Whether some folks want to admit it or not, the Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry will go down as the greatest shooter the game of basketball has ever seen.
Many have acknowledged this, including former Washington Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal. On Oct. 6, 2022, an interview went viral from JJ Redick’s The Old Man and The Three podcast. During the segment, Beal spoke on Curry and the influence he had on basketball as a whole.
“He messed up the game in a good way, you know?” said Beal, who was traded to the Phoenix Suns this offseason.
“I think he hurt the youth because the youth just loves threes and that’s all they think about doing, shooting threes. But you can just see like in the league just how we value the 3-point line now, right? It’s not just something that we just look at, you know. As a spacer, you know, we value it at all five positions. You need everybody to be able to shoot the three because that’s a threat. Spaces the floor and creates some more drives for your guards. You know, he and Klay and their whole team…just changed the game.”
Beal has a great point. Even though Curry had great 3-point shooting abilities coming into the league, it wasn’t his most-known trait. He could still score at will as he averaged 17 points in his rookie year, but hitting those deep range shots wasn’t his go-to.
It wasn’t until the 2012-13 season that he started changing the game. On Feb. 27, 2013, he put on the performance many pundits believed put the NBA world on notice. He scored a then career-high 54 points against the New York Knicks in the famous Madison Square Garden. He also lit the court up with 11 3-pointers, but all resulted in a loss.
That’s when Curry became who he is today.
Due to the high-level of 3-point shooting he displays, he now holds a long list of records. He’s led the league in 3-pointers made during several seasons but many remember the 2015-16 when he recorded a historic 402 3-pointers. And, of course, we can’t forget about his record-breaking game against the Knicks in Madison Square Garden (surely only a coincidence). On Dec. 14, 2021, he hit a 3-pointer over Alec Burks to pass Ray Allen for the all-time 3-point record.
To this day, Curry’s influence can be felt, even on his own team. He and Klay Thompson are widely regarded as the greatest shooting backcourt of all-time.
Every time a team has to play the Warriors, they have to plan their defense around the 3-point line. With their 3-point shooting accuracy, teams are forced to not only change their defense but their offense, as well. They now have to draft and acquire players who can knock down 3-pointers. We even see big men expand their game behind the 3-point line, which was extremely rare back in the day. Curry also had an impact outside of the NBA as high school and college teams are now stretching their offense beyond the arc.
If those aren’t enough, some people involved in the NBA have even discussed adding a four-point line due to the large amount of long-range shooting.
Hate him or love him, Curry definitely changed the game of basketball.
