Steph Curry has been a major revelation not just for the Warriors but for the game of basketball itself, and according to one former MVP candidate, that should crown him as the GOAT point guard.
Advertisement
Curry has by and far changed the way the game is played today with his three point barrage. Before his unorthodox shooting kicked in, the NBA was still very much in a grit-and-grind era.
Of course, it was nothing like the days of the Bad Boy Pistons Shaq’s era, but by and far, three pointers weren’t looked at the way they are today.
Before Curry, the greatest shooters included players like Ray Allen and Reggie Miller. However, none of them reinvented the three point line like Curry has. The Warriors MVP has broken the record for most threes in a season thrice, beating his own personal bests. For that reason, should he be seen as the best point guar ever?
#NBA #MVP @StephenCurry30 is the first player to hit 400 three-pointers this #Historic #Warriors #Season #GSWHoops pic.twitter.com/LscEdOy3Mx
— The Social Dragon (@TheCloudDragon) April 14, 2016
Is Steph Curry The Greatest Point Guard Of All Time? Former MVP Candidate Believes So
The debate over the best point guard to play the position in NBA history is an extremely controversial one. Fans of the NBA’s “golden days” in the 80’s and 90’s believe Magic Johnson firmly holds that position.
Others believe that Steph Curry isn’t a “true point guard” and so the crown should go players like Chris Paul or Steve Nash. However, if you had to ask this former MVP candidate, he’d say that Curry is by and far the greatest point guard to walk the Earth:
“I’m gonna go with @StephenCurry30… changed the game of basketball on every level.”
–@isaiahthomas ranks Steph as the best point guard of all time on #NBATwitterLive pic.twitter.com/k8FfPVtRom
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) June 14, 2021
Isaiah Thomas is right here. Nobody has shot the ball the way Curry has, and as a result, it’s led to a three point revolution across the NBA. If you’re a power forward or big man who can’t space the floor, you may not get any minutes at all in today’s game.
Teams are attempting and making threes at the highest rate in NBA history, and all of that is because of Curry. Out of the top 11 shooting seasons, Curry has six appearances in the most three pointers made in any season.
His 5.3 threes made per game this season was the highest in NBA history, and he was well on his way to another 400 three pointer season if it was 82 games long like usual.
Steph Curry really dropped 42 points on 98.5% true shooting. Insane. ☔️ pic.twitter.com/672rxlrBjo
— Hilltop Hoops (@HilltopNBA) April 15, 2021
How do you match up against someone like that? The short answer is you don’t. And that’s why teams have built themselves up to be strong at the three point game. No one player can match up against Curry’s shooting, and so instead of trying to beat him one on one, you hope that your team as a whole can counteract Curry alone.
That’s why players like Isaiah Thomas like to pin Curry at the top of the point guard list. Which other player has changed the way teams are assembled as much?
However, because of his off-ball play (leading people to not consider him as a “true point guard”), and the fact that he hasn’t won a Finals MVP, and “only” has three titles, people like to think of him in a little lower regard than Magic Johnson.
The debate could rage on endlessly, but Thomas is definitely right that Curry changed the game in a way nobody else has. Not even Magic Johnson.