Steph Curry Is Obviously The Greatest Point Guard Of All-Time
The debate is dead. Steph Curry is obviously the greatest point guard of all-time. I truly believe that if you join me on this journey, even if you’re on the fence currently, you will change your mind by the time I’m done.
There is this thing that’s called human evolution. I hate to inform everyone of this but it’s real. This is no disrespect to Magic Johnson. He’s excellent and there is no denying that. The bottom line is if you’re constructing a basketball team, Steph is going to be your point guard. It just is what it is.
The 3-point line was introduced to the NBA in 1979. It’s the same year that Magic Johnson and Larry Bird entered the NBA. If you dropped Steph Curry into that era, the players would assume he is some sort of alien and would have just bent the knee.
Both Magic and Steph broke barriers. Back then people believed Magic was too tall to play point guard. When I worked for the Penguin site, the moron that ran that site believed three-point shooting teams didn’t win championships. People are dumb. There is no denying that.
Steph’s impact is just infinitely greater and it’s not a debate. The best high school quarterback in the country would lead the NFL in passing yards in 1995. It’s just the way that it is. Athletes improve over time. If Magic played today he would be Ben Simmons with WAY more dog. An awesome player but not one that changes the sport for the better.
For the record, I find many of these GOAT debates incredibly stupid but this one is plainly obvious. Magic probably would have adapted with the times and became at least a functional shooter. It still doesn’t match what Steph provides. We’re talking about a guy that’s converting basically 43% of his 3-point attempts and will go down as the best shooter of all-time. There isn’t anything more important in the modern NBA.
We also have to remember as time goes on, the competition improves. Forrest Griffin won the UFC Light Heavyweight title in 2008. If Griffin fought today in his prime, he would not be ranked within the division. 15 years ago only five good quarterbacks existed. Now go look at the AFC… virtually everyone has a guy.
Magic Johnson has one more title than Steph facing way less competition. Who was good back then? Boston, Detroit, and maybe Houston? With Magic the Lakers went to the NBA Finals in eight of ten years. That doesn’t happen today. There are too many good teams. You could drop the current day Detroit Pistons in the league back in 1980 and they would be a Finals contender. Detroit won 23 games last year. It’s just the truth.
Adapt with the times. Figure stuff out. If Steph played back then people would be convinced that it might be time to bring the Salem witch trials back. Nobody could shoot like that and it took about 30 years for someone to even get close.
Both were blessed to be drafted by functional organizations. That part helps. However, Steph has another enormous edge on Magic. Can you imagine what Magic’s career looks like during the social media/player empowerment era?
We saw what Magic was when he was given player personnel duties with the Lakers. We all know about the stories of Magic partying which frankly cut his career short for the reason we don’t need to get into. There’s a great rant by Ryen Russillo that I’ll link here. Magic played in the perfect era. If he had to do it in this day of age, things don’t go nearly as well. That man was a wild child and there’s nothing wrong with that. I just don’t think Steph gets the credit he deserves for tuning out the noise.
Curry doesn’t mess with personnel moves. He trusts Bob Meyers. He doesn’t go looking to make noise by threatening to leave if Golden State doesn’t give him what he wants. He trusts the front office to do their job and they always deliver. When it’s time to land a star like Kevin Durant. They choose him. Curry is never the one that has to leave.
Curry is also part of the greatest team in NBA history and that has to count for something. That Warriors team in 2016-17 is the best team ever and it’s not close. Kevin Durant was just on a different level and Curry took a small back seat to make sure that title was secured with another one to come. How many other superstars do that? Curry has such a level of unselfishness that can’t be quantified. There is no price tag for that and it’s what makes him so special and irreplaceable.
If you want to say that Magic has the edge over Steph in rebounding, assists, and defensive prowess, that’s fine. Be my guest. It still doesn’t match what Steph Curry brings to the table. Every kid under the age of 16 wants to be him. They all buy his shoes. Michael Jordan changed the shoe game back then, not Magic. Not the icon of this era is Steph because every kid believes if they learn how to shoot they can make the league like he did. He’s changed the game and the belief system of kids everywhere. You can’t top that legacy.
Furthermore, the NBA is a make or miss league. It’s just a fact. Any area that Magic has maybe a slight edge in doesn’t outdo what Curry provides from an offensive perspective.
After Curry just won his 4th title where he was clearly the best player and his supporting cast was a washed up Draymond and one-legged Klay Thompson, the debate died. It’s over and done with. When discussing the greatest point guards of all-time, the list starts with Steph Curry. You guys can debate the rest. Curry is on a tier of his own. Whatever time he has left, let’s make sure we appreciate his greatness while we still have a chance to watch it.
