Stephen Curry is the greatest shooter in the history of the NBA. In fact, some might even argue that he will be regarded as the best point guard the league’s ever seen when Curry hangs up his sneakers.
Apart from his obviously amazing skills on the court, Curry has a remarkable brand value and his popularity is through the roof as of now.
This might be the case right now, but when Steph was drafted, he was never projected to have the success that he has right now. Sure, he was still a decent player and was projected to have a good career in the league, but his fragile body structure was always a point of concern for many.
Despite all that, the Golden State Warriors placed their trust in him and drafted Curry with the 7th overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft. Well, if the Dubs had let go of him, Steph would have been drafted by the New York Knicks fans.
Moreover, when the Warriors did decide to draft him, it disappointed a lot of Knicks fans. It was quite obvious they wanted to see Curry don a Knicks uniform, but all they were left with the agony of losing the chance to get a generational talent.
New York is one of the biggest markets in the league. Yet the team has been quite relevant for quite some time. If they had drafted Steph in the 2009 NBA draft maybe, their fortunes would have turned.
Instead of Chef Curry, the Knicks had to settle with Jordan Hill with the 8th overall pick in the draft. The two players’ careers had a very different trajectory. While Curry is one of the best players to ever grace the league, Hill is not so much.
The Knicks traded him after just 24 games. Hill returned from the league after the 2016-17 season after bouncing around the league for a while.
Steph is still going strong and will try to lead the Warriors to an NBA championship in the 2021-22 season. With Klay Thompson set to return to the roster this season, the Warriors have a good chance of reclaiming their crown as the best team in the league.
