Leave it to ESPN analyst Chris Broussard to jump the gun and make an overdramatized statement to generate a reaction from the public. And here’s a surprise, it involves reigning MVP Stephen Curry.
Even though he’s only playing in his seventh season in the league, Broussard has already crowned him and said something that no other analyst has been bold enough to go on record and proclaim.
“Steph Curry is the best shooter in NBA history,” Broussard said in his most recent column on Wednesday.
That’ll get people talking, especially fans of Ray Allen, Reggie Miller, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan and Jerry West, who all were pretty great shooters in their own right and all had long careers. In comparison, Allen drained 2,973 three-pointers during the course of his career, and Curry has already made 1,573. And looking at field-goal percentage, Allen made 45.2 percent of his attempts, and Curry has made 47.7 percent of them.
But Curry is in his prime right now, and it’s impossible to predict if he’ll stay healthy or will be able to keep shooting at this God-like rate.
Broussard must think he’ll be able to, and here’s the rationalization that went along with his bold statement:
“He’s closing in on becoming the first player ever to hit 400 3-pointers in a season (no one else has even made 300). Plus, he’s second all-time in 3-point percentage (.445), right behind his head coach Steve Kerr (.454). For those who think Steph simply hasn’t played long enough, peep this: He’s already made (1,569) and attempted (3,527), twice as many 3s as Kerr (726/1,599). And we all know the more you shoot, the greater the chances of your field-goal percentage slipping.”
Curry is the best shooter in the NBA right now, and probably the most dynamic player as well, that we know. But it’s a bit early to crown him as the best shooter in the league’s history, and it was probably another attempt by the First Take co-host to make headlines and get NBA fans talking.