Why Curry gets the pass for being the worst defender in his team?

[tragicbronson]

Curry is probably the best shooter ever, he is a great player, but why does he get the pass for being the worst GSW defender. I know, some of you guys are already typing his stats that prove that he is not a bad defender, but let's be real, one of the GSW most important tasks on that side of the court is to hade Curry as a defender, he always guards worst opposing offensive players and other team's aim is to attack him.

And about the stats, drtg defensive win shares or whatever useless advance metric stat crap you think proves opposite, i'll just say, i think there's stat that shows how players guarded by curry shot less fg% or something like that, i think you can't that into account because he guards players like Tony Allen etc.

When we look at all time greats such as Jordan, Kobe, LeBron or Bird, they were impactful players on both sides of the court, they could and would guard and shut down opposing offensive threats, maybe they wouldn't guard them the whole time, but in the crunch time, they wanted to do it, especially Jordan. He was a game changer on defense and on offense, and that takes a lot of energy while we see Curry practically rest on defense.

I don't wont to be taken wrong, i am not a hater, i actually hate LeBron more, but i respect him as an all time great, and i respect Curry, but when i see people and media comparing him to Jordan that's what instantly comes to my mind, he's a non factor on defense but people kind of overlook that, is it just the era and mentality in today's basketball or he is such a great offensive player that it's actually more important to rest him on defense because that's what they want and need.

My 2 cents, no offense.

[mehyaM24]

because he's the BEST offensive weapon in the league?

just a thought

[BlueandGold]

**** defense, GSW just proved offense wins championships in today's league. Save his minutes all for offense far as i'm concerned.

[SpecialQue]

Nobody gives a shit when your team is winning.

[All Net]

Because his D is soild and not awful

[Genaro]

Offense > Defense. Give me great offense over great defense. If your team has 3 very good defenders, one of them being a big in the paint like Bogut, you can build your defense just fine, no need to all 5 guys be great defenders.
I don't see Curry getting a pass. He's not in the same beat as MJ, Kobe, Lebron and Bird, everyone knows that. But at the same time, Magic is as good as those guys and wasn't a great defender as well.

[imdaman99]

Until his defense costs them a championship, no one will care that he gets hidden at that end. They won it all last year and this year look even better.

[Segatti]

So what? Dirk never was an elite defensive player and yet he was always super impactful. And Curry right now is probably an even better offensive player than prime Dirk.

[Straight_Ballin]

because he's the BEST offensive weapon in the league?

just a thought

Because he's a 1 way player but still the best thing that current era has to offer. A simple analogy will help put it into perspective.

If a current era only fan had a father who ate filet mignon all day and filet mignon was no longer available and instead only a plate of shit and a burger with no cheese were the only options to choose from, current era only fan is going to choose the burger with no cheese.

Those who saw Jordan play live are the filet mignon eaters.
Those who are watching a 1-way player like Curry are the guys that have to settle for a mere burger with no cheese.

Can someone please tell him to start improving his defense so that we can at least have cheese on our burger? We will never have filet mignon ever again, but at least give us the fvcking cheese. :lol

[dhsilv]

Curry's strength defensively is his ability to roam and play passing lanes. That's is why he's near the top of the league in steals every year. They hide him so he's able to do what he is best at defensively.

Also his team is a top 3 defensive team in the league, someone has to be the worst guy on a great defensive team. If they were awful defensively and he was the worst that might be a sign. They aren't and thus the being the worst on the team isn't necessarily a negative thing.

[Straight_Ballin]

Curry's strength defensively is his ability to roam and play passing lanes. That's is why he's near the top of the league in steals every year. They hide him so he's able to do what he is best at defensively.

Also his team is a top 3 defensive team in the league, someone has to be the worst guy on a great defensive team. If they were awful defensively and he was the worst that might be a sign. They aren't and thus the being the worst on the team isn't necessarily a negative thing.

That's good and all, but people respect true 2-way greatness moreso that 1-way greatness. If Curry had Bruce Bowen like defense or Gary Payton like defense AND was able to still play the way he does on offense, then people would have no problem with him being viewed as the next potential GOAT. Since he's clearly NOT that, he's just look at like a Magic type of player.

[Doranku]

He's a f*cking point guard. His job isn't to be a defensive stopper, it's to run the offense. Not only is he brilliant at running GS's offense, but he's also the best scorer in the league.

You wanna sit here and complain because he isn't Gary Payton on top of that? :oldlol: Honestly, PG defense is next to irrelevant. You don't need a good defensive PG to win a championship, and it's not like Curry is Derek Fisher out there. He plays just fine defense. :confusedshrug:

[mehyaM24]

Because he's a 1 way player but still the best thing that current era has to offer. A simple analogy will help put it into perspective.

If a current era only fan had a father who ate filet mignon all day and filet mignon was no longer available and instead only a plate of shit and a burger with no cheese were the only options to choose from, current era only fan is going to choose the burger with no cheese.

Those who saw Jordan play live are the filet mignon eaters.
Those who are watching a 1-way player like Curry are the guys that have to settle for a mere burger with no cheese.

Can someone please tell him to start improving his defense so that we can at least have cheese on our burger? We will never have filet mignon ever again, but at least give us the fvcking cheese. :lol

what if you saw both players live? :eek:

curry's team = the defending champs and are 24-0 atm. if it ain't broke don't fix it.


That's good and all, but people respect true 2-way greatness moreso that 1-way greatness. If Curry had Bruce Bowen like defense or Gary Payton like defense AND was able to still play the way he does on offense, then people would have no problem with him being viewed as the next potential GOAT. Since he's clearly NOT that, he's just look at like a Magic type of player.

magic is regarded as arguably the goat offensive player & leader.

nothing wrong about being magic (curry isn't there just yet) :confusedshrug:

[FreezingTsmoove]

Because he just won a championship and the last 26 games

[Straight_Ballin]

He's a f*cking point guard. His job isn't to be a defensive stopper, it's to run the offense. Not only is he brilliant at running GS's offense, but he's also the best scorer in the league.

You wanna sit here and complain because he isn't Gary Payton on top of that? :oldlol: Honestly, PG defense is next to irrelevant. You don't need a good defensive PG to win a championship, and it's not like Curry is Derek Fisher out there. He plays just fine defense. :confusedshrug:

No one is saying that he needs to be a defender like Gary Payton to win a chip. What is being said is that he DOESN'T need to be like Gary Payton to win a chip BECAUSE of the teammates that he has.

[Straight_Ballin]

what if you saw both players live? :eek:

curry's team = the defending champs and are 24-0 atm. if it ain't broke don't fix it.

I have seen both players live. It's been amazing. I'm not talking about GSW's success as a team, I'm talking about how Curry will be viewed as when it's all said and done. He can either be viewed as a 1-way player like Magic who was still great, or the greatest that we've ever seen since MJ, and all he needs to do is work on his defense and make a all defense 1st or 2nd team to achieve that.

[1987_Lakers]

The hate is real, Isiah Thomas was probably the worst defender on the Bad Boy Pistons' team and I don't see that brought up, or how about Magic?

[mehyaM24]

I have seen both players live. It's been amazing. I'm not talking about GSW's success as a team, I'm talking about how Curry will be viewed as when it's all said and done. He can either be viewed as a 1-way player like Magic who was still great, or the greatest that we've ever seen since MJ, and all he needs to do is work on his defense and make a all defense 1st or 2nd team to achieve that.

russell isn't touted for his offense, and is viewed as the GOAT defensive player - he's arguably the goat.

curry's defense isn't atrocious just like magic's wasn't & ditto with russel's offense. the quote on quote "weaknesses" of theirs get overblown by mythologists.

[RidonKs]

i have no idea where ppl get this sh!t. his defense is at worst average. it tends to look bad because teams go at him more often than not to wear down his energy and slow him down on the other end.

his problem is mostly endurance which is why he looked so dreadful late last night and why he was getting picked on. even then he had a stop on thomas and two others on turner when they tried to iso him up.

he moves his feet better than most. he's just not very strong so when a very quick point guard gets a step on him, they can shoulder their way onto the hoop.



and that's just man defense btw. do yourself a favour and spend a quarter of a warriors game just watching this dude's eyes when his check doesn't have the ball. then for comparison's sake, do the same with james harden.

he's rarely late on a rotation, always positioning himself in the perfect in between area, going for swipes and steals just enough but not too often. understanding strengths weaknesses of his man and playing to them.

crazy ppl don't pick up on this. he works his ass off on that end even when he's hidden on somebody useless.



now maybe he looks so good because he happens to have the right teammates behind him to correct for his mistakes. then again the reason golden state is so good on both offense and defense is arguably because its leader is the most hard working selfless grounded alpha in the whole league... minus tim duncan

[dhsilv]

That's good and all, but people respect true 2-way greatness moreso that 1-way greatness. If Curry had Bruce Bowen like defense or Gary Payton like defense AND was able to still play the way he does on offense, then people would have no problem with him being viewed as the next potential GOAT. Since he's clearly NOT that, he's just look at like a Magic type of player.

Magic is almost universally seen as a top 5 all time player...if that's an insult...

[Straight_Ballin]

Magic is almost universally seen as a top 5 all time player...if that's an insult...

And yet his lack of being very good defensively and regarded as a 1 way player gets brought up even by his biggest supporters. Like I said when it's all said and done, Curry can either be viewed as a 1-way player like Magic who was still great, or the greatest that we've ever seen since MJ, and all he needs to do is work on his defense and make a all defense 1st or 2nd team to achieve that. Let's try to stop portraying Curry as being more than he is, and just accept it for what it is.

[iamgine]

Curry is probably the best shooter ever, he is a great player, but why does he get the pass for being the worst GSW defender. I know, some of you guys are already typing his stats that prove that he is not a bad defender, but let's be real, one of the GSW most important tasks on that side of the court is to hade Curry as a defender, he always guards worst opposing offensive players and other team's aim is to attack him.

And about the stats, drtg defensive win shares or whatever useless advance metric stat crap you think proves opposite, i'll just say, i think there's stat that shows how players guarded by curry shot less fg% or something like that, i think you can't that into account because he guards players like Tony Allen etc.

When we look at all time greats such as Jordan, Kobe, LeBron or Bird, they were impactful players on both sides of the court, they could and would guard and shut down opposing offensive threats, maybe they wouldn't guard them the whole time, but in the crunch time, they wanted to do it, especially Jordan. He was a game changer on defense and on offense, and that takes a lot of energy while we see Curry practically rest on defense.

I don't wont to be taken wrong, i am not a hater, i actually hate LeBron more, but i respect him as an all time great, and i respect Curry, but when i see people and media comparing him to Jordan that's what instantly comes to my mind, he's a non factor on defense but people kind of overlook that, is it just the era and mentality in today's basketball or he is such a great offensive player that it's actually more important to rest him on defense because that's what they want and need.

My 2 cents, no offense.
Because the PG position doesn't need a great defender as much as other positions. So while it's nice to be a great defender in the PG position, just being a solid one will do.

Think of Nash. His defense was below average at best but his impact was MVP level.

[dhsilv]

And yet his lack of being very good defensively and regarded as a 1 way player gets brought up even by his biggest supporters. Like I said when it's all said and done, Curry can either be viewed as a 1-way player like Magic who was still great, or the greatest that we've ever seen since MJ, and all he needs to do is work on his defense and make a all defense 1st or 2nd team to achieve that. Let's try to stop portraying Curry as being more than he is, and just accept it for what it is.

This season if he keeps this up, would be the best season ever. And nobody will have an argument against it. However him being the GOAT? That really isn't in play.

[j3lademaster]

Because his offense alone is enough to make him the biggest net positive in the league still. And you can hide a guard on defense, but a bad defensive center is simply a no-go.

[Clifton]

He's not that bad, that's why.

His team with a shutdown defender at every other position, and several on the bench.

Bird and Magic were probably the worst defenders on their teams, too, but they were far from terrible, and what they did on offense was what separated their teams from the many pretenders that every era has.

It is a problem not to have a good defender at the PG spot, because PG is the strongest position in the league right now. On the other hand, if the other team's PG is getting 30 instead of 20, or 25 instead of 15, how much does that matter if Curry's presence on offense gives his teammates >5 wide open layups per game they wouldn't otherwise get?

Another point is that today's game is screen and roll. PGs don't light up other PGs, they light up whole teams off a switch... but almost everyone on the Warriors can handle 4 positions, including PG, off a switch, so as a team, their disadvantage is not great.

If you had Gary Payton at the 1 and had stiffs and sieves at the 2-4 switching on PGs every time there was a screen, they'd go off for even more.

[Clifton]

i have no idea where ppl get this sh!t. his defense is at worst average. it tends to look bad because teams go at him more often than not to wear down his energy and slow him down on the other end.
This is an important point. Teams go at Curry to wear him down (on both ends). This is not because he's a liability... teams used to go at Shaq for the same reason. Foul him out, tire him out, maybe he scores 25 instead of 40.

[Rose'sACL]

Because his D is soild and not awful
i saw something different last night vs Celtics. Every time Celtics went to turner when curry was guarding him, turner scored every time. they had to put Iggy on turner later on.

[Clifton]

i saw something different last night vs Celtics. Every time Celtics went to turner when curry was guarding him, turner scored every time. they had to put Iggy on turner later on.
Isn't Turner 6'7? What's your point?

Curry's smaller than you'd like a player to be in the modern NBA. So yes, his team has to do some work to cover for him. But the liability is a small one, it's minor compared to what he does for you on offense, and they're able to win titles nevertheless. What's the problem?

Also, if Curry were 6'4 with plenty of defensive talent, who knows if the Warriors would have innovated like they have when it comes to defense. His size has something to do with every player they sign and draft being 6'7 and a defensive monster. Look how much success they've had with that.

[Cleverness]

Because his D is soild and not awful

This. Dude is a actually a really good defender. His defense has improved a lot since his rookie year, but it is overshadowed by his goatness on offense.

"Let's see his defense." He uses a lot of energy on offense, so it's not like he's going all out on defense every possession like defensive specialists do. Plus, he's a guard.

Worst on the team? Leandro Barbosa is obviously the worst defender on the Warriors.

Steph's defensive rating is tied for 2nd best among all starting PGs, and players he defends shoot a lower FG% than their average. Oh, and Steph was #1 in total steals last year.

[Cleverness]

i saw something different last night vs Celtics. Every time Celtics went to turner when curry was guarding him, turner scored every time. they had to put Iggy on turner later on.

That's a cool story but why do players shoot a lower FG% than their average when Steph guards them?

[mehyaM24]

And yet his lack of being very good defensively and regarded as a 1 way player gets brought up even by his biggest supporters. Like I said when it's all said and done, Curry can either be viewed as a 1-way player like Magic who was still great, or the greatest that we've ever seen since MJ, and all he needs to do is work on his defense and make a all defense 1st or 2nd team to achieve that. Let's try to stop portraying Curry as being more than he is, and just accept it for what it is.

russell was of the same mold as curry, just on the opposite side of the ball - yet he's considered a goat candidate.

its really simple. how you rank players isn't the same way the vast majority of basketball aficionados do.

[Funktion]

http://i.imgur.com/SfAoKpX.gif

[Straight_Ballin]

russell was of the same mold as curry, just on the opposite side of the ball - yet he's considered a goat candidate.

its really simple. how you rank players isn't the same way the vast majority of basketball aficionados do.

A 1-way player is a 1-way player. That's why Iggy had to switch up and cover Turner. Curry was getting his shit pushed in so he had to call his FMVP team mate over to "come help".

Really all this just confirms what intelligent minds have been saying all along. Bron so irrelevant that even a 1-way player can steal the spotlight.

[mehyaM24]

A 1-way player is a 1-way player. That's why Iggy had to switch up and cover Turner. Curry was getting his shit pushed in so he had to call his FMVP team mate over to "come help".

but again, for all intents and purposes, bill russell was a one way player who's ALSO a goat candidate.

true unabated impact > jack of all trades, master of none

[dhsilv]

He's not that bad, that's why.

His team with a shutdown defender at every other position, and several on the bench.

Bird and Magic were probably the worst defenders on their teams, too, but they were far from terrible, and what they did on offense was what separated their teams from the many pretenders that every era has.

It is a problem not to have a good defender at the PG spot, because PG is the strongest position in the league right now. On the other hand, if the other team's PG is getting 30 instead of 20, or 25 instead of 15, how much does that matter if Curry's presence on offense gives his teammates >5 wide open layups per game they wouldn't otherwise get?

Another point is that today's game is screen and roll. PGs don't light up other PGs, they light up whole teams off a switch... but almost everyone on the Warriors can handle 4 positions, including PG, off a switch, so as a team, their disadvantage is not great.

If you had Gary Payton at the 1 and had stiffs and sieves at the 2-4 switching on PGs every time there was a screen, they'd go off for even more.

Why do people think Bird was not an elite top 20 defender in the league in his time? How did these stupid statements start coming about?

[Euroleague]

Because he's the NBA's new hype media sensation Golden Boy.

Peyton Manning always escaped criticism for losing in the playoffs, because he was the NFL's Golden Boy media sensation.

It's the same thing.

Steve Nash was endlessly called out for his defense, but the NBA never cared to market him.

With that being said, as the current NBA works (no defense allowed, no physical play allowed, refs deciding who is good and who is not, defensive 3 seconds, no hand checking, etc., etc.) Curry is clearly the most valuable player in the NBA.

Not the best player, but the most valuable, due to how the NBA works now (defense on the perimeter against small guards that can shoot from long range now being totally illegal).

[Mike smith]

Who cares if he's the worst defender they are 24-0 and was mvp last year going to get mvp this year was a champion last year and probably again this year. Don't nitpick and try and say he's the worst defender the team is the best team in sports!

[Rocketswin2013]

He's a slight positive on that end. Depending on the match up he can be a negative. He sucked at getting around screens in 2014 and he still does now. He gets taken out of plays because of screens a lot. Really pesky on-ball defender though. Game-swinging play maker on defense with his steals...

A guy like Chris Paul could tear him apart over the course of a series through the pnr...But as an iso defender, he's pretty much solid against nearly anyone and his help D and awareness in passing lanes is pretty good.

[Legends66NBA7]

He's not the worst defender on the team and is pretty average on defense.


I don't really understand what improving his defense to an elite level will do. So instead of the Warriors winning by 14-15 points a game, they will be winning by 20+ points a game and still being perfect ? :confusedshrug:

[Inferno]

Because his D is soild and not awful

This

[Euroleague]

He's not the worst defender on the team and is pretty average on defense.


I don't really understand what improving his defense to an elite level will do. So instead of the Warriors winning by 14-15 points a game, they will be winning by 20+ points a game and still being perfect ? :confusedshrug:

He's nowhere near average. He's absolutely horrible. He's still the clear most valuable player in the NBA though. At least in Golden State's system.

But don't pretend he's "average" on defense. He's brutally bad at defense with anything related to picks and he is way too weak to handle it physically. Without the current NBA rules and reffing style, he would be getting destroyed on defense all the time in positive minus.

As it is now, no one in the NBA can really play defense at the point guard, so it seems irrelevant.

[Milbuck]

He's nowhere near average. He's absolutely horrible. He's still the clear most valuable player in the NBA though. At least in Golden State's system.

But don't pretend he's "average" on defense. He's brutally bad at defense with anything related to picks and he is way too weak to handle it physically. Without the current NBA rules and reffing style, he would be getting destroyed on defense all the time in positive minus.

As it is now, no one in the NBA can really play defense at the point guard, so it seems irrelevant.
Steph would average 60 a night in Euroleague on 70/60/90 shooting. It would be like peak Shaq against a high school JV team.

[WorldWarriors]

i saw something different last night vs Celtics. Every time Celtics went to turner when curry was guarding him, turner scored every time. they had to put Iggy on turner later on.
Foul trouble?

[houston]

he a solid defender

[Euroleague]

Steph would average 60 a night in Euroleague on 70/60/90 shooting. It would be like peak Shaq against a high school JV team.

Steph Curry played twice already in FIBA World Cup, which is a much lower level than Euroleague, and he averaged like 8 points a game.

http://archive.fiba.com/pages/eng/fa/p/rpp//q/stephen%20curry/pid//_//players.html


He also was too weak physically to handle the more physical play in FIBA, which is in general less physical than the Euroleague, aside from the Spanish Euroleague teams.

No player has averaged even 20 points a game in Euroleague in like 20 something years. And every single year something like 10-12 NBA rotation players/6th men/starters go to play in the Euroleague.

Your gay man crush, Giannis Antetokounmpo, averaged 10 points a game in Greece's 2nd division, or Greece's equivalent of the NBA D-League.

http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/gameCent/p/leagueid//ot//pid/6078542/season/2013/tid/0/tidstat//playerView.html


You are a certifiable lunatic.

[bdreason]

He's better than Barbosa.

[dubeta]

He's not only the worst defender on his team, but one of the worst in the league.



Tell me another PG that has to constantly hide on the opposing spot up shooters instead of guarding the opposing point guard?

[Funktion]

He's not only the worst defender on his team, but one of the worst in the league.



Tell me another PG that has to constantly hide on the opposing spot up shooters instead of guarding the opposing point guard?

Chris Paul. Reddicks been matched up with Curry ever since getting worked. Why would you need to match up Steph when you have a stronger defensive player in Klay.

[DMAVS41]

Because he's a fine defender...definitely not subpar at pg...and if he completes the season at this level...it will be the greatest regular season of all time probably

You know....that

[Smoke117]

**** defense, GSW just proved offense wins championships in today's league. Save his minutes all for offense far as i'm concerned.

...they were the best defensive team in the league last year, you dolt.

[knicksman]

bird was an elite defender, but he slacks on it for offense. Maybe they arent just as athletic as the jordans, brans who have the stamina to play 40 mins of offense and 40 mins of defense. Besides, defense is the first thing you learn but most players dont like it thats why they aim to become offensive players so they could excuse themselves from playing defense. You cant say otherwise. You cant say players want to become defensive players so they could excuse themselves from offense. LOL Everybody wants to score but not everyone is talented on it thats why they have to settle for less(defense) or else they will be out of the league.

[juju151111]

Because he's a fine defender...definitely not subpar at pg...and if he completes the season at this level...it will be the greatest regular season of all time probably

You know....that
He average and the pace he will be is definitely one of the greatest. His Drapm .18.

[Straight_Ballin]

Chris Paul. Reddicks been matched up with Curry ever since getting worked. Why would you need to match up Steph when you have a stronger defensive player in Klay.

:lol
Chris Paul is 1st team all NBA defense.

Curry can't even make 2nd team. He is NOT a "solid" defender. He is slightly below average at best.

[dubeta]

:lol
Chris Paul is 1st team all NBA defense.

Curry can't even make 2nd team. He is NOT a "solid" defender. He is slightly below average at best.

Yup, him and MJ are the most overrated 'defenders' at the Guard positions


Both were 1 way players

[sundizz]

This truly shows HOW little people understand about basketball. Playing 35+ mpg (in the playoffs, which is when this nonsense matters) is exhausting. Draining. What is the point of him wasting so much energy on defense when his offensive output is so ridiculously good.

Let's put this in numbers:
He plays intense man to man defense on a pg and holds him to 15 points, 6 dimes (below his averages let's say).
He scores 22 points, 4 boards, 5 dimes 1 steal.

On the other hand, he guards a wing player and is allowed to roam (takes advantage of his ability to defend passing lanes (best in league) and to come from help side to make steals on the ball (top 5 in league).
Pg on opposing team scores 22 points, 8 dimes
He scores 35, 5 boards, 8 dimes, 3 steals. Since he is the main part of his team's offense his output/energy on the offensive end impact what his team does WAY more than any possible thing he could do on the defensive end.

They play defense to suit everyone's strengths. Klay is a GREAT man defender but only a decent help defender/pass reader. Curry is a good man defender (but not great at fighting through screens like Klay), and an EXCELLENT help defender.

Stop being silly ISH and learn how bball works.