George Mikan (big man dominance). Inflection Point 2: Bill Russell (defense and winning). Inflection Point 3: Michael Jordan (global icon and scoring title). Inflection Point 4: LeBron James (physical versatility and longevity). Inflection Point 5: Stephen Curry (the three-point revolution and space).
We assume that if something looks fluid and graceful, it requires less effort. In reality, his off-ball movement is the most exhausting skill in basketball. He runs an average of 2.5 miles per game, most of it at sprint speed through a gauntlet of hip checks and jersey grabs. That isn't a system. That is martyrdom. Part III: The Clutch Myth One of the strangest critiques of Curry is that he is "not clutch." Stephen Curry- Underrated
In the 2022 playoffs, he held his own against Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum in isolation. He finished second in the entire playoffs in steals. George Mikan (big man dominance)
Stephen Curry fits none of these molds. He is 6’2" and 185 pounds. He does not dunk on people. He does not play "look-at-me" defense where he swats shots into the third row. Because he does not look like the prototype of a dominant athlete—because he has skinny calves and a baby face—we instinctively lower our ceiling for him. Inflection Point 4: LeBron James (physical versatility and
We confuse noise for dominance . Russell Westbrook screaming and rebounding his own miss looks like dominance. Giannis Antetokounmpo bulldozing three defenders looks like dominance. Curry’s dominance is quiet. It is a subtle jog around a screen. It is a relocation three seconds before the ball arrives. It is the opposing center stepping up to the free-throw line, terrified, leaving the rim wide open for a layup.
In 2017 and 2018, Kevin Durant won. Fair enough—Durant was an alien. But once again, the defense was geared toward Curry. The Cavs famously chose to leave Kevin Durant wide open for dunks to prevent Curry from getting open threes. Ty Lue admitted it: "Steph is the head of the snake."
We have normalized Curry’s production. Because he consistently hits shots that no human should hit, we treat his 4th quarter pull-up from 30 feet as routine. It is not routine. It is magic.