OT: Steph Curry is unreal

[RUChoppin]

The game has definitely changed in a way that optimizes Curry's talent set. I don't even know how this is disputable.

Curry would have trouble breaking 30 against the 90s Knicks or the 80s Bad Boys. MJ had to transform his body (weight train) in order to just survive the grind of the regular season. It's well documented.

As to MJ's playing weight... he came in at 6-6, 195. For his first 3-peat, he was 205. For his second, he was 216. He also played a lot more inside the three point arc, especially earlier in his career, and wasn't prowling the perimeter looking for shots. He swung between SG and small forward, and banged bodies more often. By contrast, Reggie Miller was 6-7, 195 - and he wasn't as affected by being light, because he was looking for jumpers from outside.

Curry (6-3, 190) would be playing John Stockton's position (6-1, 170) while looking for jumpers like Miller (6-7, 195). His weight is right in line for that.

Curry's actually comparable (or bigger) than PG body sizes of the 1980-90s who would have been guarding him:

Dennis Johnson (6-4, 185)
Gary Payton (6-4, 180)
John Paxson (6-2, 185)
Kevin Johnson (6-1, 180)
Isiah Thomas (6-1, 180)
Mark Jackson (6-1, 180)
Maurice Cheeks (6-1, 180)
John Stockton (6-1, 170)
Mookie Blaylock (6-0, 180)
Tim Hardaway (6-0, 175)

Magic Johnson was considerably larger at 6-9, 215... but he also, like MJ, played down low quite often.

 

[miketd1]

If you want to be an effective shooter, you can't just camp out on the perimeter -- that's too easy to guard, especially if you have an taller/athletic lockdown defender (Pippen/Eddie Jones/Raja Bell come to mind).

What makes Curry downright lethal is that he has the quickness to take you off the dribble.

My point about weight/strength is that Curry isn't faking shots and running into the teeth of a defense with Bill Laimbeer lurking down low and Dennis Rodman quickly closing in from the weak side.

Ditto Ewing/Mason/Oakley.

Or even those Heat teams with LeBron, Wade, & Battier.

Today's NBA defenses just aren't built like that anymore.

The rules favor a perimeter-based offense and the defenses can no longer play with a one-dimensional enforcer at the 4. Same thing you see at the center position: Your guy better be able to run because the opponent has their 5 filling in a lane on transition.

 

[RUChoppin]

If you want to be an effective shooter, you can't just camp out on the perimeter -- that's too easy to guard, especially if you have an taller/athletic lockdown defender (Pippen/Eddie Jones/Raja Bell come to mind).

What makes Curry downright lethal is that he has the quickness to take you off the dribble.

My point about weight/strength is that Curry isn't faking shots and running into the teeth of a defense with Bill Laimbeer lurking down low and Dennis Rodman quickly closing in from the weak side.

Ditto Ewing/Mason/Oakley.

Or even those Heat teams with LeBron, Wade, & Battier.

Today's NBA defenses just aren't built like that anymore.

The rules favor a perimeter-based offense and the defenses can no longer play with a one-dimensional enforcer at the 4. Same thing you see at the center position: Your guy better be able to run because the opponent has their 5 filling in a lane on transition.

I completely agree that the rule changes favor Curry's game... as the rules of the 80s and 90s favored those players games (who wouldn't necessarily thrive in today's game). But the narrative that Curry is somehow too small doesn't match up with the size of guys at his position in that era. Those other PGs penetrated the lane plenty, too, at less weight than Curry has.