There’s not a person in the world that would argue against Stephen Curry being one of the best players in the NBA at the moment. Steph had an explosive playoff run in 2021-22 and led the Golden State Warriors to their 4th ring in 8 seasons. Curry also collected his first Finals MVP, something that had been used as an argument against his greatness for a long time.
However, there are still people who think that Curry is not one of the top 5 players in the NBA, and Mike James, a former Nets player, is one of them. James played alongside Kevin Durant in the 2020-21 season, another superstar whose legacy is intertwined with Curry’s.
Speaking on the Player’s Choice podcast, James was asked who he thinks the top 5 players in the NBA currently are, and he chose Luka Doncic ahead of Curry. He went on to explain his choice, calling Curry one-dimensional.
“Steph, like how he plays and how he gets stuff off, it’s just kind of one-dimensional at times if that makes sense. … He’s not the primary ball-handler a lot and for a point guard that kind of bothers me. But he does score off the dribble so I mean he’s a superstar. When you’re picking your top five, you’re kind of just nit-picking.”
James did admit that this was nit-picking on his part, but it’s fair to say that it still isn’t a completely solid take. Curry’s off-ball movement and gravity make him extremely unique, and the non-ball-handling narrative is also a bit of a tired one. Curry is someone that has been questioned time and again throughout his career, so this is hardly anything new for the Warriors star. Ultimately, the only question that remains is how much more he can do to stop the doubters from taking him lightly.
