“This ain’t the WWF, they cleaned that up, you don’t get to do that” - Cuttino Mobley believes Steph Curry will be dominant in '80s and '90s, cites the success of shooters like Reggie Miller
Steph Curry is the NBA's 3-point king, and yet some of his critics think his game wouldn't have made it in the 1980s and 1990s. Some make the case that the rough-and-tumble days of those decades would have been too tough for him.
Former NBA player Cuttino Mobley is taking Curry’s side. From his perspective, regardless of the era, the deadliest shooter in the league's history would have done just fine.
Here’s what Mobley had to say on the "Straight Fire" podcast about how the two-time MVP would have fared in those eras:
“Mark Price, Isiah Thomas, Reggie Miller, you name them. Name anybody. Ricky Pierce. You name any shooter, great shooters that moved without the ball and do everything, Steph has every single thing they have with a handle.
"It was rougher inside the paint. … Yeah, you can hit him all day long, but this ain’t the WWF. They cleaned that up! You don’t get to do that.”
Of the names that Mobley mentioned, Isiah Thomas arguably had the best handle but was the worst shooter in the group. The leader of the Bad Boys Detroit Pistons shot only 29.0% from 3-point range.
Reggie Miller was the most prolific, making 2,560 3-pointers, which is fourth in NBA history. He also hit 39.5% of his threes. Mark Price shot 40.2%, making 976.
Curry has it all. He has 3,117 3-pointers, a tally that could end up somewhere above 5,000 when it’s all said and done. For such a volume shooter, he’s making a ridiculous 42.8%. The NBA Finals MVP is also as good as Thomas when it comes to handling the ball.
The Golden State Warriors' marquee player could conceivably struggle early on with the rules of the '80s and '90s, but who's to say he won’t adjust? Besides his outrageous outside shooting, Curry’s ability to improve his game has been a hallmark of his career.
Steph Curry is an all-time great that should at least be an All-Star in any era
Several basketball analysts put Steph Curry squarely in the top 10 best NBA players of all time. Shaquille O'Neal said Curry has a place in the discussion because of how he revolutionized the game.
Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Shaq, Magic Johnson, Tim Duncan, Larry Bird and Bill Russell are undoubtedly All-Stars in any era. If Curry is in that category, there shouldn’t be any question of his ability to impact the game in any decade.
Curry’s unparalleled outside shooting is a game-changer regardless of place and time in NBA history. Even if the 3-point line wasn’t introduced yet, his consistent and deadly sniping would still open the lanes for the big men to operate.
Imagine how many points Jordan or O’Neal would drop if they had Curry around the perimeter terrorizing defenses. Just because he’s undersized, there’s little reason to think he would not flourish in any era.