The Warriors entered the 2021 NBA season widely dismissed when brought up in early NBA Championship discussions. After missing the playoffs for two straight seasons, many believed that the dynasty had ended, and that age and injuries were starting to take its toll on the core stars of the roster.
However, the dominance of Stephen Curry early in the year resulted in finals talks disseminating throughout the media when speaking of the Warriors, and the emergence of Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole has only helped their cause.
In addition, the return of Klay Thompson sparked a discussion over a new and improved version of the Splash Bros (which now included Jordan Poole), or "lethal weapon three," as Stephen A. Smith referred to them as.
Getting back to our discussion about the GPGOAT (greatest point guard of all time), does a win in the Finals and a Finals MVP solidify Curry as the greatest to ever do it at his position?
There are two "point gods" that are often brought up in this debate. Magic Johnson, and Isiah Thomas. Then there is the group on the fringe of this discussion, the John Stockton's and Chris Paul's of the world. I believe Curry has far surpassed this category of point guards.
There is one thing that Curry easily has the two legends, and that is shooting. Not much needs to be said in that department.
Curry boasts a considerably higher career average than Johnson and Thomas.
In the assist category, which could arguably be the most telling stat of a point guard, Curry is significantly behind Thomas and Johnson, with a career assist average of 6.5. Thomas has a career assist average of 9.3, Johnson with an incredible 11.2 assists per game.
Curry also loses the rebounding battle to Johnson and is just ahead of Thomas in that regard. Other than 3pt shooting stats, and free throw shooting, Curry doesn't jump out in any department as better than any of the other two guards. But if we only took standard stats into consideration, then Oscar Robertson would be the undisputed GOAT of point guards. However, most people consider Magic Johnson to be the greatest. Why is that? Well, that is because of his ability to win games, more specifically, his legacy of winning championships.
Magic Johnson is a 5x NBA Champ, more than the other three guards. The next closest is Curry, who currently has 4 Championships. One key factor to note is that Johnson earned Finals MVP in three out of the five championships he won. Curry has just one Finals MVP in the four he has won. As much as people say that Curry doesn't need Finals MVPs to validate his career, having them does matter when it comes to the GPGOAT conversation. Magic Johnson has three of them, and Isiah Thomas has one.
Through standard stats and metrics that determine how accomplished a player is, it's clear that Curry holds his own among the all-time greats, but when taking a closer look at one advanced stat, Curry separates himself by miles in the department of TS% (True shooting percentage) and effective field goal percentage (eFG%). Both statistics takes into account 2-point field goals, 3-point field goals, and free throws. These two statistics demonstrate the magnitude of the efficiency in which Curry has been scoring for his entire career. Even legends like Michael Jordan and Lebron James don't come near Curry in eFG% and TS%, showing the true value of the 3-point shot, and how Curry has revolutionized the game of basketball.
As it stands right now, Magic Johnson is neck and neck with Curry in the GPGOAT race, with higher career averages in rebounds, assists, as well as one more championship and two more Finals MVP's. If Curry maintains his level of play for most of the remainder of his career, and wins one more championship AND a Finals MVP, there should be no question that Stephen Curry is the greatest point guard of all time. Curry's impact on the game has been profound, and he has transformed the role of the modern NBA point guard.
