Not even the most optimistic Golden State Warriors fan or executive ever thought Stephen Curry would go on to have the career he’s had.
But the Davidson product has silenced his doubters left and right from day one, up to the point where he’s now officially entered the GOAT point guard debate.
And while some still believe that he can sit at Magic Johnson’s table, that’s not the case with Stephen A. Smith.
In his recent appearance on Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay, the ESPN anchor said that as great as Magic was, Curry’s impact on the court and the game is superior.
He explained that Curry — who’s not a pass-first kind of guy — could do his damage from all over the court and in a huge variety of ways, whereas Magic was more efficient as a finisher and on the fast-break, stating that he often looked for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar when he was on halfcourt sets.
. @StephenASmith on Magic vs Steph
“Michael Jordan has been arguing this with me forever because Magic Johnson is the greatest in his eyes…@MagicJohnson is the greatest facilitator the game has ever seen, but I’m saying as an impact maker, you can talk about @StephenCurry30.” pic.twitter.com/gUBS7RYagP
— Club Shay Shay (@ClubShayShay) September 5, 2023
Of course, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with feeding your best scorer if you’re a point guard; that’s actually what you’re supposed to do.
As great and established as Kareem was, Magic always put him in a position to succeed and gave him the basketball where he needed to.
Likewise, there should be no argument in terms of Magic being a better ‘pure’ or somewhat traditional point guard, and the same goes for Steph as a scorer and a revolutionary player.
Curry revolutionized the game forever, so Smith has a valid point in terms of impact.
But at the end of the day, we’re talking about two very different players with different skills and playing in different eras under different rules, and you couldn’t go wrong either way.