Let me tell you something, I love Step Curry. For me, he’s one of the best of all time. The things he did over the past 15 years since his NBA career began in 2009 are not less than remarkable.
Curry has won 4 championships and could potentially win two more championships. The loss to Cleveland in 2016 was kinda of a black swan occurrence, as well as the loss to Toronto in 2019. And, the Warriors has been Curry’s team all along the way, even when Kevin Durant joined the team. It was always Curry’s team. What’s more, 2 MVPs, a two-time NBA scoring champion, a gold medal at the 2024 Olympics, and a finals MVP. And let’s not forget Curry’s 3-point record that is very likely to become one of the sports records that might never be broken. As of writing, 3856 career 3-pointers and counting.
You know what, I think Curry is the second best, right after MJ. Yep, that’s my opinion. But as a basketball fan, I have to be aware of the counter-arguments saying that Curry is not good enough, not a diverse player, and those who claim that Curry is actually overrated.
So, Why is Steph Curry Underrated?
Despite my personal opinion, Curry is perceived by many as an overrated basketball player. Curry himself defined his basketball career as underrated in the documentary Stephan Curry: Underrated.
Why? well, I think there are two reasons. The first is his play style, and the second is Curry’s defensive liability.
Curry Play Style
Stephan Curry is arguably the most unique NBA player in history. He invented a new form of play style with unlimited range and a large number of 3-point shots in a single game. As a result of his success, many new players mimicked his style, which, in a way, changed the entire NBA league. LaMello Ball, Trae Young, and even Luka Doncic are part of the new trend – no more mid-range. Lots of 3-point shots. A big mess, in a way.
Undoubtfully, Stephan Curry has changed the game. The threat he created behind the arc helps other players, shooters or forwards, to thrive in this system.
But, while some see it as an exciting style of play, others may argue that Curry has a childish play style that has negatively affected the NBA. Personally, I love watching Stephan Curry and the Warriors, but I can agree with the argument that Stephan Curry is not the perfect player in terms of play style. Fundamentally, the ideal player is built like MJ, Kobe Bryant, and even Carmello Anthony (at least in my opinion, not related to career achievements).
Fundamentally, Curry is not a pure point guard like John Stockton or Jason Kidd. He’s different – Curry is a combination of a shooting and point guard. With an average of 3.1 turnovers per game, it can be argued that Curry is not always a playmaker who plays for others.
Curry’s Defensive Weakness
As a Curry fan, I’ve seen some impressive defensive moves over the years. He’s not such a bad defensive player. Throughout his career, Curry averages 1.5 steals per game and 4.1 rebounds per game, pretty good stats for a point guard.
Yet, when considering his size and other factors, Curry is certainly a liability on defense, especially in the pick-n-roll era. And for some, it is a must-have skill for a player in order to be one of the greatest. Basketball is a game of offense and defense. Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Lebron are good defensive players. Curry doesn’t have it. He’s clearly one of the best offensive players to ever play the game, but his defensive weakness puts Curry in a shortage when compared to some of the greatest players.
Final Word
In sum, Stephan Curry is a different breed of basketball player. Something that we’ve never seen before. Whether you like him or not, his ability to change the game cannot be argued, and neither can his achievements.
But the greatness of Stephan Curry, much like Lebron James, is not a consensus. In most ‘who is the GOAT’ conversations, Curry is not even being mentioned as a candidate. Is he underrated? I guess it’s a matter of opinion. For me, Curry is surely underrated. Either way, even if you are not a Curry fan, you have to admit his impact on the NBA and basketball in general is enormous. Maybe more than any other player in this era and in history.
