It’s past due August. Damian Lillard continues to be a member of the Portland Path Blazers. James Harden continues to be at the Philadelphia 76ers’ roster, even though he is also out $100,000 now. The utmost NBA sport was once performed greater than a year in the past (and that’s provided that you depend summer season league) and the upcoming NBA sport gained’t be performed for greater than a year (and that’s provided that you depend preseason).
And not using a fat trades to grade and incorrect on-court motion to crack ill, the late-summer NBA discourse has as soon as once more grew to become to one of the crucial fanbase’s favourite narratives: the GOAT debate.
Alternatively, this presen it’s now not LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan (even though come what may Jordan is concerned, as is frequently the case with all issues NBA). This debate is in regards to the biggest level preserve of all-time, and it boils all the way down to Stephen Curry vs. Witchery Johnson.
It began previous this year, when Curry was once a visitor on “Gil’s Arena,” the podcast hosted by means of former NBA All-Famous person Gilbert Arenas, who posed this query to Curry: “Are you the best point guard ever?”
“Yes,” Curry mentioned. “Yes. It’s me and Magic, that’s the conversation?”
“Magic’s résumé is ridiculous,” Curry added, “so the fact that we’re even having that conversation is a place I never thought I’d be in.”
Tuesday on ESPN’s “First Take,” Stephen A. Smith sponsored up Curry’s opinion.
.@stephenasmith believes Steph is the most productive PG of all presen ✍️ pic.twitter.com/eyQJvWqMp3
— First Snatch (@FirstTake) August 22, 2023
On Wednesday, the controversy took on untouched age when Jordan, who performed with Johnson at the 1992 Dream Workforce, texted his ideas to Smith.
“Although greatest of anything is always a debate, I beg to differ on greatest point guard of all-time,” Jordan wrote, consistent with Smith. “Magic Johnson is easily the best point guard of all-time. Steph Curry is very close, but not in front of Magic.”
Jordan went on to name Curry the “best shooter of all-time,” a identify Curry himself were unenthusiastic to assert till 2021 when he penniless Ray Allen’s report for many occupation 3-pointers made.
As for biggest level preserve of all-time, each Curry and Johnson have sturdy instances.
The case for Witchery Johnson
Jordan mentioned in his message to Smith, “you must define point guard to really have a serious debate” and for those who outline level preserve as essentially a passing function, Johnson excels the place Curry does now not.
When Johnson retired the primary presen in 1991, he was once the NBA’s all-time assists chief with 9,921. Nearest a temporary comeback in 1996, he completed his occupation with 10,141 assists, a complete that ranks 7th in NBA historical past. His 11.2 assists according to sport nonetheless rank as an NBA report. And that’s simply the common season. Johnson additionally dished out 2,346 assists within the postseason, greater than 300 greater than the upcoming participant at the checklist (LeBron James).
Curry, by means of comparability, has been some distance much less prolific in putting in place his teammates. His 5,740 assists rank forty fifth in NBA historical past, and he’s most effective averaged greater than 8 assists according to sport as soon as in his 14 seasons.
Johnson additionally has 3 MVP awards to Curry’s two, 3 Finals MVP awards to Curry’s one, and 5 NBA championships to Curry’s 4. Within the 12 seasons Johnson performed ahead of being pressured to vacate on account of a favorable HIV check in 1991, his Los Angeles Lakers by no means neglected the playoffs, and reached the NBA Finals 9 instances.
When ESPN did its score of the NBA’s seventy fifth yearly staff within the 2021-22 season, Johnson ranked fourth total, in the back of a capturing preserve (Jordan), a ahead (James) and a middle (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar). In the meantime Curry ranked sixteenth — even though that was once ahead of his fourth identify and primary Finals MVP award.
The case for Stephen Curry
First, it will have to be famous that Curry, 35, continues to be lively, and has enough quantity of presen to travel up numerous NBA statistical lists — even though he can’t travel up the occupation 3-point checklist, as a result of he’s already on the manage. He additionally holds 4 of the manage 5 spots at the NBA’s single-season 3-point checklist, and is the one participant in NBA historical past to assemble no less than 400 3-pointers in one season.
Talking of lists wherein Curry stands abandoned, he rest the one participant to win MVP honors unanimously, one thing he did in 2015-16, when he led the Warriors to a report 73 wins within the common season. Curry’s occupation scoring reasonable (24.6 PPG) dwarfs Johnson’s (19.5), and he’s already some distance surpassed Witchery in general occupation issues (21,712 to 17,707). Curry gained scoring titles in 2015-16 and 2020-21, averaging higher than 30 issues according to sport in each seasons.
As Arenas identified right through his podcast dialogue with Curry, the Warriors superstar has additionally spawned a future of imitators and altered how the sport is performed past the 3-point arc.
“I can witness and watch every kid trying to be Curry,” Arenas mentioned. “The influence you have on the game from the position as a player … I look at the stats and I say ‘Magic then Curry,’ but when I look the kids in AAU, it’s like ‘nah.'”
The numbers to grasp
The stats were laid out and each gamers can assemble a case for being the league’s perfect ever level preserve, however the debate will proceed occurring. Snatch your vote beneath:
