Hall of Fame former Boston Celtics small forward Paul Pierce, now a talking head via Showtime and Fox Sports, took to a recent episode of FS1’s “Undisputed” with hosts Skip Bayless and Keyshawn Johnson with what on the surface looks like something of a hot take. The 10-time All-Star and 2008 Finals MVP claimed that All-NBA Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry has had a bigger impact on the game of basketball than Hall of Fame shooting guards Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant, as well as future Hall of Famer (and currently Stephen Curry rival) LeBron James, now with the Los Angeles Lakers. Let’s unpack Pierce’s claim.
“There’s been more 20-point comebacks in the league because teams are shooting the ball more from three, they’re drafting players, they’re signing bigs who can shoot the three, and that’s the [kind of] influence that Steph has had on the game,” Pierce began. “[Steph Curry’s] influence on the game has been greater than [LeBron James, Michael Jordan, and Kobe Bryant]… I watched the Celtics game last night… Their first 10 shots were three pointers.”
Does the former NBA champion and 10-time All-Star have a point, or is this just a piping hot take from a bitter LeBron James rival? According to StatMuse, the league averaged 18.1 triple tries a game during Curry’s first pro season, in 2009-10. It’s funny to think that he was merely the seventh pick in that year’s draft class out of Davison, and that the Minnesota Timberwolves passed over him not once but twice while 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 averaging 35.0 three point attempts a bout. So the three point shooting has virtually doubled during Curry’s 15 years in the league.
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Pierce really does have a point. The big thing with Curry’s impact as a long range sniper is it’s just far more replicable than the sheer 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 dominance, that it would be impossible to try to emulate for just anybody. A Giannis Antetokounmpo or Paolo Banchero can do their darnedest, but it’s a pretty small pool.
Curry is once again enjoying a dominant shooting season from distance, but it hasn’t helped translate to a dominant overall year for a Golden State team whose other 2022 championship-era core pieces are rapidly aging. Golden State is currently the tenth seed in the Western Conference at 36-32, just 2.5 games ahead of the rising Houston Rockets. Curry himself is averaging 26.8 points on excellent .450/.405/.920 shooting splits, plus 4.9 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 0.8 steals a night. That 40.5% three point shooting rate is arriving on 12.0 triple tries a game. Speaking of his rookie season, he only took 4.8 attempts in 2009-10 (he made 43.7% of them).
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.