Paul Pierce thinks Stephen Curry is more influential than LeBron James, Michael Jordan

Hall of Fame former Boston Celtics small forward Paul Pierce is now a talking point on Showtime and Fox Sports, joining hosts Skip Bayless and Keyshawn Watched the latest episode of FS1’s “Undisputed” with Keyshawn Johnson, and on the surface it looked pretty hot. The 10-time All-Star and 2008 Finals MVP claims Golden State Warriors All-Pro point guard Stephen Curry has had more of an impact on the game of basketball than Hall of Fame shooting guards Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant and the future Basketball Hall of Fame player is even older. Celebrity (Stephen Curry’s current rival) LeBron James, now plays for the Los Angeles Lakers. Let’s break down what Pierce said.

“There are more 20-point comebacks in the league because teams are shooting more from 3, they’re drafting players, they’re signing bigs who can shoot 3s, and that’s what Steph has (kind of) ) impact play,” Pierce began. “(Stephen Curry) has had a bigger impact on the game than (LeBron James, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant)…I watched the Celtics game last night…theirs The first 10 shots were three-pointers.”

Does the former NBA champion and 10-time All-Star have a point, or is this just fiery talk from a rival of LeBron James? During Curry’s first pro season (2009-10), the league averaged 18.1 shots per game, according to StatMuse.Interestingly, he was only the seventh pick in the draft that year against Davidson, and the Minnesota Timberwolves passed on him in the draft not once but twice other That year’s lottery point guards (Ricky Rubio and the immortal Jonny Flynn). But I digress. This year, teams are currently averaging 35.0 three-point attempts per game. As a result, Curry’s three-point shooting percentage has nearly doubled in his 15 years in the league.

Pierce does have a point. The most important thing about Curry’s impact as a long-range sniper is that it’s easier to replicate than the sheer athleticism or will to win of Jordan, James, or Kobe. Three-point shooting is a skill, not an innate ability. Especially James, who has such a unique body type that perfectly creates basketball dominance that no one can imitate. Giannis Antetokounmpo or Paolo Banchero can do their best, but it’s a small pool.

Curry once again enjoyed a dominant season shooting from distance, but that didn’t help Golden State translate into season-long dominance as the rest of Golden State’s 2022 championship-era core is rapidly aging. The Golden State Warriors currently rank tenth in the Western Conference with a record of 36 wins and 32 losses, only 2.5 games ahead of the rising Houston Rockets. Curry himself averaged 26.8 points per game, shooting .450/.405/.920 from the field, in addition to 4.9 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 0.8 steals. The 40.5% 3-point shooting rate was achieved on 12.0 3-point attempts a game. Speaking of his rookie season, he only took 4.8 shots in 2009-10 (43.7%).