Speaking on ‘The Draymond Green Show,” Pistons legend Isiah Thomas gave his take on the best point guards in NBA history. While most would have Stephen Curry near the top, Isiah Thomas believes his limitations as a playmaker hold him back from being the greatest point guard ever.
“When you define the position of point guard, this is in the era where they say we are positionless. But then you wanna say ‘he’s a point guard’ or ‘he’s not a point guard.’ On the Warriors, you [Draymond] are the point guard,” said Thomas. “You have more assists than Steph. You bring the ball up, you initiate the offense, you set the defense, you run the show. Steph comes off screens, he catches, and he shoots… and he’s one of the greatest shooters ever. I won a different way. As a point guard, I led my team in scoring and assists to back-to-back championships… on the Golden Stae Warriors, you [Draymond] are the point guard and that is okay.”
As a 2x champion and one of the greatest point guards of the 80s, Isiah Thomas knows more than most what makes an NBA superstar. During his days with the Bad Boy Pistons, he led his team to two straight championships while serving as Michael Jordan’s greatest rival for years.
Unlike many star athletes today, Isiah was a multi-dimensional player on the basketball court. With career averages of 19.2 points, 9.3 assists, and 3.6 rebounds per game on 45.2% shooting, he was dominant as a scorer and playmaker. He also excelled as a backcourt defender, consistently leading the famed ‘Bad Boy’ Pistons to the best defensive play in basketball year after year.
Over the years, Stephen Curry has built up his legacy to the point where some would say he’s surpassed Thomas and all-time greats. In the eyes of Thomas, however, Curry doesn’t have enough all-around game to truly compare to the best.
Is Stephen Curry In The GOAT Conversation?
While Steph may be a level below other legends regarding defense and making plays for his teammates, his impact as a shooter more than makes up for it. As, objectively, the greatest long-distance sniper in basketball history, Stephen Curry can stretch the floor like nobody else has ever seen before and his stroke has carried the Warriors to four championships.
Through 14 seasons, Steph is averaging 26.9 points, 4.9 assists, and 4.4 rebounds per game on 44.9% shooting. He’s a 4x champion, 2x MVP, 10x All-Star, 9x All-NBA player, 2x scoring leader, and 1x Finals MVP. He’s also first on the all-time three-pointers list with a total of 3,680 made and counting.
While Steph’s relatively unimpressive assist numbers have been used against him before, you can’t blame him for not passing it more when the Warriors need his scoring so much. Before his arrival, the franchise had nothing to boast about but his ascension has made them among the most valuable teams in sports.
Even now, at 35 years old, Steph Curry is still playing elite-level basketball and he has a chance to put the Warriors in a position to win it all for the next few years to come. With one or two more championships, Curry could easily make a case for being one within the top 10, on par with Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, and even LeBron James.
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