Stephen Curry is often regarded as the best shooter in NBA history. He constantly reshapes the ideology of the game, thwarting defenses and fueling one of the greatest offenses in NBA history. Stephen Curry is truly a marvel player. He is a two-time NBA champion and two KIA MVP. He constantly breaks his own three-point records year in and year out, and he takes ridiculous shots and makes them. Therefore, there is no denying that Curry is one of the best players in the NBA.
Nonetheless, every player has their critics. LeBron has Skip Bayless, and Kevin Durant has everyone. Though, Curry’s critics have created a bunch of idiotic myths about his game and his personality. Here are ten of the most ridiculous myths about Stephen Curry from critics all across the world.
10. Curry is just a shooter
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It’s no secret that Stephen Curry is an amazing shooter. However, the assumption that Curry is just a shooter and nothing else is incredibly false. It is true that Curry attempts 9.5 threes per game, according to Basketball Reference. It is also true that Curry attempts two-pointer attempts per game, which include layups. As of this season, Curry is shooting 58% inside of the arc, proving that he is a capable finisher that can get his own shot.
In addition, Curry is a skilled passer, averaging 6.8 assists over his entire career. He also is averaging 1.8 steals per game, which is a testament to his ability to play the pass lanes and maintain solid perimeter defense. Curry is even an underrated defender, out-rebounding Tristian Thompson in the duration of the 2017 NBA finals. If anything, Curry is a complete NBA point guard, not a one trick pony.
9. Curry choked in the 2016 Finals
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One of the most fascinating narratives in the NBA circle is the commonly held belief that Stephen Curry somehow “choked” in the 2016 NBA Finals. Granted, Curry’s performance in the Finals were simply inadequate compared to Kyrie Irving and LeBron James. However, by no means did Curry ever choke in the Finals. He was simply unable to.
According to Basketball Reference, here is Curry’s complete stat line in the 2016 Finals.
| Rk | Player | Age | G | GS | MP | FG | FGA | 3P | 3PA | FT | FTA | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS | FG% | 3P% | FT% | MP | PTS | TRB | AST | STL | BLK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stephen Curry | 27 | 7 | 7 | 246 | 50 | 124 | 32 | 80 | 26 | 28 | 8 | 26 | 34 | 26 | 6 | 5 | 30 | 25 | 158 | .403 | .400 | .929 | 35.1 | 22.6 | 4.9 | 3.7 | 0.9 | 0.7 |
If you look closely, there is no indication from this stat line that Curry ever choked. While he was noticeably injured in the NBA Finals, Curry still posted decent stats across the board. His decrease in production was nothing like a choke at all.
8. Curry is arrogant
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Remember when Curry supposedly took a nap during Game 2 of the 2017 NBA Finals? Remember when Curry also arrogantly celebrated his made three-point attempt against the Blazers? Even though Curry is one of the most popular players in the NBA, he is seen by most fans as cocky and arrogant. The real truth of the matter is quite the opposite.
When Durant first joined the Golden State Warriors, Curry blatantly sacrificed his stats to appease the former MVP. In fact, before Durant joined the Warriors, he called Jarrett Jack and asked him personal questions about Curry. Jack had nothing but great things to say about the two-time MVP. While Curry isn’t a saint, he definitely doesn’t deserve the label of anything close to being arrogant.
7. Curry is not the NBA’s greatest shooter
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Regardless of how many times Stephen Curry breaks down the NBA three-point barriers, many will continue to debate whether he is truly the greatest shooter of all time. Some may even question whether Curry has the right to be placed in contention with shooting greats such as Ray Allen, Kyle Korver, and Reggie Miller. However, if we take the greatest of them and pit them statistically against Stephen Curry, the result is interesting.
According to this interesting factoid, Curry is a better shooter than Allen ever was during the course of his whole career. The more interesting fact about this is that Curry has played only half of the seasons Allen did.
6. Curry is soft
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This is cute. Curry’s amazing shooting game makes him vulnerable for comments such as these. Of course, many NBA legends and old-time fans usually agree that today’s NBA players are whiny and soft, and would have never lasted in the “golden age of basketball” (an era where only Magic, Bird, and Jordan dominated). In any case, the claim that Curry is soft simply has no basis.
First, Curry is a point guard. Point guards are rarely known for their physical game nowadays, and just because Curry takes a huge amount of threes doesn’t mean that he’s soft in any way. One can even argue that Curry has to be physical with the type of attention he gets beyond the arc.
5. Curry is not the best NBA Point Guard
According to ESPN, here is Curry’s stat line for the current NBA season so far.
| PLAYER | GP | GS | MIN | PPG | OFFR | DEFR | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TPG | FPG | A/TO | PER |
| Stephen Curry, PG | 23 | 23 | 32.6 | 26.3 | 0.7 | 4.4 | 5.1 | 6.6 | 1.74 | 0.17 | 2.9 | 2.5 | 2.3 | 27.8 |
If you take a close look at Curry’s PER, you will notice that it’s 27.8. The significance of this number is incredible for a reason. Curry’s 27.8 PER is the 5th highest in the NBA, and it’s the highest among point guards. In simple terms, Curry is the most efficient point guard in the NBA. What’s more shocking is that his usage rate is that Curry’s usage rating is lower that other notable point guards such as Kyrie Irving and Russell Westbrook.
Even with a former MVP on his team, Curry is still the NBA’s most efficient point guard, the best shooting point guard, and he is arguably the most valuable, averaging a near triple double in the 2017 NBA Finals and out dueling Irving on the game’s biggest stage.
4. Curry needs Durant to win
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When Kevin Durant joined the Golden State Warriors, narratives started to surmise that Stephen Curry needed Durant to defeat LeBron James and the Cavaliers. This myth can particularly be proven wrong with just one offensive sequence from the 2017 NBA Finals.
As you can see, when the Warriors got out on the fastbreak, the Cavaliers frantically chased after Curry. This allowed Durant to get wide open dunks the entire series. Now that Curry was healthy, he had a noticeable impact on the Warriors in the Finals. He scored efficiently, rebounded at an amazing rate, and he fueled the Warriors’ lethal offense.
Even though Durant was visibly the best player on the floor, Curry was probably the most valuable. He commanded double teams at the half court line, giving Durant the freedom of exploiting his mismatches. Without Curry, there is room to speculate that the Warriors would have had a tough series.
3. Curry had an off season last year
In the 2016-2017 NBA season, Curry averaged 25.3 PPG, 6.6 APG, and 5.1 RPG. He even shot 41% from deep, while attempting ten threes a game. Somehow, fans and the media deemed this performance as an “off season” for the former MVP. The reality of this myth is that his “off season” was the opposite. Curry’s teammates have openly agreed that Curry wasn’t being aggressive.
Though, Curry’s brilliant performance during Durant’s leg injury proved that he was still the MVP caliber player that we all see today.
2. Curry is injury prone
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In the beginning of his career, Stephen Curry was definitely injury prone. His constant ankle injuries presented the Golden State Warriors management with a dilemma. Prior to Currys MVP seasons, Curry’s ankle injuries have decreased to a minimum. In fact, Curry has remained quite durable due to the Warriors’ blazing offense.
In this offense, Curry only has to shoot. He may choose to drive the ball, but he has never gotten an injury from his actual play style. In fact, two of Curry’s most significant injuries came from a wet spot and a garbage time play.
1. Curry is a terrible defender
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Remember when Kyrie Irving hit the game-winning shot in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals? Ever since, Curry’s defense has been the laughing stock of the NBA. According to an interesting article, Curry may just be an underrated defender. We tend to measure Curry’s defense when he is forced to guard other elite point guards. That simply is an inaccurate and unfair way to measure to Curry’s defensive ability. Curry is a solid NBA defender, but terrible is a bit of an overreach.
