"Whether he wins more or not, I don't think we'll ever see another Steph Curry" - Matt Barnes claims Warriors superstar has changed "the game from the grassroots to the top"
NBA Champion and analyst Matt Barnes was a guest on the most recent Club Shay Shay podcast, hosted by Shannon. The two men talked about NBA basketball and discussed what they thought of the players in today’s game. While on the topic of Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors, the men talked about his impact on the game of basketball. The sharp shooting guard has altered the basketball paradigm and made a lot of players shoot a lot more 3-pointers than they used to.
Both men agreed that Steph Curry is one of the top ten players of all time. Curry is a 4-time NBA Champion with 2 MVP awards to his credit at this point in his career.
"He's a top 10 player. I think he has room to climb. Whether he wins more or not, I don't think we'll ever see another Steph Curry. The ability and if you think about it you know there's very few people that have changed the game during the course of their career. But who has changed it more than Steph. Me coaching AAU kids now and seeing the kids jacking up, 3 little kids put their shoes on and start shooting from the sideline or half court like they don't even go in the painting to warm up now, and that's the Steph Curry effect, and I've never seen anyone change the game from the grassroots to the top." - Matt Barnes
Curry is the all-time leader in 3-point field goals made. His combination with Klay Thompson as the ’Splash Brothers' altered with how the game was played and how NBA teams constructed their rosters. Teams wanted to be able to shoot with the Warriors. Barnes even mentions how the NBA changed due to Steph and his play.
"When I first came in the league it was inside out basketball. You live by the three. You're gonna die by the three and Steph and Klay and the Warriors completely changed that". - Matt Barnes
One consistent theme with current AAU and youth coaches is how all the kids are trying to shoot three pointers. One of the true testaments to the impact on a game is changing how it is played. In the 1970s and 80s the game revolved around the big man; Michael Jordan made the league want to try to find a 6-foot 6in shooting guard who was athletic. Steph Curry changed the game by putting an emphasis on outside shooting. The guys were not pulling up on a fast-break and shooting a three as opposed to taking the ball to the basket.
Steph Curry is entering his 12th season in the league and has a chance to enter rarefied air. With 4 championships already under his belt, he has as many as LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal. Another title win would equal the likes of Magic Johnson, Tim Duncan and Kobe Bryant. As Barnes said, Curry is in the top 10 and has room to climb.