"Durant might not like people critiquing him and other players on TV" - Chris Broussard reacts to Mike James' diss of Steph Curry
Many believe Steph Curry joined the list of the ten greatest players of all time after securing his first ever finals MVP trophy. Curry's performance in Game 4 of the 2022 NBA Finals is regarded as his best by many.
For some, however, he still hasn't made the cut. Former Brooklyn Nets guard Mike James recently criticized Curry's game.
While James' opinion is simply an opinion, Chris Broussard opened up another conversation. He questioned whether James might be regurgitating Kevin Durant's opinions, stating:
"I'm not gonna put this on Kevin Durant. But is it possible because they boys. Is it possible that, I mean look, we know how much Durant loves ball and as much as Durant might not like people critiquing him and other players on TV, he be doing it, critiquing cats. So is it possible Mike James might have heard this from KD."
On the "Players Choice" podcast, James listed his top five current players, notably not including Curry. He said:
“I feel like Jokic and Steph are just a little bit below those other five. But obviously they’re still amazing … Steph’s, like, how he plays and how he gets stuff off, it’s just kind of one-dimensional at times, if that makes sense.
Mike James went the @PlayersChoice_ podcast and said he wasn’t sure Steph Curry is a top 5 player, calling him ‘one dimensional.’
Steph Curry heard the comments and responded 😂 https://t.co/CiFVgWmNvi
"He’s not the primary ball handler a lot, and for a point guard, that kind of bothers me. But he does score off the dribbles. He’s a superstar.”
How valid are Mike James' comments about Steph Curry?
Mike James' belief in Curry's game being one-dimensional primarily comes from Curry swaying away from the practice of a traditional point guard. Draymond Green functions as a "point forward" for the Golden State Warriors.
The comments have elicited a flurry of responses to highlight their illegitimacy. However, James is correct that Curry doesn't function as a primary ball-handler. However, based on this fact, Curry's exclusion from the upper-echelons of NBA players could be a stretch.
Steph Curry plays in a system designed for ball movement and unselfish play, staving off any ball-dominant heroes. The fact that Curry has a low usage rate and still competes with the best in the league should be enough for his inclusion.
Steph Curry has finished in the top-10 in usage rate on four occasions in the last eight years. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid have finished in the top 10 on that list for four consecutive years since the 2018-19 season. Luka Doncic has finished in the top 5 every year since 2019.