Stephen Curry is among the greatest NBA players to have ever picked up a basketball, but where he ranks among the all-time legends is often a subject of intense discussion. NBA legend Tracy McGrady weighed in with his thoughts on Curry as a top-five player, saying that he doesn’t think Curry is a top-10 player, let alone top-five.
“No, you’re tripping on that. He hasn’t cracked my top 10 yet. He just hasn’t. I think Steph has had a phenomenal career, Obviously, four championships, two league MVPs, he has a Finals MVP. But if you go back and look at his career, when Draymond is out of the lineup for the season. If you look at Klay Thompson, who missed that season.”
McGrady elaborated on how Curry’s inability to make the Playoffs without his co-stars is a sign that he isn’t great enough to be top-ten all-time.
“To me, if one of your guys is missing and you can’t make the playoffs, I can’t put you in [my] top 5 or top 10. I just can’t. Greatness to me is when one of your guys is out, you still have to elevate your team at least to the Playoffs. They don’t even make the Playoffs when Klay or Dray are out of the lineup. They haven’t even won a Play-In game at all. Top five? No chance.”
McGrady has made an argument many people agree with, but the reasoning is paper-thin. The year Draymond and Klay missed the entire season (2019-20), even Curry was sidelined and played fewer games than Draymond. The next season was a genuine failing, as the Warriors choked from the No. 8 seed to out of the Playoffs by losing in the Play-In Tournament.
The 2022 Championship saw Curry reunited with both Draymond and Klay Thompson, leading to a title, but the last season ended with a comprehensive second-round exit to the Lakers and this year ended with a shock Play-In blowout loss to an injured Kings.
His overall accolades as a four-time champion, two-time league MVP, and the man who fundamentally changed the NBA with his shooting talent should be given more respect. If we had to go through the list of top players who missed the postseason, we’d have a very long list, so penalizing him for those seasons seems harsh.
Kevin Garnett Once Defended Curry As A Top-10 Player
Stephen Curry as one of the top 10 players of all time is a very common talking point amongst NBA shows. Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce engaged in this debate last season, as Pierce questioned Curry’s credentials as a top-10 talent. This prompted Garnett to passionately defend Curry, citing how he’s changed the game.
“The man changed the game and where you shoot the ball from. That’s first. Secondly, he does it on a consistent basis. Every guard that’s f**kin under 6-foot think they Stephen Curry… Bro, the pickup point on that n**** is when he gets past half! If you are tired, what do you do? You run back half-court… You can’t do that with him… We been gracious to be in the MJ era, we been gracious to be in the Kob era, even Shaq, Shaq changed the game… Man come on, man. This man has changed the game. He made every guard think they got range.”
Curry is a four-time champion, two-time regular season MVP, and one-time Finals MVP. He has made 10 All-NBA teams and 10 All-Star teams.
His career averages are 24.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 6.4 assists, as he leads the NBA all-time 3-pointers made with 3,747. His argument as a top-10 player is far more credible than most give him credit for.