Should Stephen Curry really be considered among the top 10 NBA players of all time?
Stephen Curry is one of the most celebrated athletes in the world and is arguably the second most popular face in the league amongst active players after LeBron James. A 3-time championship winner and two-time MVP, Curry is still going strong in the NBA at 33 years of age and will be looking to clinch his fourth title when he takes to the court for the 2021-22 season.
Fans, analysts and even NBA players have indulged in debates surrounding Stephen Curry's status as a top-10 player of all time. However, various factors point towards the fact that it is a bit premature to suggest that he is already a part of the 10 best players list in NBA history.
It is premature to call Stephen Curry a top-10 NBA player of all time
Stephen Curry is credited with revolutionizing the way the game of basketball is played nowadays, with young players now encouraged to shoot from their threes rather than make forays into the paint and play a physical brand of basketball. Curry is a 6'3 point guard that is completely reliant on his skillset rather than physicality and epitomizes the modern NBA.
Curry is also a brilliant playmaker and has been lauded for his leadership abilities. After becoming the alpha on a Golden State Warriors team that had successful campaigns in 2015 and 2016, Curry took a backseat when Kevin Durant arrived from OKC Thunder to take the primary scorer role on the team. Durant ended up winning two championships and two Finals MVPs with the franchise, with Curry sacrificing his touches to ensure balance in the side.
Despite his undeniable greatness and impact on the game, various media outlets and analysts claim that Curry is one of the top-10 players of all time is simply outlandish. Stephen Curry is yet to win a Finals MVP award and doesn't have enough longevity to guarantee a claim to be a top-10 player of all time.
Add to that the fact that Curry has been a below-average defender for his career, while all other players who might make the top-10 list will inarguably be two-way players. He is often pitted against Magic Johnson for the conversation of the greatest point guard ever, but it should be noted that the latter was a much better defender than what the Davidson product is.
Stephen Curry has also played on stacked rosters for the majority of his career, and at one point played with Klay Thompson (one of the greatest shooters ever), Draymond Green (a defensive savant), and Kevin Durant (one of the greatest scorers of all time). Two out of his three championship wins came with this team, which kind of weakens his argument.
As things stand, Stephen Curry certainly has not had a better NBA career than these players - Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant, and Shaquille O'Neal. Not only did these players win championships, but they also had longer peaks, and hence it is a bit premature to put Stephen Curry in a similar category.
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