“We talk about LeBron or Jordan, what about Jordan-Curry? What about LeBron-Curry?” - Stephen A. Smith believes Steph Curry belongs in the same conversation as LeBron James and Michael Jordan
On ESPN's "First Take," analyst Stephen A. Smith explained how Steph Curry has changed basketball on a scale similar to LeBron James and Michael Jordan.
Smith talked mostly about the impact Steph Curry had on the game as a whole. He notably avoided statistics, wins, and awards and focused primarily on the way teams have to make changes in the face of Steph Curry’s presence.
In talking about Curry and his greatness, Stephen A. Smith argued:
“Steph Curry has no limit, he has no range. He can shoot it short, he can shoot it long. He can shoot it from 10, 20, 30, 40, sometimes 50 feet. Literally, the minute he steps past half court, you have to defend him.”
The way Steph Curry commands the court from the midcourt line is a marvel. The way the defense moves with immediate pressure, double teams and pushing up the floor shows the way the game changes in response to him.
The point Stephen A. Smith made was that both Michael Jordan and James played so great, they created entire game fluctuations in response to their domination. Players of such greatness bring the league to the next level and force people to change in ways never seen before. Steph Curry is making that exact impact on the game.
“We’re not recognizing how [Steph Curry’s] transformed the game of basketball. … We talk about LeBron or Jordan, what about Jordan-Curry?!”
—@stephenasmith https://t.co/T4NJZst82k
Has Steph Curry Changed the NBA to the same weight as MJ or LeBron?
We see James shooting relatively consistent from deep, more so as of late than at the beginning of his career. This is the first time in a very long time one could argue James has evolved a part of his game in response to the shift created by another player. When we see the "King" adapting to greatness, we wonder who will end up being the biggest face of our generation.
As the greatest shooter ever, Steph Curry stands to be regarded as someone who can throw the ball up from seemingly impossible distances, but is so much more than that.
Steph is not a player who gets free catch-and-shoot options in the corner off a made play, but rather a player who is heavily guarded on every step he takes past half court.
Each player on defense knows the possibility of what is coming, and they all try their best to stop it — but Steph often still sinks the 3-pointer. Curry plays hard and fast in his driving lanes, proving to be able to get the ball through defenders for a lay-up as well. With steady defensive pressure and a calm-minded running point, Steph Curry is clearly the whole package, and then some.
Curry may have "only" three NBA championship rings to James' four and Jordan’s six, but Smith outlined a differentiating factor of greatness.
Setting aside the quantitative realm of numbers, Smith argued that Steph Curry has made a shift in the NBA to the same degree as both Jordan and James. With shooting as theatrically as Curry does, it is easy to miss what happens on the court around his perfect release.
Defenders are forced to come out, opening the floor for Curry’s teammates to run as they please. With James and MJ, they had a similar impact in forcing the defense to shift in response to their greatness. Their opposition was pushed into doing things they had never done before, and that is the same essence of greatness that Steph holds.
Curry’s deep-threat example has been noted and set around the league, seen with 3-pointers becoming more and more prominent. It is even causing many young stars to come into the league shooting a higher number of 3s than ever before. Steph Curry has single-handedly forced the league to make changes, that are almost pointless attempts in trying to contain him. There are countless pictures of two to four, sometimes even five, defenders surrounding Curry to prevent a buzzer beater — only for him to sink it with a smile.
Steph hit the shot after putting the defender on skates 🤯 https://t.co/DlWJ1eIGlI
A seven-time NBA All-Star, two-time MVP and three-time NBA champion, Steph Curry is easily the greatest shooter the NBA has seen.
During the 2012-13 season, Steph set the NBA record for 3s in a regular season at 272. He then surpassed that record the following year with 289, and again in 2016 with 402. Curry sits two 3-pointers away from the NBA 3-pointers record, to pass Hall of Famer Ray Allen (2,973).
His 2014-15 year was one of the greatest performances seen in Golden State, leading the Warriors to their first championship since 1975. The following season, he became the first player in NBA history to be unanimously selected for MVP while leading the league in scoring, shooting above 50-40-90.
“We talk about LeBron or Jordan, what about Jordan-Curry? What about LeBron-Curry?” - Stephen A. Smith
Revolutionizing the way teams utilize the 3-pointer and having fun doing it, Steph Curry continues to make waves in the league. With each wave comes another comment in the Jordan-LeBron-Curry debate, as his name starts to nestle in there quite comfortably.