Only a handful of people in the NBA’s history can legitimately claim credit for changing the game. But frankly, what Steph Curry has done, in the last decade, has been beyond anything his predecessors could even imagine. Granted Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, Allen Iverson, brought something to the game that didn’t exist before. But the Golden State golden boy literally changed how the game is played.
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Yet, for over a half decade, pundits and fans have merely constricted him under a specific category. The greatest shooter of all-time, they called him. And while that’s true, it’s such a limited way of defining his greatness. He is so much more than just the greatest shooter of all-time.
After his 28-point at the Garden, the narrative has finally shifted to the point that former players turned pundits are coming out and calling a spade a spade. Shaquille O’Neal kicking off the conversation makes it even sweeter.
Shaq, on NBA on TNT’s show, demanded “you fans to start putting Steph Curry in that greatest of all time conversation.”
To justify his take, Shaq added, “Listen, I played against Mike, played with Kobe. Played against and with LeBron. They’re all great. But at some point, we’re going to have to put Steph Curry in that category.”
Now, Curry’s teammate and a certain future Hall of Famer, Draymond Green, has also come out and agreed — Steph Curry is one of the greatest of all-time.
Green, on his podcast, said, “When you talk about what he does on the basketball court, with all due respect to LeBron James, with all due respect to Michael Jordan, there’s no one in the history of the NBA that has been schemed against and guarded the way Steph Curry is guarded.”
Draymond is right. The way #30 moves on the course is almost haunting for defenders. He has unlimited range, he draws multiple defenders out, leaving open lanes for teammates. He is an underrated passer, and is blessed with incredible handles and finishing moves.
On top of it all, it’s just impossible to keep up with his off-the-ball movement. Matthew Dellavedova “almost died” guarding this man, after all.
But Green didn’t just stop there. He further pointed out, “You were so specialized that everybody thought that, yo, that’s what we need to do. And you telling me that guy don’t go in the go conversation?”
And Draymond is right, knowing his resume, knowing all he has done, all he is capable of, how can you not consider him to be one of the best ever and truly deserving a spot in the GOAT conversation?
