemes just by standing above the arc.
So, who are the most dangerous stretch bigs in the NBA right now? Let’s take a look.
Onyeka Okongwu (ATL)
Position: C Height: 6'10" 3P%: 37.0
2025-26 Stats: 16.4 PPG — 7.3 RPG — 2.9 APG — 51.4 FG%
A 6'10 inside scorer for most of his young career, Onyeka Okongwu has long been known as a rim-running finisher, a post-up bruiser, and a high-efficiency paint scorer. But this season, he’s unlocked an entirely new layer to his game, and it might be the most surprising shooting leap we’ve seen from a big man all year. Okongwu has arrived as a legitimate sniper, headlined by a career-high eight threes on November 13th against the Jazz. For a player who shoots over 60% from the field for his career almost exclusively through interior scoring, this level of perimeter development wasn’t just unexpected—it was borderline unimaginable.
With this leap, Okongwu hasn’t just added a wrinkle to his offensive game — he’s elevated his value to the point where he now edges out even his own teammate, Kristaps Porzingis, on this season’s stretch-big hierarchy. A breakout jump like this doesn’t happen often, and Okongwu has earned his spot among the league’s best shooters at the position right now.
Kel'El Ware (MIA)
Position: C Height: 7'0" 3P%: 40.0
2025-26 Stats: 11.8 PPG — 10.6 RPG — 1.3 BPG — 52.7 FG%
Known primarily for his explosive dunking and vertical pop, Kel’el Ware entered the league as a prototypical modern big with inside-out potential—but the shooting touch he flashed in college didn’t immediately translate. He knocked down just 31% of his threes during his rookie campaign, looking more like a work in progress than a true perimeter threat. Fast forward to this season, and Ware has taken a dramatic leap. Despite only attempting around three threes per game, he’s converting them at over 40%, making him virtually unguardable when defenders sag off in anticipation of his finishing. His mechanics look cleaner, his confidence is higher, and teams can no longer simply pack the paint and dare him to shoot. What makes Ware especially intriguing is that his stretch evolution still feels like it's in the early stages. He’s going to keep shooting, keep expanding that range, and keep improving.
Bobby Portis Jr. (MIL)
Position: PF Height: 6'9" 3P%: 47.3
2025-26 Stats: 11.0 PPG — 5.5 RPG — 1.2 APG — 48.0 FG%
Bobby Portis has carved out his identity as a stretch four for nearly his entire career, and this season he’s doubling down on that reputation with some of the best shooting we’ve ever seen from him. Operating as a sixth man with elevated responsibilities, Portis brings instant offense the moment he checks in and that spark often comes from deep. He’s knocking down threes at a blistering 47%, ranking fourth in the entire league, and firmly cementing himself as one of the most dangerous stretch bigs in basketball right now. While Portis isn’t a high-volume sniper, you almost wish he were. His confidence, mechanics, and rhythm suggest he could easily take more attempts, yet he remains selective.
Wendell Carter Jr. (ORL)
Position: C Height: 6'10" 3P%: 45.5
2025-26 Stats: 12.3 PPG — 7.5 RPG — 2.0 APG — 53.9 FG%
One of the most efficient players on this list, Wendell Carter Jr. has always had the ability to stretch the floor, he just hasn’t always leaned into it. Historically preferring to operate inside, Carter’s jumper has been more of a complementary skill than a bonafide weapon. Last season, that reluctance, combined with injuries and rhythm issues, led to a steep decline: a career-worst 9 points per game and just 23% shooting from three.
This year, the turnaround has been dramatic. Carter looks like a completely different player, reconnecting with his perimeter touch and converting threes at a scorching 45% clip. He’s not just making them—he looks confident taking them, stepping into shots without hesitation and giving Orlando the spacing they’ve desperately needed.
With Paolo Banchero sidelined, Carter’s importance to the Magic frontcourt has skyrocketed. His ability to open the floor, force bigs to defend in space, and punish defenses for collapsing inside makes him one of the most valuable stretch threats in the league right now.
Jerami Grant (POR)
Position: PF Height: 6'7" 3P%: 39.3
2025-26 Stats: 19.1 PPG — 3.5 RPG — 2.4 APG — 44.5 FG%
It should come as no surprise that Jerami Grant lands on this list. One of the league’s most reliable stretch forwards, Grant has drilled the third-most threes among all power forwards this season while knocking them down at nearly a 40% clip. What makes that even more impressive is that, like Bobby Portis, Grant often comes off the bench: yet he’s still averaging a strong 19 points per game, giving Portland a major scoring presence without needing starter minutes.
The former Olympic gold medalist has played just about every role imaginable throughout his career: defensive specialist, high-usage scorer, and now a veteran sixth-man type. He has thrived in all of them. As a bench player this season, he’s providing the Blazers with a tremendous shooting spark, stretching defenses thin and carrying long scoring stretches when the offense stalls. Grant’s combination of accuracy, versatility, and scoring volume makes him one of the most complete stretch bigs on this list.
Aaron Gordon (DEN)
Position: PF Height: 6'8" 3P%: 44.4
2025-26 Stats: 18.8 PPG — 5.9 RPG — 1.3 APG — 53.2 FG%
It’s now a proven fact that Aaron Gordon is far more than just a high-flying dunker. Gordon has evolved into a legitimate sniper from deep—and a record-setting one at that. Shooting a blistering 44% from three this season, he’s already logged multiple games with five or more made threes, a development that has completely reshaped how defenses are forced to guard him. With Michael Porter Jr. gone and Cam Johnson not producing at the level Denver hoped for, Gordon has stepped into a much larger perimeter role. Instead of simply being a cutter or a lob threat, he’s become one of the Nuggets’ most dependable floor spacers, providing the long-range punch and offensive balance the team needs to stay competitive in a loaded Western Conference.
This new version of Gordon—still powerful, still athletic, now has confidence from deep.
Myles Turner (MIL)
Position: C Height: 6'11" 3P%: 39.2
2025-26 Stats: 12.5 PPG — 6.2 RPG — 1.7 BPG — 43.6 FG%
A true two-way star, Myles Turner has quietly become one of the most reliable stretch fives in the NBA. His three-point shooting has improved steadily throughout his career, culminating in a personal best 39.6% last season—and he hasn’t slowed down since arriving in Milwaukee. On a team starving for floor spacing, Turner has delivered exactly what the Bucks needed: consistent, confident perimeter shooting that opens driving lanes and keeps opposing bigs honest.
While Milwaukee may not be in the playoff picture, Turner brings 100% effort every night on both ends of the floor. He’s not just spacing the floor—he’s redefining the center position for the Bucks, leading all centers in total threes made this season by a wide margin. The volume is up, the confidence is high, and the shot looks as natural as it ever has. If Turner continues firing away at this rate, it wouldn’t be shocking to see him metaphorically climb to number one on a list like this. Winning record or not, his capability is undeniable among today’s big men.
Rui Hachimura
Position: PF Height: 6'8" 3P%: 46.1
2025-26 Stats: 14.0 PPG — 3.6 RPG — 0.9 APG — 54.2 FG%
Rui Hachimura’s consistency needs to be studied. Shooting well over 50% from the field in Los Angeles, Rui has cemented himself as one of the league’s most reliable scoring forwards—and this season, he’s taken that efficiency to another level from deep. Hachimura is scorching the nets at 46% from three, turning himself into a true firecracker from both midrange and beyond the arc. There’s a strong argument to be made that, on a weaker team with more touches, Rui could comfortably average 20+ points per game. His scoring package is that refined—good footwork, confident pull-ups, and a catch-and-shoot game that forces defenses to stay attached at all times. But instead of hunting volume, Hachimura sticks to his role. He’s the prototype of a player every contender wants—low-maintenance, hyper-efficient, and deadly when left open. And rest assured: the Lakers aren’t letting him go anytime soon.
Karl-Anthony Towns (NYK)
Position: C Height: 7'0" 3P%: 32.7
2025-26 Stats: 21.7 PPG — 11.9 RPG — 3.3 APG — 44.9 FG%
The predominant stretch five in today’s NBA, Karl-Anthony Towns has never been shy about his shooting pedigree—even hailing himself as the most dominant three-point shooting center of all time. And the numbers back him up more than you’d think. A career 40% shooter from deep, Towns built his identity on the pick-and-pop, confidence, and a shooting versatility no other true center has consistently matched.
This season, however, has been a bit rough on his percentages.
He’s not converting threes at the rate we’ve grown accustomed to, and some nights the efficiency simply isn’t there. But when the fourth quarter rolls around, Towns becomes a different beast. His late-game shooting is absurdly efficient, routinely bailing out possessions, spacing the floor for Brunson, and closing out tight matchups from beyond the arc. Combine that clutch three-point production with the Knicks’ impressive 13–6 record, and the case for Towns as a top-tier stretch big remains strong. Even in a down year by his standards, there’s still no true challenger to his throne as the premier shooting center in the league.
Lauri Markkanen (UTA)
Position: PF Height: 7'1" 3P%: 36.0
2025-26 Stats: 28.0 PPG — 6.3 RPG — 2.1 APG — 46.9 FG%
Playing at an otherworldly level, Lauri Markkanen has cemented himself as the defining stretch big of the modern NBA. He currently ranks 10th in total threes made league-wide, 1st among all power forwards by a massive margin, and 2nd in the entire Northwest Division in threes made. Pair those shooting marks with nightly averages of 28 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists, plus multiple games with five or more made threes, and it becomes clear: when you think “stretch big” in today’s game, the 7’1’’ Finnish alien is the first name that should come to mind.
Markkanen never hesitates. He thrives on catch-and-shoot looks, relocates with the instincts of a guard, and can detonate an opposing defense in seconds. His percentages might not be the highest on this list, but context matters—Lauri carries one of the heaviest offensive burdens in the league, and his high-volume three-point shooting isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity for Utah’s offense. And he still delivers at a strong, reliable rate. Right now, Markkanen stands at the top of the stretch-big hierarchy. The combination of volume, versatility, confidence, and pure shooting gravity places him comfortably at No. 1, at least for the time being.
If your favorite player didn’t make the cut, it’s not personal. The percentages don’t lie, availability matters, and some guys simply haven’t done enough yet to fundamentally rank above the names on this list. As always, these rankings aren’t built to stay the same. Roles change, shots start falling, players get healthy, and the landscape can shift fast. We’ll see how the tides turn as the season unfolds, but for now, these are the stretch bigs forcing control in the modern NBA.
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Thanks for reading!
-Joel Piton
(@jpiton7)