Is Stephen Curry better than Allen Iverson already? Let’s discuss
The Answer versus the Chef. This comparison is fascinating. Two polarizing figures playing the same position, yet in different eras. The numbers might certainly lean towards Curry; however, I think it’s close enough that it deserves a closer look. Both players can say they changed the way the game is played and viewed. Allen Iverson had even caucasian kids sagging their jeans and trying to rock cornrows. The NBA had to step in and enforce a dress code. His play style was electrifying too. He was speedy, standing at only 6’0 tall. Still, he would cross you up and hit a jumper in your face or take it to the rack and dunk on your team’s center. Even big men were trying to do crossovers and get on highlight reels. He was also the first point guard to win an MVP since Magic Johnson, and the first ‘small guard’ to win it since Bob Cousy back in 1957. He made everyone respect small guards again. Steph Curry’s career has been much of the same. He revolutionized the game with just his ability to shoot from deep consistently. He changed floor spacing for every team forever. If you can’t shoot, basically you don’t play. It’s not just point guards either. Bigs now have to spread the floor as well. Giannis Antetokoumpo just won NBA Finals MVP and all anyone can seem to talk about is his three-point percentage. Even solid players have a hard time keeping a roster spot nowadays if they can’t shoot threes at a decent clip. Meanwhile, more one-dimensional players like Joe Harris and Davis Bertans get ridiculously overpriced, multi year deals. There’s no coincidence here. It’s all Steph’s fault.
Career Averages:
Steph Curry (so far)- 24.2 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 6.5 APG, 47% FG, 43.3% 3PT, 90.7% FT, 24 PER, 112 WS
Allen Iverson- 26.7 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 6.2 APG, 42.5% FG, 31.3% 3PT, 78% FT, 20.9 PER, 99 WS
Drafted by the Golden State Warriors 7th overall in 2009, Steph has completed 12 seasons in the NBA. He is universally recognized as the greatest shooter ever to touch a basketball and one of the greatest ball handlers of all-time. Iverson himself admits this combination of marksmanship and shot creating makes Steph an unstoppable force. He’s a 2x Scoring Champion, 1x Steals Champion, 3x NBA Champion, 2x MVP, a 7x All-Star, and 7x All-NBA. Steph also owns the league’s only unanimous MVP in its history. That year he led the NBA in points and steals per game, and free throw percentage. He also accomplished the rare 50/40/90 feat, except he shot over 45% from three. Steph is already 1st all-time in free throw percentage, 2nd all-time in three pointers made, and he’s 3rd all-time in plus/minus and true shooting percentage. When it comes to shooting, the Chef is in a league of his own.
A.I. was drafted with the number one overall pick in 1996 by the Philadelphia 76ers. He spent 14 seasons in the NBA. In that time, he carved out a name for himself as one of the greatest and toughest to ever do it. He had the heart of a lion and the gull to score on anybody. He is a 4x Scoring Champion, a 3x Steals Champion, an 11x All-Star and 2x All-Star MVP, 1x league MVP, 7x All-NBA selection, and former Rookie of the Year. The year he won his lone MVP he led the NBA in points, steals, minutes, and free throws per game and played every game that year. He’s led the league in minutes on seven different occasions, a true iron man. He’s played through a myriad of injuries to ensure he was always there for his squad. He was top ten in points, steals, and free throw attempts every single year he was in the league. The years that he played enough to qualify anyway. His 26.7 PPG average is good enough to place him at 7th all-time, while his 2.2 SPG average has him sitting at 8th all-time. Although some say he gambled a lot on defense, it often paid off.
Iverson was a scrappy defender no question about it. What he didn’t have in size he made up for with heart, he just competed. He always kept his hands and feet active on both ends of the court and was an explosive scorer. But make no mistake, Steph is the far superior offensive player. The efficiency with which he scores is unheard of and unmatched. He’s broken numerous three-point records and some of them multiple times. Even after getting off to a slow start due to injuries, he’s had arguably the best career of any small guard ever. You might point to the fact that Iverson has more 40-point games and the higher career average and you’d be right. He does. However, look no further than his shot volume. Iverson is literally number four all-time in both minutes per game and usage percentage. He was the definition of a volume shooter. Curry plays over eight minutes less on average and still puts up comparable and arguably better stats. The scary part is, Steph still has at least a few more years of his prime left, and unlike A.I. he doesn’t rely very much on athleticism. Even when he’s 50 he’ll still be a sniper. This won’t be much of a debate when it’s all said and done.
Curry’s rookie year was Ivo’s final in the NBA. At the age of 32 Iverson put up averages of 26.4 PPG, 7.1 APG, and 2.0 SPG. Two years later he was playing in Turkey. He bounced around a lot on the tail end of his career and struggled to carve out a comfortable role. Pair that with father time and all the injuries he played through early in his career finally started to catch up to him. He saw a major dip in production before he was out of the league altogether. I know that injuries are a part of the game, but with today’s technology, he could have played at a high level much longer. I can’t help but realize that last year, Steph was also 32. It’s hard to imagine him only having two years left in the tank luckily. Fingers crossed.
Career Highs:
Steph Curry- 32.0 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 8.5 APG, 2.1 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 50% FG, 45% 3PT, 93% FT
Allen Iverson- 33.0 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 7.9 APG, 2.8 SPG, 0.3 BPG, 46% FG, 34% 3PT, 83% FT
