Former Boston Celtics small forward, Hall of Famer Paul Pierce is now a talking head via Showtime and Fox Sports, appeared on a recent episode of FS1’s “Undisputed” with hosts Skip Bayless and Keyshawn Johnson with what, at first glance, looks like a hot shot. The 10-time All-Star and 2008 Finals MVP said NBA Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry had a bigger impact on the game of basketball than Hall of Fame shooters. Michael Jordan Or Kobe Bryantas well as future Hall of Famer (and current rival of Stephen Curry) LeBron James, now with the Los Angeles Lakers. Let’s unpack Pierce’s claim.
“There have been more 20-point comebacks in the league because teams are shooting the ball more from three, they’re drafting players, they’re drafting big guys who can shoot threes, and that’s the [kind of] “The influence Steph had on the game,” Pierce began. “[Steph Curry’s] the influence on the game was greater than [LeBron James, Michael Jordan, and Kobe Bryant]… I watched the Celtics game last night… Their first 10 shots were three-pointers.
Did the old NBA Is the champion and 10-time All-Star right, or is this just a hot take from a bitter LeBron James rival? According to StatMuse, the league averaged 18.1 triple tries per game during Curry’s first professional season, in 2009-10. It’s funny to think that he was only Davison’s seventh pick in that year’s draft class, and the Minnesota Timberwolves passed him over not once but twice when drafting two other point guards in that year’s lottery (Ricky Rubio and the immortal Jonny Flynn). But I digress. This year, teams are currently making an average of 35.0 three-point attempts per contest. So the three-point shot has basically doubled over Curry’s 15 years in the league.
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Pierce is absolutely right. The big advantage of Curry’s impact as a long-range sniper is that it’s far more replicable than the athleticism or will to win of Jordan, James or Bryant. Three-point shooting is a skill, not an inherent ability. James in particular has such a unique body type, perfectly built for basketball domination, that trying to emulate it would be impossible for just anyone. A Giannis Antetokounmpo or a Paolo Banchero can do their best, but it’s a pretty small pool.
Curry is once again enjoying a dominant shooting season from distance, but that hasn’t helped translate into a dominant overall year for a Golden State team whose other centerpieces of the 2022 championship era are aging quickly. Golden State is currently the tenth seed in the Western Conference with a 36-32 record, just 2.5 games ahead of the surging Houston Rockets. Curry himself is averaging 26.8 points with excellent shooting splits of .450/.405/.920, plus 4.9 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 0.8 steals per night. That 40.5% three-point shooting rate comes on 12.0 triple tries per game. Speaking of his rookie season, he only made 4.8 attempts in 2009-10 (he made 43.7%).
Uncommon knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
