Stephen Curry’s scoring prowess helped him become a two-time MVP, a four-time NBA champion, and one of the greatest guards in the league’s history. However, many argue his penchant for shooting first and keeping playmaking as a secondary option make him a shooting guard, not a point guard. But Andre Miller doesn’t buy that argument.
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During his appearance on The Forgotten Seasons show, the retired star claimed the Warriors superstar operates like a point guard and has a great sense of when to shoot or pass. He said,
“He is a point guard. He has a point guard mentality because he knows when to score the ball, and he knows when not to score. And he’s one of the best finishers in history, and, he is a clutch player!… I think he thinks more like a point guard, than he does a scorer! Because everything he does is based off decoy and feel.”
Miller added that Curry is arguably the most influential player in NBA history and ranked him among the greatest point guards in NBA history. He said,
“When you talk about a Stephen Curry man. I mean, Michael Jordan changed the game. Kobe, LeBron. He [Steph] might have changed the game more than anybody in the history of the game! Everytime I go into a gym, everybody shooting three pointers! In my eyes, he is an all-time great. I will put him in my top 10 point guards all-time, you know what I’m saying? He is that!”
The Warriors superstar’s career averages of 6.4 assists and 3.1 turnovers may suggest he’s not a stellar playmaker and shouldn’t be deemed one of the greatest point guards ever. However, those numbers are due to the Warriors’ offensive philosophy rather than Curry’s ability.
In the 2013-14 season, Curry averaged 8.5 assists, which ranked fifth in the league. Then Steve Kerr took over as the head coach in 2014 and the team switched to a dynamic offense predicated on off-the-ball movement and quick passing, eliminating the need for a point guard to dictate play.
The Warriors’ coaching staff presumed that the guard’s shooting ability was far more valuable than his playmaking. They were spot on, as his and teammate Klay Thompson’s incredible prowess from beyond the arc turned the team into a juggernaut that won four championships in eight years.
