How Mark Jackson Unlocked Steph Curry’s One-on-One Game

Joseph Galizia | 09/08/2025
Golden State Warriors head coach Mark Jackson (left) talks to guard Stephen Curry (30) against the Los Angeles Clippers during the fourth quarter in game six of the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Clippers 100-99.

Sometimes you can recognize greatness before it happens. There are hints of it brewing, but it doesn’t always take form right away. Jordan Crawford saw that during his very brief period on the Golden State Warriors in 2014. He could feel the Dubs, particularly Steph Curry, about to burst into an iconic happening. He just didn’t realize how big they would become.

The retired NBA star spoke about this time in his career during a recent appearance on the Gil’s Arena podcast. The 36-year-old was asked what it felt like to play with “the young splash brothers and Draymond” prior to them morphing into the dynasty of this era.

“You could just tell that they was on to something,” said Crawford, who recalled Dray already being a defensive menace in just his second year in the league. When the convo shifted to Curry, Jordan mentioned how much Mark Jackson, who was head coach at the time, helped mold The Chef into the icon he would become.

How did Jackson do this? He encouraged Curry to strengthen his 1-0n-1 battles, particularly against CP3. “I remember Steph used to not do one-on-one battles with Chris Paul. And Mark Jackson used to make him. ‘The only way we gonna beat them is if you go at him.’ That was all Steph needed for real. That little battery in his back.”

If that’s true then Mark Jackson should have his own monument built in the Bay Area. Steph’s ability to either beat a guy in an iso or hit him with that world-famous stepback is one of the reasons he is such a feared offensive scorer. Building that confidence had to come from somewhere. Maybe Jackson really was that guy.

“I mean you ain’t know he was gonna change the game like that. But it’s great to see,” added Crawford regarding Steph’s cultural impact on the NBA. “You could tell that it (Warriors) was different from the rest of the NBA. Just the juice.”

And different they were. The Warriors would go on a magical run that included four NBA titles out of six Finals appearances. Players, including big men, have developed the ability to shoot the long ball because it’s the only way to stay competitive in a league where everyone is a monster from behind the arc.

Steph isn’t only the greatest shooter the game has ever seen. He showed you how versatile a point guard can be without the ball. The league will be an empty playground when he’s gone. Sure, there are guys like Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton who can pop off three like it’s their business, but no one will ever come close to the Chef.

Post Edited By: Pranay Mukherjee
Jordan Crawford Mark Jackson Steph Curry

About the author

Joseph Galizia

Joseph is a Las Vegas based actor and circus performer. For the last seven years he's had the pleasure of covering sports for multiple outlets, including the Lifestyles section of Sports Illustrated. In that time, he's conducted over 50 interviews with athletes, filmmakers, and company founders to further cement his footprint in the journalism world. He's excited to bring that skillset to the SportsRush, where he'll be covering the NBA news cycle.

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