For the best part of two-and-a-half seasons Wardell Stephen Curry II has rained fire upon the NBA, a long-distance barrage the likes of which has been rarely seen in the history of basketball.
Stretching opposition defences past breaking point with a combination of lethal range and a ball-handling repertoire matched only by Kyrie Irving, the lithe playmaker has helped spark a revolution in offensive philosophy.
He has routinely made shots no other player would even think of attempting, let alone hitting, and made the Golden State Warriors one of the historically great teams at both ends of the court.
To that end, and perhaps suffering a bad case of recency bias, ESPN last week released its top-ten list of the greatest-ever point guards and Curry was ranked a jaw-dropping fourth all-time.
Fourth.
I mean… honestly.
First, a caveat. Obviously, lists like these are extremely subjective, especially ones that span separate eras of athletes. There will almost certainly never be a complete consensus on who should be ranked higher or lower and in some cases it would be almost impossible to prove who was better.
But having said that, to already rank Curry ahead of such luminaries as Isiah Thomas, Steve Nash, Jason Kidd – hell, even Gary Payton, who incredibly didn’t even make the list – seems like a glaring example of being caught in the moment.
This is in no way meant to denigrate what has already been a stellar career, one that contains a regular season MVP award, two all-NBA nominations and a couple of All-Star game appearances, not to mention the aforementioned highlight reel.
And there is almost no doubt that Curry should, all things being equal, rank highly on that list when his career is done. Russell Westbrook as well for that matter.
But to place Curry above Thomas (even if it’s only one spot higher) in particular seems especially egregious.
In recent years, there seems to have been this notion that somehow Thomas was overrated, specifically by sections of the advanced analytics crowd, who point to numbers that allegedly prove he shot too much, was inefficient and was carried by an unusually deep and talented Pistons team to back-to-back titles in the 1989 and 1990 seasons.
Indeed, Thomas took almost 300 less shots in the Pistons’ first championship season than he did in his sophomore campaign in 1983.
But that speaks more to the absolute incompetence of the roster around him when he arrived in the Motor City, there was almost no-one else on that team you would want shooting the ball.
And yet somehow Thomas is maligned because he understood he needed to shoot less; that taking more of a playmaking role and encouraging a greater scoring balance would enable Detroit to reach ever greater heights.
So he then becomes overrated for, in effect, doing what shoot-first players like Allen Iverson never really could – embracing the concept of a sum greater than its parts.
We have access to more detailed statistics than ever before; it allows us to examine in almost infinite detail every aspect of what happens on a basketball court.
What they don’t do – especially in someone like Thomas – is measure the impact of courage, of playing under duress, of Thomas’ oft-mentioned angelic smile that belied a ruthless competitive streak borne from the toughest streets of inner-city Chicago.
The late Matt Dobek, who served as Detroit’s PR representative for almost 30 years, once said if Thomas was 6″6″ he would have been Michael Jordan.
Perhaps some myopia in that statement but it nonetheless encapsulated the rage, the unceasing impact of his leadership and the sheer intelligence that dragged a historically bad franchise out of the doldrums and into the light of championship glory.
Looking at the rest of the PG rankings, there’s no quibbles with the first two players listed – Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson. Good luck arguing any other player should be in those spots.
You can argue the relative merits of longevity over brilliance, having John Stockton at number three would appear to value the former over the latter. Never flashy but an almost clinically fundamental playmaker you’ll be hard-pressed to find.
Nash is almost criminally underrated at number seven, especially with Chris Paul one spot higher. Say what you want about whether he deserved his two MVPs but Nash remains the lineal forefather of the way basketball is played today. If you ever wanted to see who Curry is the evolutionary descendant of, the skinny kid from South Africa via Canada is it.
Jason Kidd at number eight seems kinda low as well but there’s almost no room at the inn for him to be any higher despite being one of the best rebounding playmakers of all time. Ditto for Clyde Frazier at number nine, who was the epitome of on-court smooth during his playing career and now spends his days showcasing his incredible sartorial splendour as an announcer for the Knicks.
Bob Cousy was a figurative giant in the early days of the NBA – playing with a heretofore unseen style and flair – and is still the only guard to be named to the All-NBA first team in ten straight seasons. But he never shot more than 39.7 per cent from the field in his career. How do you rank him fairly? Does he even belong on the list?
Meanwhile, leaving Payton off the list altogether is nearly as bad as ranking Curry over Thomas. It’s been 20 years since a guard won the defensive player of the year award. Want to take a guess at the last backcourt player to win it?
Yep, the Glove.
We could argue these placings forever and a day, but including active players who are smack-bang in the middle of what are amazing, incredible, sublime careers not only cheapens the argument but it also diminishes the accomplishments of those who can no longer add to their personal highlight reels.
Maybe Kevin Durant summed it up best when told of his ranking in ESPN‘s all-time small forward list.
“I’ve always been a firm believer in waiting until guys’ careers are over, but a lot of people nowadays get caught up in the moment, get caught up in what have you done for me lately and forget about the great players,” Durant said.
“I’m not downplaying myself, because I feel like I’m as good as any small forward that’s played, but at this point in my career I don’t think I should be on that list.”
Greg
Guest
Don't you think you are being harsh on your they were lucky last season stance? They won it all and beat everyone in front of them. The rockets earned there way to the wcf and it is debatable if the cavs would have won 4 games against them in a series with a full roster. I can bring up this years games as an example but I shouldn't have to because they won last year regardless of whether you think they were lucky or not. Could they have won being unlucky who knows because it didn't happen. Curry is by far the best player on the team and the best player in the league. Penny and drose aren't great comparisons. Penny wasn't even the best player on his team and drose could not score like curry. It's interesting to see how this argument has moved on from curry vs harden for mvp. The same doubters still remain.
The Verdict
Guest
They were lucky last season, but are a superior team this year (as now they have confidence in themselves on the back of a ring). Curry is having an incredibly good season, but longevity should still be the key. Derrick Rose (and Penny) once had a gun season or two, and then injuries etc have made him a normal player.
The Verdict
Guest
That's because his Pistons team were bullies and roughened everybody up. MJ probably also felt that Isiah would want to be the man if he was picked.
Greg
Guest
Come on, you have to be a OKC fan. Have you watched curry play. He is unbelievable. Westbrook is very good but nowhere near curry.
Swampy
Guest
Think you'd find that it was just MJ and Magic that made that happen. Still one of the worst oversights though. Deserved the spot.
bigmick01
Guest
Thomas was soooo great the dream team refused to form if he was selected.
Swampy
Guest
Curry would average 9 if he played 38 minutes a game instead of 30 so that's a mute point
Swampy
Guest
The jury retired to the chambers today. The evidence is all in.
marc
Guest
A few points: "Point Guard". Should only select players with an assists average over 9. Curry is a scorer not a pass orientated guard so should be in the Shooting guard section. Who cares he's only played a few seasons? do you really think it was all just a fluke and he's going to tank it the next 10? The NBA created this scenario with its score first orientated rules and cutting back on the defense. The next iteration of this in 10-20 years will be people shooting it further back at the half way line and then you don't even need athletes to play this game - just get internet life hack experts shooting the ball from the other half of the court like you see on youtube. 80s/90s era was much stronger and more competitive. It's more like a circus now
Swampy
Guest
So lucky to have won 67 games with a double figure pts diff. Enough of the lucky to have won. Spurs choked. Clippers choked. Rockets were good last year and everyone thought Memphis was warriors anti dote. The Cavs were majorly down on personnel but still had the world's best player. Regardless, curry is the point guard of a great team. When he doesn't play they are not the same. They've won a title and are a very good chance of at least a conference final appearance again. History will smile on this team as it did the 77 Blazers.
Internal Fixation
Guest
Steph Curry has basically changed offense forever. His offensive efficiency is so good that even his least efficient shots are better than all of his teammates most efficient shots and 95% of the rest of the NBA. I think that one day he will be there with Magic at the top, barring recurrent injury problems. However, it is too early to pick him at number 4. Some sustained brilliance is required to be in the top 10 IMHO.
Ryan O'Connell
Expert
Well Joe Dumars was criminally underrated for starters, but yeah, Isiah was better. Of course, that requires the caveat of "in my opinion". Isiah could take over a game like few others, but took a backseat for the good of the team when they won their titles. He was more explosive than Stockton, but they were different types of players. I have them neck-to-neck, but with Isiah getting the slight nod due to his championships.
The Verdict
Guest
He has won 1 title (wasn't the finals MVP), and the Warriors beat an injury ravaged Cleveland and were pretty fortunate to avoid the Spurs and Clippers. Not to mention, a Durant injury weakened the Western conference. The Warriors look a superior team to the one that were quite lucky last season. It seems like winning (even if they avoided some big names) gave them a lot of confidence in themselves. Of course, I think the Spurs will do them this year as Leonard is on another level again, and LMA and West give them two more key pieces.
The Verdict
Guest
They are two different players. Curry is a superior shooter and has much better handles than Westbrook (though, Kyrie has better handles than both). Curry also doesn't throw as many wild passes that Westbrook does in order to try and create something. But in terms of athleticism, stealing the ball, playing with fire (including demoralising dunks), blocks and rebounding, Westbrook is superior. I do think Westbrook and Durant are holding themselves back, though, by being so paranoid about the media. The media has said some dumb things about them, but they just refused to be questioned these days, and as a result, they become less accountable for their performances. They both really need to knuckle down and get a ring.
Swampy
Guest
Out of that list I would pick in this order: Magic, Zeke, Stockton then the rest. Curry should definitely creep up that list because of one reason: those top 3 guys were winners. They played lots and their teams won lots. They worked out what they needed to do to make their teams win. Curry since being healthy has been a winner. So was Nash but didn't win enough - especially in the playoffs. Same for Chris Paul. Payton's Sonics teams always won and won lots but the playoff performances were a little up and down but at least he made it to an NBA Finals in his prime (unlike Paul & Nash). For the same reason Kidd should be up there as well. And for exactly the same reason is why I don't rate the Big O - he couldn't win and that was even with Lew Alcindor. He stats are unbelievable but the playoff results were terrible. Plus he basically destroyed a potential dynasty. Not really classic PG stuff. So as everyone else says it's too early to rate Curry but in saying that he's won a title and his team might win 70 games this year
Who Needs Melon
Roar Guru
No arguments Isiah was a really good player but was he REALLY that much better than Joe Dumars? There have been so many good point guards over the years. The guys raining down three pointers or with flashy dribbling and insane passing get all the attention but you can be a fantastic point guard without all that. Once again, why I like John Stockton.
Steele
Guest
I'm not convinced Curry is better than Westbrook just yet. The former has had a pretty crazy two seasons himself.
Ryan O'Connell
Expert
Smithy, a few points, if I may: Offense is only 50% of basketball, and people often overlook the importance of the other 50%: defense. With that in mind, Gary Payton is vastly underrated, and Nash (potentially) overrated. Anyone who doubts the greatness of Isiah has rocks in their head. One thing stats don't measure is leadership, and that's what you're point guard must bring to the table. Isiah was one of the best leaders in NBA history. As for ESPN ranking Curry at 4th, it would not just be due to recency bias, but also a clever plot of engaging fans who had never watched the other 9 individuals on the list play basketball.
Ryan Buckland
Expert
He's certainly the best point guard I've ever seen. But I've been watching/following the NBA for three years, which is to say I reckon recency bias is playing a huge role in ESPN's rankings.
The Verdict
Guest
And Tony Parker has 4 rings (soon to be 5).