Every sport has its leaders in the game. For the last decade or so, the NFL has Tom Brady, but who has been leading basketball in this era? If you look at the NBA betting odds, you might get an idea on who is leading the basketball game.
Over the years there have been many players who have revolutionized their sports. Basketball has had many players who have done this. The NBA has had no shortage of legend leaving behind legacies in how the game is played.
However, we did not think we would see much of a legacy pop up right in front of our eyes so soon. We are seeing a new legacy changing the way basketball is played today. This legacy comes in the form of a newer legend.
Namely, Stephen Curry.
The Golden State Warriors having Stephen Curry as point guard has definitely forced the way the game is played to change.
Curry himself has been a part of the shift of culture in the NBA. He carries himself well on the court, showing himself to be a decent human being, but also makes otherwise unbelievable 3-point shots look easy, and non-believers look like idiots.
But, how exactly has his game changed the world of basketball?
How Steph Curry Revolutionized Basketball
Curry entered the NBA in 2009 as the son of a former NBA player, so the pressure was highly mounted on him. The Golden State Warriors had a long dry spell, and did not look to be coming out of it, they were underdogs.
Their new coach Steve Kerr changed this, he started at a 19-2 record in his career, but as Curry and Kerr joined together the team became a big hit, and they soon stopped being the underdog team they had been seen as for years.
Curry started off averaging at 5.4 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 20.1 points in ‘15 to ‘16.
He was the best player in NBA history already, and that year the Warriors finished with 73-9! This is without a doubt the best ever seen individual season in the history of the league.
Across all of these seasons he has attempted a solid 5,739 3-point shots. For just one season this would be epic, however, he has managed to maintain this across his whole career.
This is astounding, not only is this a very high number, and his consistency impressive, but he has also got the best 3-point % of any player in the leagues' history as well.
The only other players who have been more accurate than Stephen Curry have managed to attempt at least 4,000 less 3-pointers than he has.
Curry also had a rivalry with LeBron James in this era as well, mainly because James has his GOAT status. However, the Warriors plowed through the season and won the title.
That year Curry took away James’ GOAT status in a win that showed how incredibly effective his 3-point shots are for wins, and that they aren’t just a cool shot for the audience to see.
What else did he do? He proved that you can win and have fun at the same time, revolutionizing how the game felt for the players, and for the spectators alike.
He Was The Best Shooter In History
Before the Golden State Warriors faced off the New York Knicks, Reggie Miller said that Curry was the ‘greatest shooter of all time’. Of course, he is not wrong to have made this statement.
Curry has seen Miller as an idol since he entered the NBA when teams were attempting to get a good five 3-pointers per game.
Of course, it was 22 years before Curry got drafted and by then things had changed, and teams were attempting 15 per game instead.
But we can certainly say that Curry is the best shooter in history. He has made 2,977 3 point shots already (and counting) which has already passed Ray Allen’s record of 2,973. However, what is maddening about this is how quickly he has done this!
Allen played a good 1,300 games overall to make his record, whereas Curry has only played nearly 789 (and counting). Basically at the point in which Curry broke Allen’s record, he has plate 511 games less than Allen had to make his record!
Curry also made over 500 fewer 3-point shots than Allen as well!
He also holds the record for the amount of 3-pointers made in a single season too!
If he isn’t the best shooter in history, who is? Because these numbers are absolutely staggering!
Curry is not just breaking records in volume, but also accuracy too. It is incredible!
A Huge Game Changer
By the time that Curry surpassed Allen’s record, the game was very different from the one that Allen played.
Per NBA game we see a good 34 3-pointer shots attempted now, which is much less than back when Allen was playing.
The game in the 60s was very different, and it has grown a lot, and is more of a challenge.
This is another reason why these numbers are so significant, it is not just the sheer volume and accuracy of Curry’s play and his shooting, but also how he’s broken these records in what is really, a harder game than when the records were set!
Obviously this has changed the game, if you are something of a purist then you probably won’t be too happy with this.
The amount of 3-pointers per percentage of shots is increasing all the time, and obviously with Curry’s demonstration of how many he can get in, this is just increasing.
For fans of the game as it was with Miller and Allen, the NBA may not be the same game it was before. It is no longer about passing and working the best shot, and the midrange is disappearing from shots too.
Curry’s style has revolutionized the game, and how integral the 3-point shot is to it.
