Stephen Curry could be the greatest player of his generation.
The 6’3″ point guard is changing the way basketball is played.
This is his tenth NBA season and his rise has been enormous. He had an awesome college career for Davidson College, winning the division 1 scoring title, but could he do it at the top level?
In his rookie year, Curry averaged 17.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.90 steals in 36.2 minutes – a solid year, as the Golden State Warriors began to rise and piece together a championship team.
In 2011, the team drafted Klay Thompson from Washington State University. This would prove key to the team winning in the years to come, as the two best shooters in the game made each other better.
In 2015 and 2016, Curry was named MVP of the competition, as the Warriors went on a run of four consecutive finals appearances, winning three of them – all against Cleveland.
The debate at the moment is whether LeBron James is a better player the Michael Jordan, but maybe it should be if the King is better the Steph.
Both players have won three championships, both have won MVP awards – two for Steph and four for James – but it’s the way they impact the game as a whole that separates them.
Sure, LeBron can play awesome defense and offense but he hasn’t changed the game by his play, which Steph has.
Curry’s ability to shoot the ball from anywhere on the court and handle his way around defenders is incredible – he looks like a Globetrotter against the best players in the world.
One knock on Curry is his ability in big games, having never won a playoffs MVP, but the amount of effort opponents put into stopping him means his teammates are less heavily defended. I’d much rather guard him than leave him open.
At the end of the 2018-19 season, Steph could have more championships than LeBron, but does that make him better? Perhaps it’s that he’s changed the game from a more inside to outside scoring that separates the two legends.
Rob
Guest
Curry is why Golden State are so great. Period. Just look at their record without him. KD does not have that impact. Warriors still win with KD or not. Calling Curry just a three point shooter is so naive it’s embarrassing. If you want to see the opposite impact just watch Westbrook. He makes his team worse but chalks up some nice individual stats. They seem to be doing quite well now without him and players who show little with him in the team suddenly blossom when he is out of the picture.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Yeah, he may well finish his career as the greatest 3-point shooter of all time, but as an overall player he will be well down the list. As pointed out, KD has actually been the best player on the Warriors since he came along, and it's hard to argue for a player who's only the second best player on his own team as the best player of all time.
Bell31
Guest
Steele makes some good points Joemuma. I'm a big fan of Curry's, but I wouldn't have even entertained a thought about him as a potential GOAT, for some of the reasons stated above. Of course, it's easier to have these discussions in hindsight, when their careers are finished or closed to finished. On a 'career resume' basis, I just can't see his stats and contribution line-up with MJ/Le Bron/Jabbar/Russell (I'm sure I've left-out a few here...) - he will do well to make top 5, even if he is considered to be the greatest shooter of all time.
Brian Hays
Roar Rookie
If we are going down the "makes players on his team better" argument then Lebron is the GOAT. The debate about greatness is often overdone but nonetheless an enjoyable concept; however we aren't comparing 2 players who are close on the greatness spectrum. Your main argument your pressing is the same argument I could make that Draymond is a better player then Shaq or Kareem because his a passing big who has changed the way the centre is played and allows the Warriors to play small ball with extreme flexibility defensively and offensively. Sounds ridiculous now doesn't it?
Jett Hatton
Roar Pro
Come on man this is ridiculous
Joemuma
Roar Rookie
Steph makes the player on this team better because he’s so heavily guarded more space for others the question is how do you calculate greatness mvps, titles, scoring it’s a good debate to have
peeeko
Roar Guru
not even close, you bought up Davidson College?
Steele
Guest
He’s not even the best player on his team. He has changed the way the game is played though, I’ll give you that. That alone has sealed his legacy as a great. Nobody with common sense really has him ahead or near LeBron though, and he absolutely hasn’t stepped up in the big moments. First title, Kyrie and love go down and Iguadala wins mvp. He didn’t even look like mvp in the losing final series, and KD has basically owned Cavs in the last two. He’s had four bites at the cherry for no finals mvps. If that was LeBron or KD you’d never hear the end of it.
Brian Hays
Roar Rookie
I don't think anyone is making a legitimate argument Steph is in the same category as Lebron. He is a better shooter, and that is all he is better at.